CRAFTING BEVERAGES, 10 HISTORIC HILL

HISTORIC HILL

West Hill neighborhood may receive national historical designation

words by TOM GIFFEY • photo by ANDREA PAULSETH

erched high above downtown

PChippewa Falls, the treelined streets of the West Hill neighborhood are dotted with picturesque homes dating as far back as the 1870s. Among them is the Cook-Rutledge Mansion, a High Victorian Italianate jewel built during the lumber boom of the 1880s.

The neighborhood is an historic district in everything but name, and that could change in the near future: The Wisconsin Historical Society is considering applying to put the West Hill Residential Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. With the help of the Chippewa County Historical Society, the Wisconsin Historical Society held a community meeting last month to discuss the proposal, which was attended by about 60 residents. Public feedback on the plan to create the district was virtually unanimous, said Joe DeRose, survey historian with the Wisconsin Historical Society.

DeRose said the West Hill neighborhood is under consideration as a historic district because of its coherent concentration of buildings with architectural styles ranging from the 1870s to the 1930s. “When you walk into this neighborhood, you have a sense almost that you’re walking back in time,” DeRose said. “You have a sense of what Chippewa Falls was like in the

COOK-RUTLEDGE MANSION

1930s. The scale, the massing, the materials, were all there at that point in time.”

Jim Schuh of the Chippewa County Historical Society said the potential district was identified in a survey conducted in 1985, but its creation was never pursued. However, the Cook-Rutledge Mansion, 505 W. Grand Ave., has been on the National Register since 1974, and a portion of downtown was designated the Bridge Street Commercial Historical District in 1994.

The National Register of Historic Places is largely an honorific program, not a regulatory one, DeRose said. While property owners sometimes think being on the National Register will prevent them from modifying their buildings, that is not the case, he said. Such restrictions are usually put in place by local landmark commissions – and, unlike the city of Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls doesn’t have a landmarks commission.

So what does it mean to receive National Register status? According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, owners may be eligible for state or federal tax credits to rehabilitate listed properties. In fact, in recent years DeRose said he’s received inquiries from several property owners about the potential for such tax credits. And, while listing doesn’t require property owners to maintain or restore their properties (they can even demolish them if they wish), “listing a property in the registers does trigger state and federal preservation laws that require federal, state, and local government agencies to take into consideration the effect of their plans or projects on the listed property,” the Wisconsin Historical Society says.

The process of being added to the National Register requires several steps. If the Wisconsin Historical Society decides to pursue a listing for the West Hill neighborhood, it will hire a consultant to prepare the nomination paperwork, DeRose said. That application will go before the state Historic Preservation Review Board, a commission appointed by the governor that meets quarterly. It it clears that hurdle, it is forwarded to the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., which makes the final determination. The entire process can take as much as a year and a half. That may seem like a long time, but it’s nothing compared with the city’s – and the West Hill’s – long history.

“WHEN YOU WALK INTO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU HAVE A SENSE ALMOST THAT YOU’RE WALKING BACK IN TIME.”

JOE DEROSE, WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY

STEPPING UP TO SERVE

Legacy Community Center supports locals with hot meals, charitable resources

words by LAUREN FISHER • photo by ANDREA PAULSETH

n May, the Legacy Community

ICenter in Chippewa Falls received a ton of corn on the cob – literally more than 2,000 pounds – as a donation. Almeada Sullivan, the meal coordinator at Agnes’ Table, expected 10 boxes; the organization received more than 40. When they arrived on Friday, the center’s busiest delivery day, Executive Director Rebecca Al-awdi took it in stride, hauling box after box of the stuff into the kitchen and the food closet, and reaching out to other local support organizations to find homes for the excess.

The Legacy Community Center officially opened its doors at 26 W. Grand Ave. in Chippewa Falls in August 2018. It’s a small office space from which Al-awdi and six core volunteers provide intake and social support services to people of all ages, in all economic situations, and from anywhere. All of the services the center provides – including a clothing closet, a food closet, a meeting space, and resource connections – are absolutely free to anyone, no questions asked. Right next door in the same building, Agnes’ Table provides one free meal, and a place to socialize and stay out of the weather, every weekday to the community.

“Anybody can walk in off the street and find out anything they want to know about the nonprofits in the area, and they can get their basic needs met at the same time,” Al-awdi said.

On breakfast days (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), Agnes’ Table guests play cards and sip coffee in the booths before heading up to grab a bite to eat from the continental-style breakfast buffet. Thanks to partnerships with Walmart, the Chippewa Falls Farmers Market, Fleet Farm, and more, they are able to provide the occasional steak or salmon supper. The venue looks so much like a normal restaurant that occasionally, diners ask for the check only to realize for the first time that anyone can have a meal for free.

“We make meals because it’s hard to cook in a tent, or a car, or hotel even,” Sullivan said. But it’s also about providing a place for people to get out of the hot summer days or cold winter mornings, and a place to spend time with others. Agnes’ Table hosts monthly bingo games and cookie-decorating sessions where people of all ages come together. In April alone, the restaurant served more than 1,200 meals.

Sullivan estimates that this represents about 150-200 individuals, however it’s more difficult to track that number. She knows most visitors by name, and during her three years working for the organization, she has watched several kids graduate from coming by with their parents to walking over on their own to grab a meal.

The Legacy Center itself is home to a reception area, the food closet, a clothing closet, meeting rooms, and more. The entire operation runs out of about 2,200 square feet – that’s why Al-awdi calls it a food “closet” instead of a pantry. The Center provides about 1,200 pounds of food every week to 25-50 families. They are the only pantry in the county open on Saturdays, which means it’s the busiest day of the week.

Anyone can use the meeting space, which can be set up for conference-style meetings or interactive circles. They display digital flyers for local events and support services on a large screen. The clothing closet provides free clothing for adults preparing for interviews or for changes in the season. In the front of the building is an area where objects such as small furnishings and home goods are available. A small corner in one office is dedicated to trinkets, small statues, and decorations; kids can stop by and pick up free gifts for their loved ones for any occasion, and staff will help them wrap up the treasures.

For visitors in need of more specific assistance, the Legacy Center serves as a great starting point.

“Our intake and referral process allows us to not only know all the different agencies in town, but also get people connected with them rather than them having to find it themselves,” Al-awdi said. She knows from experience that it can be frustrating finding the right agency to provide a service. People can sometimes be shuffled from agency to agency, only to give up when things seem

AGNES' TABLE

“ANYBODY CAN WALK IN OFF THE STREET AND FIND OUT ANYTHING THEY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE NONPROFITS IN THE AREA, AND THEY CAN GET THEIR BASIC NEEDS MET AT THE SAME TIME,”

REBECCA AL-AWDI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LEGACY COMMUNITY CENTER hopeless. The center’s intake program takes the guesswork out of the process.

“Everybody knows that if they’ve got someone they don’t know how to answer a question for, they send them to us,” Al-awdi said.

More than 80 organizations volunteer time and money to Agnes’ Table to feed the community, and countless more volunteers, businesses, churches, and individuals bring in a steady supply of food and donations. “We had volunteers coming out of the woodwork,” Al-awdi said. “Everybody wanted to get involved. … You know you’re doing something right because the community backs you.”

Al-awdi and Sullivan do their best to cooperate with other area organizations to provide the most comprehensive services they can. When there’s excess – the Legacy Center recently received more than 4,000 boxes of cereal as a donation – they reach out to other pantries and meal services to share the wealth.

“We all have to support each other,” Sullivan said. Al-awdi pitched in: “No one should have to work harder; we should all just be working together.”

The Legacy Center is open 8am2:30pm Monday through Thursday, 8am1:30pm on Friday, and 10am-noon on Saturday. Agnes’ Table is open for breakfast Mondays and Wednesdays from 7am-noon and Fridays 8am-noon. Supper is served Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30pm, with the building open from 2-7pm. More information is available online at legacycommunitycenter.org.

BRIDGES OF VALOR

Chippewa Falls honors veterans with five bridges

words by HALEY WRIGHT • photo by ANDREA PAULSETH

n Memorial Day in 2018, five

Obridges in Chippewa Falls were dedicated in honor of all five military service branches. The bridges, now called the Chippewa Falls Memorial Bridges – including the bridge on Central Street, which is dedicated to the U.S. Army; the bridge on Grand Avenue, which is dedicated to the U.S. Air Force; the bridge on Columbia Street, which is dedicated to the U.S. Navy; the bridge on Jefferson Avenue, which is dedicated to the U.S. Marines; and the bridge on Bridgewater Avenue, which is dedicated to the U.S. Coast Guard – honor all who have served.

Chippewa Falls native Scott Sullivan, who comes from a military family, spearheaded the dedication of the bridges.

“After touring many military museums across the country, and particularly the WWII museum in New Orleans and the Battleship USS Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, it sparked my interest to get this done for our city,” Sullivan said.

He felt if other cities and states were dedicating bridges to their military history, he would like to do the same for his hometown. Sullivan initially proposed the bridge project to the Chippewa Falls City Council, which recommended that he work with the Patriotic Council and the Chippewa County Veteran’s Services Office. The project was primarily citizen-funded, and also received a $1,500 donation from the Chippewa Falls Elks Lodge. The City of Chippewa Falls donated the labor to hang the signs.

Sullivan noted that Chippewa Falls has a rich military history, and that 5% of all Medal of Honor recipients and three generals from the State of Wisconsin hail from Chippewa Falls. The U.S. Army Bridge on Central Street specifically honors Medal of Honor Recipients Pvt. Richard H. Cosgriff, who served in the Civil War; Pvt. Horace Ellis, who served in the Civil War; and Sgt. Charles E. Mower, who served in World War II. It also honors Maj. Gen. Irving J. Carr, who served in the Philippines and in World War I. The U.S. Air Force Bridge on Grand Avenue specifically honors Brig. Gen. Dennis B. Sullivan, who served in Korea and in the Vietnam War; and Maj. Gen. James J. LeCleir, who served in the Vietnam War. Notably, Brig. Gen. Sullivan is Scott Sullivan’s uncle. Additional honoree names will be added in the future.

CENTRAL STREET BRIDGE