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Developer Terrence Wall, manager of Wilson Street Redevelopment, which hopes to build a new 14-story housing project at 131 W. Wilson St., shows the cracking and debris that has fallen from the ceiling in the existing structure's parking garage.
After eight months of disagreement over the condition of the 12-story Downtown building that houses Paisan’s restaurant, the Madison Plan Commission Monday evening unanimously approved a demolition permit for the structure.
The process to tear down the 131 W. Wilson St. space could take several more months, said Terrence Wall of Wilson Street Redevelopment earlier in June — the developer hopes to eventually replace the building with a 14-story commercial and residential structure.
The Wilson Street space was first erected in 1971. One of the owners is Executive Management, whose president Greg Rice said in May that the building was “in danger of immediate collapse,” a claim city officials originally said was unfounded.
But at the Monday meeting, building inspector Matt Tucker said the Downtown structure “has reached the end of its useful lifespan.”
In June, not only were Executive Management and other Wilson Street space owners found in contempt by a Dane County judge for failing to perform inspections, but the building was ordered to close for the third time since September after a failure to comply with city inspection requirements.
After eight months of disagreement over the condition of the 12-story Downtown building that houses Paisan's restaurant, the Madison Plan Commission Monday evening unanimously approved a demolition permit for the structure.
Wilson Street Redevelopment subsequently hired an engineering consulting firm that produced a two-page “preliminary structural condition assessment” on June 9 that recommends the building be evacuated and stay unoccupied until the façade can be fully stabilized and further evaluated, and the structure of the lower parking garage, now supported by about 3,200 metal posts, is repaired.
The Plan Commission’s vote comes as Paisan’s, a 16-year tenant of the Wilson Street site, searches for a new location, likely the former Estrellon restaurant space in the Downtown Ovation building on West Johnson Street, and settles a lawsuit with Executive Management.
Paisan’s co-owner Wally Borowski said at the Monday meeting he wished to see the governing body delay the demolition until “after our landlord is able to resolve the commitments they made to us.”
“We invested in the restaurant and the community,” Borowski said.
State Journal reporter Dean Mosiman contributed to this report.
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Emilie Heidemann is a multimedia journalist for the Wisconsin State Journal. She joined the team in August 2021 to primarily cover economic issues, tech and businesses in the greater Madison area.
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Developer Terrence Wall, manager of Wilson Street Redevelopment, which hopes to build a new 14-story housing project at 131 W. Wilson St., shows the cracking and debris that has fallen from the ceiling in the existing structure's parking garage.
After eight months of disagreement over the condition of the 12-story Downtown building that houses Paisan's restaurant, the Madison Plan Commission Monday evening unanimously approved a demolition permit for the structure.
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