City reopens 8th Street with Block Building secured

Building ready for developers

For the time being work is done. If we don't see any movement on the developer we may look into reconstruction, but this repair removed the hazard, buys us time and gets the road open which was paramount.”

-Doug Krogmeier, City Building Director

FORT MADISON - City officials have reopened 8th Street in the area where reconstructive work was being done on Block Building at the corner of 8th Street and Avenue G.
Fort Madison's City Council voted to make repairs to a portion of the west side exterior wall to secure the building from further crumbling and to entice potential developers into taking over the building and repurposing it into potential additional upper floor housing.
City Building Director Doug Krogmeier said for now work is being, but additional renovations may be required if someone doesn't take possession of the structure.
"For the time being work is done. If we don't see any movement on the developer we may look into reconstruction, but this repair removed the hazard, buys us time and gets the road open which was paramount," Krogmeier said.
Going forward Krogmeier said the entire building is now salvageable.
Fort Madison Mayor Matt Mohrfeld told the council in July that the building had negative value and the city wouldn't be able to sell the structure to a developer, but said getting the building saved and repurposed was the best option moving forward.
At one point Barker Financial Group has shown an interest in the building. Barker stepped in a finished off two construction projects in the city at the former Lee County Bank building and the Cattermole Library. The firm restored the building and renovated upper floor apartments.
Since that time Barker Financial has acquired several other properties in the downtown area and engaged in other development projects in Fort Madison.
However, in recent conversations, city officials have withheld the names of potential investors in the Block Building.
A lift and some barricades are still present at the site, but just off the sidewalk on the east side of the street between Avenue G and the south alleyway.
Bricks from the original structure removed during the renovations that were recently done by Shickedanz Construction of Fort Madison, about 10 pallets worth, were saved and stored and will be used to reconstruct the exterior wall at the appropriate time, Krogmeier said.