An Eagle-Eyed Rehabilitation
Imig Block, Sheboygan
Imig Block, Sheboygan, before restoration
The Imig Block's ownership was divided three ways when the city of Sheboygan's Department of Development began to push for a project combining a Community Development Block Grant with the owners' use of the rehabilitation tax credits. All three owners, Daniel McFadden, Dale Rauwerdink and McGrath and Associates, participated in this complex project. Work included opening up blocked-down second floor windows and removing paint from the masonry. Chemical cleaners were used to reveal the original cream brick, accented with red brick and stone. A new historically appropriate multi-color paint scheme for the wood and metal trim is the perfect foil for the masonry.
Imig Block after restoration The project architects, Linde Jensen Marcheske Architects of Sheboygan, designed new storefronts in a more sympathetic configuration. They also re-created an elaborate cornice. A historic photograph of the building was used as the source for the cornice design, including the realistic eagle cresting. The eagle, with its wings spread wide, now looks down on passersby just as it did when the building was completed in 1882.
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