City issues raze order

By Taylor J. Hale
Staff Writer

STEVENS POINT – CREATE Portage County’s project to move the IDEA Center from Ellis Street to the Fox Theater downtown picked up major momentum this week, as the city of Stevens Point issued a 90-day raze order for the building.

City officials issued the order after concerns were brought up regarding the structural integrity of the deteriorating building, which has sat vacant for years.  The projected cost for the CREATE project on the building is $3.5 million.

CREATE unveiled the soft launch of their capital campaign for the move last March after extensive feasibility studies, performed from Sept. 2018 – Feb. 2019.  The notice from the city, received on July 17, has shifted the group’s focus into high-gear.

“We did a feasibility study recently and interviewed twice the number of people usually engaged in feasibility research,” said CREATE Executive Director Greg Wright about the project. “That’s how we landed on this specific vision for the project and the dollar amount we are trying to hit.”

The organization reported that it had met one-third of its $3 million plus goal as of July 18. Wright added that the group doesn’t just want to preserve past history — they want to help innovate and reinvent the Fox.

“We believe that the facility itself needs a significant reinvention,” said Wright. “We need to shift it from what was at the time a ‘60s and ‘70s era creative space, to being a 21st-Century creative hub.”

Wright added that CREATE is working with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to develop the Fox as a model to show other small communities throughout the state ways to support entrepreneurship and innovation. The revision of the building would feature creative dens for makers, tech start-ups, entrepreneurs and locals looking for a place to work.

While significant changes may come in the future, Wright still understands the importance of the architectural history of the Fox.

“We are preserving the facade of the building,” he said. “We think that’s an important iconic piece of the architectural history of our community.”

The capital campaign is scheduled to close in April 2020. The Fox could be reopened to the public as early as the spring of 2021, if CREATE reaches their fundraising goal.

“We are confident, but obviously, we were hoping for a slightly longer window of time. But we do still think this is a viable project,” Wright added.

For more information or to donate, visit https://www.createportagecounty.org/anewfox.

See next week’s edition for more on the Fox Theater’s history.