Brick by Brick: The Depot Begins Its Restoration

Brick repair has officially begun at the Depot! Taking advantage of the last stretch of warm weather, our team turned its focus to the east wall — home to a sneaky step crack that’s quietly traced its way across the brick for decades. Over time, that crack and the slow settling of the wall created a small ledge above the opening — a visible reminder of what time, gravity, and water can do. That ledge will remain, a permanent witness to the Depot’s story, but the damage around it is being carefully repaired and made sound once again.

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In addition to that long, patient fracture, our masons addressed a far more dramatic injury — one likely caused by a heavy impact that pushed the steel framing back and threw the wall out of plumb. Imagine a truck, a long time ago, hitting the building hard enough to shift the brick itself. (We suspect that’s when someone poured the massive concrete stoop that once covered this façade — though if anyone in town knows for sure, we’d love to hear the story!)

Now, as we prepare to install a new glass-and-aluminum storefront door, our team removed every compromised brick and patch of concrete. (Fun fact for the restoration purists: different applications require different mortar types — precision matters here.) The craftsmen from A&M Masonry then rebuilt the opening, resetting the original steel plates and framing them with clean, cream-city brick. We chose mortar colors that blend seamlessly but still let the building’s many layers tell their tale.

Inside, the brick will stay largely untouched — a little dusty, a little imperfect, exactly as history left it. Where time has weakened the surface, we’ll patch with matching salvaged brick to ensure safety and durability for the café and event space to come. Outside, we’re using material reclaimed from another Wisconsin building, tying this restoration to the regional story it belongs to.

Next, the team will move below grade to begin tuckpointing work in the basement — a perfect task for the colder months ahead. These first steps have been energizing, a tangible reminder that this vision is no longer on paper; it’s happening, brick by brick, story by story.

Here is the nearly finished restored opening.

before restoration, Sept 2025.