Maureen Wallenfang
Appleton Post-Crescent
Published 7:39 AM EDT Jul 9, 2019
The former Gabriel Furniture building emerged from its 1960s metal cocoon over the last month, revealing an original ornate brick façade from 1888. Two newer adjacent buildings on its east side have been demolished.
That’s just the start of what’s taking place at 201 E. College Ave.
The building is in the process of becoming Gabriel Lofts, a $5.4 million apartment development.
Gabriel Lofts is being developed by FORE Development + Investment Group, which is owned by four partners, Paul Klister and his sons Tom, Jack and Dan. Jack Klister spoke for the family in a project update.
Q: What is the state of the brick now that the metal façade is down?
A: For the most part, we were very pleased with what we found underneath the metal façade. It seems like the metal covering actually did a great job preserving most of the original brick design. However, we do recognize there’s still some significant cleaning and repairing of brick that will need to be done, especially on the front of the building. Now that we know what we’re working with, we’re setting out a plan for repairs, tuckpointing, waterproofing, etc.
Q: What are you finding out about the building as work progresses?
A: We are really excited about how our units are coming together and blend within the existing structure of the building. We haven’t experienced any crazy surprises (in a bad way) so far, and hopefully that continues.
Q: Any good stories about what you’re finding in the building?
A: I think the most exciting part of the construction process so far is find out the extent of detail that went into the construction of the building, both exterior and interior. Seeing the detail of the exterior brick design was definitely a highlight for us. A few others include the hallway crown molding, actual ceiling heights and ceiling designs, makeup of interior walls, arched doorways and the historic staircase, which will still be used once finished.
Q: What happened to the butterfly mural on the side of the building? And will it come back?
A: The butterflies were carefully and safely removed from the façade by the original artist, Chad Brady, and Alex Schultz with Sculpture Valley. Alex is also an Alderperson for District 9. I believe they are working on a plan to display the butterfly mural in a different location.
(In a separate call, Alex Schultz, executive director of Sculpture Valley, a nonprofit established to install and preserve public art, said they peeled the fiberglass fabric-and-stucco mural off the building, rolled it for storage and want to eventually place pieces of it elsewhere. “We salvaged what we could. We managed to get most of it off in the time we had. It wasn’t pretty. It won’t go up again in its entirety. The goal is to get two or three major pieces reinstalled. They’re stored out at Urban Evolutions on a pallet right now.”)
Q: Do you have an updated time-frame for the Gabriel Lofts apartments?
A: Right now we are still on track for an early spring 2020 move-in date. We will be releasing the official floor plans and pricing this fall via our Facebook page and website.
Q: Is this project still on track budget-wise?
A: For now, yes.
Q: Do you have anyone signed for the first-floor commercial space?
A: Not yet. We have had several groups express interest for each of the spaces, as well as the entire first floor. However, we do not have a deal set in place quite yet.
Contact Maureen Wallenfang at 920-993-7116 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @wallenfang.
More: Gabriel Furniture building’s facade is coming down, revealing historic detailed brickwork
More: The Buzz: Gabriel Furniture in downtown Appleton says goodbye
More: Conversion of Gabriel Furniture into downtown Appleton apartments to begin in May
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