Fire-damaged Coach House Apartments razed

Demolition of a historic house at the northeast corner of Oneida Street, otherwise known as the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 51 in downtown Minocqua, began on Monday, Dec. 18.

Also demolished were the Coach House Apartments attached to the rear of the house. 

The house, which in recent years had been the site of businesses, had two upstairs apartments. 

It was built in 1909. The two-story, eight-unit set of apartments, known originally as the Barker Apartments, was added 20 years later. 

A fire in late January of this year that began in one of the upstairs apartments and resulted in the death of a tenant, Roger Nordrum, 70, left the house with heavy fire, smoke and water damage. 

While firefighters were able to keep flames out of the living units of the Coach House Apartments, there was substantial water damage from those firefighting efforts. 

In the months since the fire, estimates starting at $900,000 to repair and renovate the house and apartments, along with concerns about public safety and structural integrity issues, prompted the decision to raze the structure instead. 

Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].