Maple & Main

Congratulations Are in Order...

Posted by Curt Otto on Aug. 7, 2008

Over the past few months, added pressure has been fueling the deadline fire here in downtown Waukesha.

I am talking about the pressure many new business developments are feeling to get their businesses up and running before the Harley Festival.

And while many of them really gave it the old college try, only one is going to comfortably make the deadline.

You may be surprised by who it is… or maybe you won’t be.

The new Clarke Hotel will definitely not be ready for the Harley Fest. Nor will Bodway’s Live Music Grill. Taylor’s People’s Park might miss the date as well, and the new Katydids will not be open. Ray’s on South might be open, but I am not sure yet.

And in their defense, I want to assure you that it is not that they didn’t want to be open. It is because these people recognize that quality takes a little longer to pull off sometimes.

Like a fine wine, you can’t rush a good thing.

And they will all be worth the wait.

However, one very special business is going to make the deadline- and I think they deserve a very special happy dance of joy because of it.

Situated at the far end of West Main Street, downtown Waukesha’s very own Wisconsin House is up and running, with clean and quiet rooms for rent by the week or month.

Fantastic!

And to think that only a few short months ago, the Wisconsin House was the scene of a raging fire that destroyed the top floor and sent its residents fleeing into the cold night air.

Then, just months later, it was flooded by sewage during the Great Waukesha Flood of 2008.

(Makes you wonder when the locusts are going to show up.)

But through it all, business tycoon Ron Becker showed no signs of defeat. He tore out drywall, pumped sewage into the streets, and breathed new life into what seemed to be a cursed building.

And now, weeks before the big Festival de Harley, Ron is enjoying the fruits of his labor.

There are even some great new features that have been added during the rehab. One in particular is the fresh new layer of gravel that has been added to the parking lot.

But, by far, my very favorite addition has to be the new deck.

Situated on the west end of this historic brick square is a quaint wood deck that overlooks the parking lot and offers unobstructed views of the intersection of West Avenue and West Main Street.

It’s a great place to enjoy a satisfying cigarette, lounge with your friends, grab a few rays for a golden tan, or throw a little get together. And it really adds to the overall design element of the building.

It’s extras like these that really push the envelope and take a once boring old rooming house and transform it into something very special.

And it is dedication like Mr. Becker’s that ensures that it is done just in time to be showcased during one of downtown Waukesha’s biggest events.

As a matter of fact, since the Clarke Hotel won’t be guest-ready by the fest, perhaps Harley riders would be interested in staying in one of the weekly rental rooms available at the Wisconsin House.

For more information, start here.

Where you go from there is completely up to you…