Board to review old Allis-Chalmers building in La Crosse

City planner wants building renewed, not torn down

A board in Madison will consider granting historic tax credits to an old manufacturing building in La Crosse soon.  

Three weeks from today, a state review board will look at the former home of Allis-Chalmers downtown.  

The review will determine whether the Cleary family, which owns the building, will get the credits to use as part of a renovation project.  

City senior planner Tim Acklin likes the idea of renewing the vast building.  

“Always recycling a building,” he said, “is better than tearing down and building new, especially if it’s still sound.”

The two-block building is in two sections. The northern section is about a century old and has been condemned by the city. The southern section is in better shape and was built in the 1930s.