La Crosse’s iconic “Pink Palace” being checked for special souvenirs, before being torn down

It’s an unusual, one-of-a-kind landmark on La Crosse’s Main Street, just a block from the library.

An apartment complex painted pink, which bears the nickname the Pink Palace, was approved for demolition by the city council, to be replaced by new housing.

This week, staffers from Habitat for Humanity for the Greater La Crosse Region have recruited volunteers to help go through the Palace to see what can be saved for other buildings or for souvenirs.

Habitat executive director Kahya Fox, on WIZM’s La Crosse Talk, discussed the salvage project.

“It’s just a wonderful opportunity for partner agencies,” Fox said, “so CouleeCap contacted us, and we organized our staff and volunteers, and we’ve been in the Pink Palace taking out all of those iconic things, saving them from the landfill, giving the community an opportunity to have a piece of the Pink Palace before it’s gone.”

Fox described that “very wild, 1970s, very hip” items are being removed from the building by the Habitat team, through this Saturday.

The city council voted this month to tear down the Pink Palace, which reportedly dates back to the 1800s.

The ‘palace’ would be replaced by a new affordable housing development called Haven on Main.