Door County Granary to Receive $3.3 Million in Federal Budget Bill

The Door County Granary building on December 22, 2022. PC: Fox 11 Online

STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Included in the federal spending bill the Senate passed on Thursday is funding for a Sturgeon Bay project.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s office pushed for $3.3 million to help make the Door County Granary a reality.

The former Tewles and Brandeis Grain Elevator was built in 1901. Now, new life will be brought to the historic building.

“It feels like this is going to happen now,” said Laurel Hauser, board president for the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Foundation. “This is going to be something very exciting for our community and it’s going to revitalize the west waterfront, be a part of that anyway.”

The grain elevator was ordered to be torn down in 2017. However, the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Foundation and private donors were able to save it and have since been working on a $6.3 million plan that includes event space and an agricultural museum.

“We had paused in August where we put the building back together and the next steps would have been putting our addition together, which includes public restrooms and a catering kitchen and then we’ll also put siding up, put windows in, and enclose the whole space,” said Nicole Maston, project manager.

Construction was put on pause, waiting for funding. Private donors have carried the project, but a volunteer helped get in contact with Gov. Tony Evers’ office and then with Baldwin.

“It seemed like a Hail Mary, and we really didn’t think there was any chance that it would come to fruition,” said Hauser. “Even as of yesterday, we weren’t sure it was going to happen.”

Now that it has, those behind the efforts hope people see the benefits it will bring to the area.

“We just can’t wait to get moving and do the work we really want to do, put this building together, show everybody what the agricultural history was in Sturgeon Bay and share in our history of Sturgeon Bay with the community,” said Maston.

The goal has been to have phase one done by the summer, but an updated timeline is expected to come within the next few weeks.

This federal money is expected to get the group past the completion of phase one, which includes the first level of the Granary.

Fundraising is expected to be necessary for phase two, which includes getting the public up to the headhouse, which is 75 feet up in the air.

The building is on the state and national registries of historical places.

Door County Granary to Receive $3.3 Million in Federal Budget Bill

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