Photo by Jim Muchlinski The Ivanhoe creamery building stands at the center of downtown Ivanhoe. Efforts are underway to come up with future prospects for the tax forfeited property. The creamery was built in 1929 as a manufacturing plant for dairy products such as milk, cream, and butter.
IVANHOE — The fate of Ivanhoe’s historic creamery building is in the hands of local residents.
The Lincoln County Board discussed the status of the tax-forfeited creamery Tuesday with Ivanhoe area resident Jason Wisnieski, a licensed realtor who hopes to see the building restored and used for a new purpose.
Wisnieski said he and other local residents became concerned over a public notice in the past month about obtaining price quotes for a creamery demolition.
“We think tearing it down would be a big mistake,” Wisnieski said. “Nobody builds anything like it nowadays. It’s an historic landmark that reflects Ivanhoe’s heritage and its agricultural roots.”
He recently moved back to Ivanhoe after spending his early adult life in the Fargo and Moorhead area. He worked with the restorations of two Fargo commercial properties.
He said Fargo’s success with its historic business district contrasts with Moorhead, where a major part of the central business district was razed. He added that a mall area and parking ramp built in downtown Moorhead have not been meeting original economic expectations.
He considers Ivanhoe’s creamery a comparable situation, one that involves the only building in town that could potentially be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“Historic downtowns are an asset,” Wisnieski said. “People like old storefronts and wide sidewalks. In small towns brick is more impressive than tin.”
He told commissioners that creamery supporters have begun to make contacts with historical groups, public agencies and stakeholders with ties to Ivanhoe who could potentially become investors.
Lincoln County Environmental Administrator Robert Olsen, who is working to coordinate the removal of oil products and used tires from the creamery, said there’s an estimated cost of about $40,000 for a demolition.
He said renovation expenses would be much higher. It might result, however, in a building that can once again serve as a valuable resource.
“It’s a choice between tearing it down and having nothing but a vacant lot or trying for more than that,” Olsen said. “If there’s a definite vision for it, there can be advantages to keeping it.”
He said the building has a solid frame with some need for structural work on the roof and the east wall. Even greater costs would be needed to convert the interior to a new purpose.
The Ivanhoe creamery was built in 1929 as a manufacturing plant for dairy products. It became part of a mid 20th century merger of seven different area creameries, which together formed the Southwest Minnesota Dairy Association that was headquartered in Russell.
Southwest Dairy became known for the production of regional goods, including a butter brand named Chain O’ Gold. A long-term decline in the number of small dairy farms eventually led to the shipment of local dairy commodities to the Bongaard’s production plant in Young America.
Lincoln County commissioners said this week that they’re open to giving the former Ivanhoe creamery a new lease on life in the 21st century.
“We aren’t determined to have it demolished,” said Commissioner Mic VanDeVere. “It’s an option that we started to explore because we hadn’t heard there was interest in restoring it. If a well thought out plan takes shape, we’d definitely give it a chance.”
The property would need to go up for public auction sometime in 2022. If public interest continues to develop, county officials could choose to offer the property in “as is” condition.
“With most tax forfeited properties it’s better to turn them into vacant lots and then sell them,” VanDeVere said. “The problem with selling them in poor condition is that someone might buy them for almost nothing and then not be able to follow through on plans. The county would get them back and face an even higher clean up expense. The Ivanhoe creamery might hopefully become an exception.”
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