2003 Preservation Awards
South Side State Bank
[photo: Zane Williams]
330 W. Lakeside Street
Michael Ulrich, owner
Jim Erickson, building conservator
Category: Commercial Restoration
The South Side State Bank folded during the Great Depression, later becoming a candy store. Located at 330 W. Lakeside Street in a quaint strip of brick buildings across from Franklin Elementary School, the small commercial building has been given new life by Michael Ulrich.
Ulrich, who runs Inner-coastal Ecological Services out of the back of the building, bought it on a land contract six years ago. The building was not an attractive sight. Most of the bricks had been covered by either stucco or concrete and a pebbly-aggregate mix. The windows were filled with glass block and the arches covered with wood. The roofline was crumbling and the bank sign pockmarked.
On a shoestring budget, Ulrich moved in next door, spending hundreds of hours with a hammer and chisel to uncover the original brick façade. With the help of a façade improvement grant from the city of Madison, and expert help from Jim Erickson, a restoration mason at Taliesin Preservation Inc., the bank slowly came back to life.
They removed the cinder block wall that connected the bank to the Bahai center next door, helping free both buildings to exhibit more of their original character. The pockmarks were patched with a special mix of acrylic, quartz and coal, and numerous broken brick faces were patched and recolored with layers of carefully mixed dyes.
Ulrich and Erickson were also careful to retain some of the verdigris coloring in the bank sign lettering. Tenants now include the Sheer Elegance hair salon, and Ulrich’s ecological business. It’s noteworthy that Jim Erickson was a co-founder many years ago of TDS Custom Construction, another 2003 award winner.
The South Side State Bank before renovations.
[photo: Michael Ulrich]
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Other 2003 Award Winners
South Side State Bank
