By Mari Radtke
The building that was the Lawyer’s office or the Wibe Building on the southwest corner of Main and Cedar Streets in Marcus was purchased in 2023 by Marcus Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO). Steve Schmillen tagged along at that initial inspection of the building. To call it dilapidated gave the impression it wasn’t so bad. MEDCO bought the property for John Wibe. MEDCO’s goal was to restore the 1886 bank building. It sat, for sale, for two years. All that time, Steve Schmillen wanted to acquire and demolish it.
Zoul Properties from Grand Island, NE redeveloped the Lewis Hotel property in Cherokee. They came to Marcus to in spring 2025 and inspected the property. Their expert opinion was that it could not be rehabilitated. MEDCO sold the property to Stash, LLC, a holding of Schmillen’s that normally works to repurpose commercial property.
“It was a tough old building,” said Schmillen about the experience of tearing down the property. He commented on papers of the original owner still in the vault. While it only took and hour and a half to tear down the building, the toughness comment referred to it’s interesting construction. The south wall was built brick-wood-brick. Construction at that time was typically 3 layers of brick. Schmillen said he’d never seen anything like that and found no reason for it. That construction method may also have contributed to the quickness of the building coming down. Schmillen explained how when the teeth of the bucket pulled on the inner layer of brick it caught on the wood and the whole wall just fell. The collapse took an air conditioner in the neighboring building with it and some roof damage. There was not a common wall. But a 3-foot wide sidewalk was between the buildings.
The sidewalk on the north had to be removed. The building was once coal-heated. The coal shoots were on the north side. They fed 4 chimneys. Two flights of stairs to the basement were found and had to be removed.
“I’m glad it’s down,” Schmillen said. It’s all filled and packed. The next step is to pour ADA accessible sidewalks and, if all goes well, seed the lot yet this fall.
MEDCO offered to purchase and install a FOR SALE sign on the property and to market it. That marketing strategy will last for a year. After that, Steve will consider his options. Schmillen doesn’t expect to get his money back. But he has the tools and the skill. And it’s good for the city.