Demolition of Madison's Wonder Bar approved despite preservation push

It’s likely the end of the road for the Wonder Bar after Madison’s Plan Commission unanimously approved an application this month to tear down one of the city’s more storied buildings and redevelop its site.

Demolition of the Wonder Bar, along with the nearby Coliseum Bar across from Olin Park, would allow for redevelopment of the property, which has sat vacant for five years. This summer, Range Hill Partners presented initial plans to build a seven-story apartment building with roughly 190 units. Apartments would range from studio to three-bedroom units, and the building would have over 1,600 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Range Hill’s Dan Kennelly, a Bay Creek neighborhood resident, said the location at the intersection of Olin Avenue and John Nolen Drive is “an important location in the city” and the project is in line with the city’s comprehensive plan for the area, which calls for denser mixed-use development.

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RSK: A bit on the sad side, but a higher and better use for the site. The building is in such a disarray of repair, it would be less expensive to construct a similar one from scratch.