ND Paper seeks group to relocate historic ‘white house’ on Biron mill property
BIRON – ND Paper officials are hoping they can find a community partner to save the more than 150-year-old "white house" on paper mill property.
Francis Biron Sr. built the white house in 1865, according to Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune archives.
"The house is a two story building of pleasing design, architecturally graceful and massive without being ostentatious," an article from Dec. 15, 1934, stated. "It is today surrounded by lawns, stately old elms imported from the East, and by gardens which were layed out in the 1860's."
The ceilings had intricate stucco work done by expert tradesmen brought in from New York, according to the article. The house, which covered 3,300 square feet of ground, was made of "the best hand-selected lumber."
The house once had a "sweeping view" of the Wisconsin River and area surrounding it, according to newspaper archives. But, in time, the mill, which Francis Biron and his descendants owned and operated in the 1800s, would spring up around the white house, which had been a center of Biron-area society for years, according to archives.
The white house would become the business offices for Consolidated Papers and at one point, according to archives, held a school. Now, ND Paper, the current mill owner, wants the historic house removed from the property.
In a letter to Village President Jon Evenson; Phil Brown, president of the South Wood County Historical Museum; the Mead Witter Foundation; and Historic Point Basse, Caleb Coder, Biron Mill general manager, states the company wants to continue to improve safety on the mill property.
In 2022, ND wants to discontinue repairing and maintaining the former general manager home referred to as the "white house," according to the letter. The company hopes to find a community partner from the Biron area to buy the home from the company for $1 and move it to another location.
The white house doesn't fit into ND's operational plans for the Biron mill, said Brennan Burks, ND Paper communications and government affairs manager. The house is close to the company's chief operating facility, and new offices make the house unnecessary for the company.
"We are really hopeful a community partner will be able to preserve it," Burks said.
Burks is optimistic about a community partner finding a way to save the house. The letter ND Paper sent set a Dec. 31 deadline for someone to notify the company about wanting to take ownership of the house. The deadline for interested buyers to submit a written plan for the purchase and removal is March 31. By June 2, the buyer must have the house removed from the Biron mill property.
The letter states if no one steps forward to take possession of and move it, ND Paper will remove the white house as the company sees fit.
Burks said a group of interested local residents was planning to tour the house Thursday, and other local groups also have contacted him.
"From our standpoint, we feel very good about the interest in the public," Burks said.
Evenson has done research on the house and intends to present the issue during Monday's village board meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Biron Municipal Center, 451 Kahoun Ave., Biron.
Evenson said he wants to get opinions on the house's future from village board members. He has doubts as to whether anyone will be able to move the house. Evenson said his knowledge of moving buildings is limited, but he believes it would be a monumental task to move the two-story building.
Brown also has concerns about the house's future.
"It's really going to take a herculean effort," Brown said. "This is a big, big house."
The Biron mill was one of the first sawmills in central Wisconsin, Brown said. Francis Biron bought the mill in the 1840s, put in a new mill and built his house near it, Brown said.
"It really would be a shame to lose it," Brown said, "but I don't know anyone willing to put up that money right now."
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Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KMadden715, Instagram at @kmadden715 or Facebook at facebook.com/karen.madden.33
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Biron mill: ND Paper seeks group to relocate historic ‘white house’
