Officials: Horace Mann buys Witmer-Schuck building, with plans for renovation
Horace Mann has purchased and begun renovating the historic three-story Witmer-Schuck building that dates back to the 1860s at the southwest corner of Washington and Seventh streets.
According to Horace Mann spokeswoman Michelle Eccles, Hageman Family Insurance, a Horace Mann agency, moved into the building in October and is leasing the office space on the first floor. The agency, headed by Katie Hageman, has five employees, Eccles said.
In addition to improving the commercial/retail space on the first floor, Horace Mann is remodeling the second and third floors for corporate residences, Eccles said.
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Renovations are expected to be complete by early 2023, she said.
Horace Mann's national headquarters are located nearby, bounded by Seventh and Ninth streets and Jefferson and Washington streets. More than 800 are employed in the Springfield area. The company as a whole has around 1,700 employees, according to Eccles.
Donald Carley, executive vice president and general counsel at Horace Mann, said the uniqueness and beauty of the building's architecture and its proximity to its headquarters made last year's purchase "a natural fit."
“This is another opportunity to invest in the community that is home to our headquarters,” said Horace Mann president and CEO Marita Zuraitis. “Investing in the Witmer-Schuck building continues our commitment to supporting the heart of Springfield.”
Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance president & CEO Ryan McCrady is hoping Horace Mann’s investment spurs other corporations to invest in downtown buildings as part of the effort to increase economic activity in downtown Springfield.
“Downtown Springfield will grow and thrive in the next five years as the whole community comes together to work toward a revitalized and resilient downtown. Investments such as Horace Mann’s, which fully utilize a historic downtown building, align with the Next 10 Community Vision and are key to taking it from a vision to action,” added McCrady.
Last year, the Community Foundation of the Land of Lincoln released a community visioning plan called Next 10 that prioritized creating a revitalized downtown as one of its projects. The Community Foundation, the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, and the city of Springfield Downtown Springfield Inc. are currently working with a consulting group, Houseal Lavigne, to develop a downtown and Mid-Illinois Medical District master plan.
On Tuesday, the city council will consider a proposal for a 136-unit apartment complex by a New York City developer at Fifth and Madison streets. The plan would create its own Tax-Increment Financing district on the 1.1-acre site.
Earlier this month, the city council approved $562,000 in TIF funds towards a nine-unit apartment building at 526 E. Adams St. on the Old State Capitol Plaza. The developer and owner of Michael Von Behren Builders, Aaron Acree, said he may invest in more downtown projects in the future.
The Witmer-Schuck building dates from 1867. According to an online history from the city of Springfield, city officers had offices there from 1889 until 1894 when the first city hall was built.
It also once housed in the 1880s the Springfield Board of Trade, which promoted industrial growth in the city and was directly responsible for the establishment of such firms as the Springfield Watch Company (later the Illinois Watch Company).
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Horace Mann plans renovation of historic Witmer-Schuck building
