For sale: Historic village hall in Solon Springs

Nov. 14—SOLON SPRINGS — The historic Solon Springs Village Hall

is listed for sale on the For Sale By Owner website.

The asking price is $85,000, but it comes with some stipulations.

The new owner will have to maintain the branch of the Superior Public Library and the community lending library in the lower level indefinitely. The buyer must also maintain

the rain garden beside the building

for seven years.

The 1929 building is nestled in the heart of the village and has served many uses. It was once a dance hall and a fire hall. A jail was once housed in the back. The clerk's office was located in the lower section until the Solon Springs Community Center was built in 2001.

The village's real estate listing went live Tuesday, Nov. 12, according to Village Clerk Kathy Burger. Concerned comments popped up on Facebook by the next day, but Village Board President Ben Evans said the sale should not come as a surprise.

"It's been a topic of discussion as long as I've been on the board to try and get rid of it. ... We finally decided that it needed to happen because if we didn't do it, it was never going to happen," said Evans, who has been on the village board for eight years.

The building is old and expensive to maintain, he said. "It's just not a very good use of village funds to try to maintain two buildings when we have ... a community center that already meets all the needs," Evans said.

The village board voted April 22 to list the old village hall for its full appraised value of $85,000, but it's been letting go of the building over the last few years. In 2018, the village board began

leasing the building to the nonprofit Solon Springs Forward group.

"We have had many events in the hall since 2018," said Nell Rae Forrest with the nonprofit. "In 2020, we closed the building to rentals and since then, we have been rebuilding our event calendar. However, we haven't scheduled anything for this year because of the anticipated sale.

"We have been working with community leaders to put in a food pantry and expand our offerings for community classes, game nights, movies, Christmas and seasonal celebrations," Forrest said.

Burger said the annual lease was not renewed in 2023 and Solon Springs Forward has been using the building monthly.

Most recently,

Solon Springs artist Jeredt Runions held a solo art show

of painted and beaded pieces Oct. 25.

Solon Springs Forward put an offer in on the village hall in December, Forrest said.

"There are so many possibilities and we're excited to see what we can accomplish for the community," Forrest said. "Ultimately, the sale will have to be decided by the village board."

There had been a couple showings with prospective buyers, Burger said. The village board is offering the building at market rate to the public but can consider all bids.

"If the village obtains an offer from a nonprofit, the sale price can be below market value as long as the amount of the loss incurred by the municipality as a result of the sale is for a public purpose," Burger said. "But initially, they are asking appraised value and will accept bids and they have the right to accept or refuse bids."

The pair of libraries that take up roughly half the building's space, known collectively as the Joan Salmen Memorial Library, could be a deal breaker for some potential buyers.

"The village wants to keep the library because people — a lot of people — use it," Evans said.

One perk that the new owner may have is help clearing snow from the parking lot. According to the Feb. 26 village board minutes, "The board agrees that even upon selling the building we should still continue plowing the parking lot."

No deadline was given for bids, but Burger said the board doesn't meet again until the end of January.

"Unless they hold a special meeting to open bids, I am guessing nothing will happen until their next scheduled meeting," she said.

Those interested in more information, scheduling a showing or submitting a bid can contact the village through the online listing or by calling the village office at 715-378-2235 or emailing