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GARDEN + 2025 | WEEK 3
FROM SAGGING ROOF TO RUSTIC RENTALS
Decorah chiropractor installs apartments in historic downtown building
BY ZACH JENSEN DECORAH LEADER STAFF WRITER
When Laurie Meinholz bought the building which houses her chiropractic office in downtown Decorah, she wasn’t immediately sure what to do with the 5,000-square-feet on its second floor. But, after making a number of major repairs to the struggling historic structure, Meinholz decided to invest in her future by creating several second-floor apartments in the building — an investment which she expects will pay off in the future if everything goes well. “My strategy is that I’m going to own this building til I die,” Meinholz said. “So, I can invest a lot in it now, because hopefully, I have a long life, and I have it for 50 years. If I die in a year, it didn’t really pan out. So, not having a good payout for the first 10 years is okay, because I’m looking at a way to have money coming in during my retirement.” A place to start Meinholz said she didn’t know what she was going to do with her life after she graduated from Luther College in 2008. She
Historic renovation continued on page B-6
(Photo by Zach Jensen) TOP- Tall ceilings, light paint and large second-story windows make the Meinholz apartments feel larger than they are. (Submitted) ABOVE- Meinholz prides herself in being a proficient thrift shopper — buying many of her apartments' furnishings, including this bouquet of faux flowers, second hand. (Photo by Zach Jensen)
BUILDING HELD HISTORY The properties at 207 and 209 East Water Street in Decorah changed hands several times before 1914, when contractor A.R. Coffeen erected a new building on the site for Haugen’s Buick and Oldsmobile dealership. The Haugen Garage included a second-story dance floor. The upper-level dance floor was popular during the 1940s and also served as a roller skating rink, a meeting hall for the Moose Lodge and as a cosmetology school. The basement was once home to the Decorah Athletic Club, which featured boxing and wrestling events during the 1930s.
Published Tuesday, April 29, 2025