The better it gets, the better it gets for downtown West Bend redevelopment.
The historic business district is already one of the nicest downtowns among small cities in America, and it will take another distinctive leap with the addition of a newly proposed Midwest Museum of Firefighting (MMF).
Kevin Steiner
Two of the community’s outstanding business leaders, Kevin Steiner and Jim Schloemer, have formed a new non-profit organization to transform the city’s 60-year-old firefighting station and headquarters into an exciting tourist destination. Once the outmoded station is vacated in favor of a new station at the corner of Highways 33 and 45, the MMF organization will house 28 pieces of historic mobile fire engines and pumps into the facility, along with all kinds of firefighter gear, alarm systems, memorabilia from the 1800s to 1940s and educational materials on the history of firefighting.
Jim Schloemer
This fantastic endeavor would not be possible without the life-long passionate collecting of the late Keith Franz and his family. The collection is now housed on the Franz property in Slinger and is open to viewing by appointment. It is called the Venerable Fire Collection.
Schloemer and Steiner convinced the family to make the collection, arguably one of the ten best in the United States, available more broadly to the public. What better place than the old fire station?
City leaders immediately grasped its potential as a tourism draw. They agreed to sell the obsolete station, which would have been a white elephant, to MMF for $1. This project will prove be an astute civic investment.
West Bend Mayor Joel Ongert summed up the potential value of the project. “This project not only preserves our community’s connection to its firefighting roots, but creates a one-of-kind destination in the heart of downtown. Given the facility’s age, specialized use, and significant renovation needs, the current fire station posed challenges for traditional redevelopment. The museum offers a meaningful and innovative solution that is in keeping with our strategic master plan to revitalize our downtown. It will become yet another anchor for tourism in West Bend.”
The downtown already has major anchors: The Museum of Wisconsin Art, the Historic West Bend Theatre (The Bend), the West Bend community sculpture collection with half of its 52 pieces in the city center, an emerging Wisconsin Entertainers Wall of Fame, historic Regner Park, the Eisenbahn Trail and the sparkling Milwaukee River itself and its Riverwalk.
No major civic project gets off the ground without significant funding. Schloemer and Steiner, in connection with West Bend Mutual Insurance Charitable Trust, each contributed $1 million as seed money. Many thanks.
The overall project has been estimated at $4 million, probably including working capital. Fundraising for the balance will commence immediately.
The West Bend community has long supported civic advancement, and this one should enjoy similar success. Schloemer is chairman and CEO of Continental Properties, a highly successful real estate company. He grew up in West Bend. Steiner is the recently retired CEO of West Bend Mutual Insurance.
Addressing the West Bend Common Council last week, Schloemer said, “This collection deserves a tremendous home where as many people can view it as possible. We hope it will instill enthusiasm in the next generation.”
The new museum will have roots in the history of our community. Steiner explained that the West Bend Fire Insurance Company was founded in 1893 after a significant fire devastated a number of downtown businesses. Local business leaders got together to form an enterprise that has grown into the West Bend Mutual Insurance Company, a multi-state enterprise with about $2 billion in revenues and more than 1200 employees.
Steiner added, “The museum will honor that legacy and the long-standing relationship between the city and its first responders.”
The city will break ground on the badly needed new fire station in September, with completion anticipated as early as spring 2026.
Now, turn on your imagination. Can you picture the joy and excitement of children climbing on some of the 28 pieces of antique equipment and even donning some of the firefighting gear?
