February 28, 2024 – West Bend, Wi – The horizon on W. Washington Street in West Bend, Wi, looks a little different as the Madden Law Office sign on the southeast corner of Valley Avenue has been removed.
It was November 2013 when Madden Vanderloop Law Firm S.C. of Mayville purchased the former M&I Bank location, 325 Valley Avenue, in West Bend, WI.
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At the time Madden had outgrown his building in Mayville and needed more space.
Madden, worked with American Design and Build of West Bend to turn the building from a bank into a law firm. That buildout was completed in April 2014.
Madden paid $270,000 for the property in 2013; at the time the parcel was assessed at $1.23 million. At the time, that location had been on the market since Nov. 18, 2011, when BMO Harris closed the branch along with 13 others across the country.
Fast forward 11 years and now Madden has sold the property, 325 Valley Avenue, to MWD West Bend II LLC, which is Russ Darrow. That sale closed January 2, 2024 for $1.1 million.
It was 2018 when Darrow paid $3 million for nearly 11 acres on West Washington Street.
The parcel had been owned by Steve Kearns, who had it since 2005 when he paid $856,000. The package deal also included land Kearns purchased from Audrey and Dave Bohn. Audrey Bohn spent $150,000 on the parcel in June 1994. Kearns paid her $820,000 for a 7.08-acre site.
“I bought the Bohn land and made a package deal and sold it to Russ Darrow,” Kearns said, about the deal that closed at $3 million.
Calls have been placed to Russ Darrow Dealership to see what its plans are for the building and location on Valley Avenue.
On a history note: Valley Avenue used to be called Shady Lane – but when M&I Bank wanted to build on the corner, the trusted bank couldn’t be on a road that was named Shady Lane. So, the name of the road was eventually changed to Valley Avenue.
