Credit union banks
on Market & Johnson

Market & Johnson encountered the downside of history at the fork of the Eau Claire and Chippewa rivers.

The Eau Claire-based general contractor and construction manager had just signed on to build the corporate headquarters for the Royal Credit Union in Eau Claire.

It was time to focus on foundations, but the community's history was standing in the way.

"Eau Claire was known for its logging," said Gary Carlson, vice president of project management for Market & Johnson. "This site, at one point, was a lumber mill, and we found contamination with old logs and sawdust."

And it wasn't just a few logs and piles of sawdust. Market & Johnson was looking at hundreds of cubic yards of material, and there was no way the contractor could place a building on top of the lumber mill's remains.

"We looked at geopier systems, pilings and overexcavating the entire site down to the riverbed, and that was the most practical," Carlson said. "It was one of the most unusual parts of the project, but it was a real success because we came in under budget and ahead of schedule. And then, we were off and running."

With a firm foundation in place, Market & Johnson set to work constructing the 100,000-square-foot, four-story office building. The building is designed around structural steel frames with composite concrete and steel decking. While original plans called for a stone and brick façade, Royal Credit opted for an architectural precast façade that was trucked in from Sioux Falls, S.D.

For the inside of the building, Royal Credit once again picked material that wasn't readily available in the surrounding region.

"The finish is unique to this area," Carlson said. "It's got a lot of granite, and you typically don't see that in this area."

Market & Johnson had the building enclosed by spring and, by December, expected to have two floors substantially completed.

"It's been a great project," Carlson said. "It's been a challenge because of the unusual materials, but it's coming together very well. It's going to be a real showplace."

It's also going to be the first step in Eau Claire's North Barstow Street Redevelopment, a plan that has generated plenty of talk but little action over the years, Carlson said.

"Royal Credit really made the first move, and that should lead to a lot of other positive things," he said.

- Chris Thompson

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