WATERTOWN, WISC. (with excerpts from Watertown Daily Times) – Watertown community leaders and major donors gathered at 1 West Main St. in Watertown Saturday to break ground on the city’s new $4.5 million Town Square.
Among the honored guests were Barton and Laura Bentzin who, through the Bentzin Family Foundation, donated $1 million to secure naming rights for the Town Square.
When work is completed, the area will be known as the Bentzin Family Town Square. The goal of the Bentzin family Town Square is to serve as a catalyst for economic activity by bringing people to the downtown. The vision is to create a world-class, open-air gathering space for all people to enjoy.
Rob Marchant, chairman of the Watertown Redevelopment Authority, said “Today is more than a groundbreaking…I will always think of this square as a monument to collaboration and what can get done when people really work together.”
Watertown has been working with Vandewalle & Associates on long-term downtown renewal plans and economic development, including the riverwalk and other projects throughout the downtown. Catalytic projects such as the Town Square are helping build momentum for an exciting downtown revitalization.
To date, the Bentzin Family Town Square has been the catalyst for T. Wall Enterprises LLC to invest $19 million in building a 90-unit mixed-use complex adjacent to the square. In addition, Alex Allon, executive director of the RDA reported an uptick in recent purchases including the historic Masonic Temple building for $600,000 and a historic building in the third block of Main Street for $300,000 are a direct result of Watertown’s investment in building the Bentzin Family Town Square.
