Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law and may be made online at the Viroqua Area Foundation website or by mail to:

Viroqua Area Foundation
P.O. Box 262
Viroqua, WI 54665

Online Pledge Form

Viroqua is the county seat of Wisconsin’s Vernon County. It is a growing tourist destination with no clearly visible visitor information center. The unique, historic bathhouse building, when renovated, will not only function as the Viroqua Welcome Center helping everyone discover all that the area has to offer, but will be the home of the Viroqua Chamber.

By providing community and visitors with more information about what’s here, local businesses and organizations will have increased visibility and a better chance of attracting those people to their shops, services, and other offerings.

Viroqua is also a central connection point for Vernon County’s many outdoor recreational trails. The Viroqua Welcome Center will function as a trailhead and recreational information center allowing people to explore a range of activities and attractions. 

Public restrooms, a place to fill your water bottle, a meeting space, and a bicycle repair station will all be part of the Viroqua Welcome Center.

The 1936 limestone historic building with 16-inch outer walls and 12-inch inner walls will last decades, if not centuries, according to Preservation Architect, Marc Zettler, who evaluated the building in 2022. The restoration and creative use of the historic building, and the welcoming space and information services will speak volumes about the type of community we are.

The City of Viroqua owns the property.

The Viroqua Historic Preservation Commission (VHPC) is in place to identify historic buildings and sites within the City of Viroqua, make recommendations regarding their significance to the community and facilitate opportunities to enhance public knowledge. The VHPC, in cooperation with the Viroqua City Council, formed a volunteer WPA Building Task Force to explore how to best address the future of the WPA Bathhouse Building.  

Aaron Van Loo, a Architectural Technology student at WTC, contacted the VHPC in the fall of 2022 and made his capstone project, a renovation plan for the WPA Bathhouse Building, available to the commission. Aaron’s project design, complete with floorplan and computer images, showed the WPA Bathhouse renovated into a four-season building.

Christina Dollhausen and Karen Innis, members of the WPA Building Task Force, conducted surveys of community members in the spring of 2023 to determine how the building could best serve the community. The results were that there was a need for accessible public restrooms, a visitor and community information center, a trailhead, and a space that could accommodate small public or private events.

Marc Zettler was contracted to serve as the architect for the project and Artisan Preservation LLC out of La Crosse was hired as the contractor in April 2025.

The WPA is the most famous of the post-depression era work-relief programs implemented by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal. It employed more than 8.5 million skilled and unskilled people in projects across the country—many of which were public works such as creating parks and building roads, bridges, schools and other public structures. Viroqua’s Bathhouse was built by local WPA workers from limestone quarried just outside of Viroqua. We would love to hear from local families whose present or previous generations took part in this building’s history.

The pool was closed in 2004. A portion of the shallow end of the pool and the land north of the pool was sold to the Eagles Club in 2009. The entire pool area was filled in in 2015. Rebuilding the pool is no longer an option.

This project is focused on restoring and repurposing the existing historic building to best serve the community. (Those seeking a pool should check out the Bigley Pool, located adjacent to the Viroqua Middle School. It provides the community with a number of classes and aquatic activities.)

This project is focused on restoring and repurposing this existing historic building to best serve the community. A splash pad, gardens with a fountain, paths with picnic tables and benches, an amphitheater—all are possibilities for the future.

The Community Garden is a program developed by the McIntosh Memorial Library in partner with several organizations to provide educational experiences for children and benefits for local elders. This program is supported by grant funding and may continue to grow. We look forward to working in concert with the library to support preexisting and future programs to better serve the community.

Total project cost including contingency is estimated at $810,000. But we will continue to raise funds so that there is enough money for all the tuck-pointing needed to the building so that it lasts as long as possible and will operate as efficiently as possible.

Work will begin on May 19, 2025, with estimated completion by May 2026.

$810,000 has been raised as of May 2025. The City of Viroqua allocated $238,000 for the project, the WEDC awarded the project a CDI (Community Development Investment) Grant of $250,000, the project received the Vernon County Community Development Grant for $10,000, and through generous donations and pledges from the community the task force has raised $312,000. Be a part of this exciting project, please consider making a donation or pledge. See Fundraising Update for more information.

SPREAD THE WORD – Tell everyone you know what you have learned about this project and keep checking the website for updates. If you hear a rumor, don’t let it spread—check facts with a Task Force Member and send others to the website, too.

DONATE or MAKE A PLEDGE – Make your individual tax-deductible donations or 3-year pledges of any amount toward the $242,000 goal to fulfill the project vision.

VOLUNTEER – There will be many opportunities to participate in the project, so let us know how to reach you and what you like to do.

SHARE YOUR STORY - We would love to hear why you are excited about this project and from all whose present or previous generations took part in this building’s history. Tell us your stories! Share photos and artwork (link to download stories/images) to share with us as we bring the building back to life!