New owner of Armory announces plans

Nick Rowley of Decorah is planning a $1.5 million complete renovation of the Old Armory building in downtown Decorah.

Rowley recently reached an agreement to purchase the building from Decorah Bank & Trust. He intends to restore it to its original brick with offices for his law firm, Trial Lawyers for Justice, which is dedicated to representing people who are standing up for their civil rights against insurance companies, corporations, the government and HMOs.

Located at 421 W. Water St., the Armory was built in 1900 and has housed several different companies and businesses, including the National Guard Armory. It is among the properties the Decorah Historic Preservation Commission would like to see preserved.

Rowley said his mother-in-law will reopen a Mexican restaurant on the first floor of the Armory.

“The whole building restoration will take about a year and it will be a wonderful thing for the community when all is said and done. We will have a blues and jazz club in the lowest level of the building,” Rowley said.

The law firm offices will be on the top two floors.

Rowley, who also owns the Café Magpie in Decorah, said he is contemplating moving the Magpie to the Armory building “and/or” opening a separate Magpie Restaurant that ties in to the blues/jazz club.

Rowley said his father will be overseeing the project along with Rowley's friend, Dan Jens a Decorah electrician.

Decorah contractor Steve Munkel of Decorah is doing the design work and is scheduled to begin gutting the top three floors of the Armory in mid- December.

Rowley also said he is planning to completely renovate the Magpie building on Winnebago Street to incorporate the upper level into the cafe and build a large deck to the rear with a patio underneath.

-By Sarah Strandberg, correspondent