A historic building that was the hub of transportation in Sturgeon Bay over 100 years ago may be moving to the city’s west side later this year.  The old Train Depot Station located on  Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding grounds at North Third Avenue has been proposed to move to a property near the Door County Maritime Museum.  After train services ended in the 1970s, the depot building was home to a microbrewery and various restaurants before Bay Shipbuilding purchased the property in 2015; now, Bay Ship wants someone to preserve and move the historic brick building that is no longer used by them.

Sean Grorich, owner of Pinky Promise Coffee, presented his initial plan to the Finance, Building, and Purchasing Committee last week. The plan was to purchase the Train Depot building and move it adjacent to the original Ahnapee & Western Railroad train tracks at the corner of North Madison Avenue and East Locust Court, where a U.S. Coast Guard boat is currently displayed.

Grorich says he would use the building for his own business and as a community space for other businesses.

The City of Sturgeon Bay will soon complete a full tax assessment of the building’s value. Grorich hopes Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding will donate up to half the estimated $150,000 cost of relocating the structure, saving the shipyard $75,000 in demolition fees.

If the City of Sturgeon Bay accepts his proposal, Grorich says the plan is to move the building this fall and open it in the summer of 2025. The structure would be staged on the west side before being placed on a permanent foundation with a basement.