My Apartment has yummy fries!! Yes I bet it was the beef lard that gave them good flavor. It seems like fries used to taste more potatoie haha not a word so I cannot spell it correctly!!. Anyway do you know what I mean?

yep all that good old fashioned lard is what made the fries sooo good. Can't do it these days. I am sure someone would sue for being too unhealthy.

I wonder what kind of fat they used for frying. The topic reminds me of something Julia Child had said about "loving McDonald's French fries until they switched from beef lard to something healthier." Beef lard, eh? Sounds gross, but I've often wondered if that was the secret to those amazing French fries at Geri's. ;p~

MMMMMM wish you guys would stop talking about the 1/2 pound of fries, you are making me hungry for them. Is there anywhere that still makes them that way? Probably not since nowdays everything has to be in tran fat free oil...not like the good old days of great tasting fried food.

Hannah, you spelled it correctly. :)

http://www.maid-rite.builderspot.com

lol @ hannah @ ljs =D

Miss the fries at Geri's too. OMG, they were the best on the planet. Miss the old Hollywood Drive-in too...mmmm a "High-boy basket with a cherry coke". ;p~

Years ago there was a painting of the Case feed building that the owner had done. It was hung up behind the counter and showed the Case building back when in its heyday.

When Case Feed was going out of business we were told that a print of it might be made since so many people had offered to buy that pic. Does anyone know if such a print was ever made and where I could get one? It would be a nice reminder of what it looked like and be a bit of hometown history to keep.

I'd support the city giving a "historic preservation" grant to an investor who would do something like open a tavern using the building, restore the exterior of the building to a historic point in time, and in the case of a bar, for example, portray a historic theme, either as a feed store or a grocery store. You get the idea..... Put up old photos of the building, paintings, etc. Call it "The Feed Mill" or something like that. A thought.....

I miss Geri burgers and root beer stand maid rites. yes I know ljs64 it is speldt funny. not sure of the exact funny way it was speldt.

But this is not the ice rink.ha ha

Tear it down and put up a Geri's Handburger stand. I could go for a family pack with 1/2 pound of fries right now....

I've always thought that building would make a GREAT bar. You've got an area for the main bar, and room for pool tables, etc., adjancent. Such a waste, and a pity.

puramid- sticks the only good pic will be from 1800's !!!

The involvement of KAB virtually guaranteed the demise of this building. She probably encouraged this guy to buy it having her community center scheme in mind Either in her egotistical inner mind she believed that the council would hand her half-a-million toot sweet, or she craved the public rejection and was playing another game at someone else's expense. I will always hold her partially responsible for this structure missing its last chance.
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IvoteIspeak, we do have such a process in place and it's called the city code department (Neighborhood Services). They are very willing to work with owners who are making slow but constant progress, but drop a project for a while and they will get involved again. There are some problems that aren't as concerning (e.g vacant, gutted building with intact roof and walls) and others that are red flags (weather/animal/human infiltration). As long as you keep a structure's envelope secure you have a strong chance of being able to "warehouse" it as long as you like. It would have been simple to make some brickwork repairs before that hole opened up.
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But ultimately there is no way that you can force someone to put a building back into use if there is currently no market for it.
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I am actually more concerned about buildings that are allowed to deteriorate as part of their use, such as a nice house that is gradually transformed into a slum.

Hopefully, the historical society will get some pics of it for archive purposes before it is torn down.

What a shame to our history once it is gone it is gone forever. Maybe we need to start to hold the people that buy these properties accountable for them. So if you want to purchase an old or even new for that matter then you are responsible for bringing and keeping that building up to code and keeping it in good shape. Lets all contact our council members and start the "case act". I am tired of all of the slum lords in Janesville.

"I agree with n00b. The council should seek out funding to preserve these old buildings. "

they wont even preserve the ice arena!! It must be NEW!!

"JANESVILLE — The owner of the Case Feed building probably will have tears in his eyes as the building comes down, he said."

yeah sure whatever- that is why you have taken such care of it so far.

Better get the police there I am sure you know who will toss her body across the rubble again. We are out to get her you all know!!

"But it would cost more to repair it than raze it, he said."

no duh- so you must agree you asking price is insane!!!!!!!

I agree with n00b. The council should seek out funding to preserve these old buildings. There is a type of technology funding available. I am sure there are a few unemployed individuals who would like to learn this technology to preseve these buildings.
Such a shame to see the building go down.

If we had something in line to "protect" such buildings and to provide the manpower to enforce them (or the willingness to enforcement), this wouldn't be happening. This deal with the building has gone on FAR too long and WASTED too much of our taxpayer money.

As far as Walgreen's statistics, we've maxed out our "allotment" of stores.

Okiefed,If not A walgreens,another tavern?

I think this should bring into light one of the current problems facing small business startups in this area. "Investors" who are buying up property and then sitting on it and letting the property fall apart while their "investment" matures. Many of these properties exist in and around Janesville and when you are looking to startup a small business the cost of these "investment" properties is way out of line with their actual value when you consider the costs associated with remodeling or just general repair costs to get them up to code compliance and begin using them again.
We as a city have the power to craft ordinances and rules to keep this kind of thing from happening to our legacy landmarks if we are willing to work at it. It will take some crafting and forthought by the City's officals as to how we can make "investors" keep the buildings up while they own them or sell them to someone who is willing to make the investments required to keep them up.
a few examples:
Case feed building
Montery Hotel
The Falor Tire building (next to the new Police Department)
If we dont do something to preserve out history or history will be rusted out old tin polebarns lining Milton Ave.
Figure out a way to make these historical buildings a reasonable starting point for someone willing to turn them around and make use of them for everyday business.
Other citys have found ways to make these buildings an attractive investment for SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO MAKE USE OF THEM.
I don't see this as any different than slumlords who buy housing and just collect rent but do no maintenance or upkeep and when the building is totaled they raze it and sell the real estate to squeeze the last dime out of their tax shelter.

It is to bad but it is also time for this building to come down. It is also time to look and many of the multifamily housing that has been left to deteriorate. Time to tear these buildings down and put up single family housing.

I think there's room for one more Walgreen's in town, don't you?

I used to take my dog and me by that store whenever we went for a run. The dog always new what we were going to do when he saw the big cow out front. He's gone and I will miss the building also when it's gone.

Maybe they could built a Kentucky Fried Chicken store on that site!

I sense an uproar from Andrea Briarmoon.

This was not only Case Feed, but the first grocery store in Janesville. It's a shame that it has been allowed to deteriorate to the point that it must be torn down.