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1/21/2025
West Side Tasty Treat
I scream. You scream. We all scream… WHAT! This week for Wausau Historic Architecture Tuesday we are highlighting a crowd favorite – ice cream! By request we are at 118 South Third Avenue in Wausau’s west side – known as West Side Tasty Treat for many years.
Turns out the early history was a bit confusing with this one. The city assessor says it was built circa 1940s in a commercial/fast food style. But the city directories show nothing but a nearby residence until 1952.
In 1952 it was listed as Amy’s Frost Bar. Owned and operated by Mrs. Amy Dumonte. She and her husband, Edmund, lived at 110 South Second Avenue. An April 1953 newspaper as shows the business for sale, and there is no listing for the Dumontes in the 1954 city directory.
And there is no mention of this address again in the city directories until 1961.
In 1961 -1967 it was the West Side Tastee Freez, owned and operated by Walter Schultz. He lived in the Town of Maine. And at holidays you could even buy a Christmas tree there.
From 1967- 1996 it was owned by the McCallins and known as the West Side Tasty Treat.
2020-2022 it reopened by Ed and Marjorie Giallombardo as West Side Tasty Treat and the Taste of Manila. They served ice cream and Filipino specialties.
In 2023 Mortchee’s Carry Out and Catering, specializing in HmMortchee’s Carry Out and Cateringrry Out and Catering
Past WHAT!
1/14/2025
Sturgeon Bluff Apartments
Brrrrr… it’s cold, but it’s time for WHAT! By request, Wausau Historic Architecture Tuesday takes us down Grand Avenue to the Sturgeon Eddy area – 1320 Grand Avenue.
This grand brick building started life as Wausau Memorial Hospital in 1924. The idea and first funding for this hospital came from Mary Plumer as a memorial to her husband D.L. Plumer.
The original building was designed by Chicago architect Perry Swern in the Mediterranean/Spanish style. Of note are the green tile roof and the five story tower (with rounded windows rather than rectangle windows everywhere else). He was sure to use obtuse angles to allow maximum sunlight into the many rooms, and placed it on the property to minimize the traffic’s noise.
An addition was built in 1930 (Ross Hall) for a short lived school of nursing. This addition was designed by Oppenhamer and Obel, who also designed the Grand Theater and Federal Building in Wausau.
Other additions were added in 1948, 1960, and 1965.
In 1970 the hospital merged with St. Mary’s hospital. The hospital continued to welcome patients into the 1970s, when Wausau Hospital opened.
It is now used for senior housing and known as Sturgeon Bluff Apartments.
