This building has been powering Wausau for more than a century, first with electricity and now with innovation. Its story begins with Mark Ewing, a traveling tobacco salesman turned entrepreneur whose leadership helped shape modern Wausau. Through the Wausau Street Railway and the Wausau Electric Light Company, he helped build the infrastructure that powered the city's growth. This powerhouse was part of that effort.

The building evolved over time. The original one-story structure, built in 1904 from local Ringle brick, housed the electric generating room. A steam plant was added in 1908 to strengthen the electrical supply, and between 1912 and 1923 a basement addition accommodated another generator.

Together, these expansions helped power Wausau for decades, serving the Wausau Electric Company until 1946.

In 1912, that vision faced a severe test. The Wisconsin River rose higher at Wausau than at any point on record, surpassing the historic flood of 1881 by a foot and a half. Ewing, then manager of the Wausau Street Railroad, spent the night fighting to protect the facility as floodwaters inundated the power plant and plunged the city into darkness.

He later documented the disaster in The Wausau Flood of 1912, warning that even greater floods would come "sooner or later" and that communities must prepare for water levels beyond anything yet experienced. Determined that the lesson would endure, he placed a bronze plaque on the powerhouse bearing a simple message:

"Lest you forget."

For decades, the powerhouse remained an important part of the region's infrastructure. In 1979, it was remodeled to serve as the corporate offices of Wausau Paper. When the property became vacant in 2012, however, its future was uncertain, and the lesson Ewing cast in bronze risked being forgotten.

Instead, local leaders saw new potential for the historic powerhouse. The Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Wausau Prosperity Partnership, with support from Wisconsin Public Service, secured a long-term lease to preserve and repurpose the building. Ghidorzi Construction led cleanup and selective demolition efforts, while The Samuels Group designed what stands here today: The Klimisch Center for Business Innovation.

Together with the Chamber's headquarters in the restored historic train depot next door, the powerhouse now anchors a 2.8-acre innovation campus on Historic Clarke Island. More than a
century after Ewing transformed bold ideas into practical solutions, that same spirit continues as entrepreneurs, students, business leaders, and changemakers build what's next for the region.
Ewing's plaque was never simply about remembering a flood. It was a warning against complacency and a call to keep preparing, innovating, and building for the future.

Lest you forget: the past built this place. The future is being built here now.