FDL County Judge Approves Sale Of Retlaw Hotel

Fond du Lac County Judge Richard Nuss Wednesday approved the sale of the Retlaw Hotel to a developer that specializes in redeveloping historical hotels. Frantz Community Investors put in the top bid in an online auction of $908,250. Minus a commission to the company that ran the auction, the final price is $865,000. Michael Frantz (pictured) is the new owner. His company spent four years redeveloping the Northland Hotel in Green Bay, which is very similar to the Retlaw. He says he appreciates the support they got from the City of Fond du Lac, Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership, Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation and others who have been working behind the scenes with him. He says the Retlaw is a great fit for what his company does. He says the state’s historic tax credit will help them with their redevelopment effort. He says without state and local support they wouldn’t have been able to pull things together. DFP Executive Director Amy Hansen says the sale of the hotel is a game changer and will be transformational for the downtown. FCEDC President Steve Jenkins says the new owner intends to once again make the hotel the social center of the community. He says they also hope to recapture some of the business travelers who go elsewhere to stay even though they have business in the community. The hotel had been in receivership and has been closed since early last December.