Historic Downtown Wausau

Historic Downtown Wausau is the county seat of Marathon County, the regional shopping center, and art, museum, and business center of Central Wisconsin. The downtown emerged after the sawmills were built along the Wisconsin River in the 1800's, and the city prospered into the 1900's. Wausau became the county seat in 1850, and although the original Marathon County Courthouse building is no longer standing, the newer building at 500 Forest Street houses many county government departments and the county jail. City government is also located downtown in an Art Deco style City Hall building, 407 Grant Street, which has recently undergone extensive renovations.

Retail businesses, professional and government offices, the county library, museums, attractions, churches, and parks make up the landscape of the downtown along the Wisconsin River. Many of the churches boast a range in architectural designs from Tudor Revival to High Victorian Gothic styles. The Grand Theater built in 1927 is located in the heart of downtown, and recently the city acquired the block in front of the Grand Theater for a city park. Special celebrations, concerts, festivals, and events are held in this park throughout the year.

Downtown features over sixty stores located within the Wausau Center Mall and along the Pedestrian Mall down Third Street to adjacent side streets. The Pedestrian Mall is a brick paved walkway extending from the front doors of the mall where you will find the beginning of specialty stores, attractions, pubs, businesses, and restaurants housed in historic buildings unique to the downtown. A great example of this is the historic Washington Square building at 300 Washington Street.