Redlingers purchase former Federation Bank building

WASHINGTON — It was a small but important first step that generated a great deal of attention in Washington over a short period of time.

“I knew there would be buzz, but I didn't know that it would be that strong,” Washington Chamber of Commerce Director Michelle Redlinger said of her Facebook post of the Redlinger family purchasing the former Federation Bank building in downtown Washington.

Within 24 hours, the announcement post garnered over 500 reactions, 100 comments, and more than 30 shares. People shared their congratulations, excitement, and ideas on what to do with the space.

“I think that's just indicative of how much our community members support local businesses and support each other,” Michelle said of her Facebook post gaining the attention it did.

Located at 102 East Main St, this is one of the tallest buildings in Washington County and Federation Bank completed its move away from this location back in 2023. The Redlingers plan to turn the upper three floors into housing and use the main level as a commercial space.

A tall task but the Redlingers, who hold strong community ties, have a vast amount of construction experience between brothers Eric, Jeremy, Rob, and Shawn to see this job is done without any worry of subpar standards.

“All of us grew up in the construction world, so to speak, and we all bring something a little different to the table,” Evolution Ag sales associate Shawn Redlinger, Michelle’s husband, said about himself along with Eric, Jeremy, and Rob who are owners of Washington Lumber & Home Center and Sigourney Lumber. “Most of us have our own rental properties already and we've taken on smaller projects than this in the past.”

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Serving as a way to invest and be more involved with the community they grew up in, the Redlingers head into this project with the aim to further bolster the downtown area.

"We've been looking at other properties, always kind of keeping our eyes open on things and this one came up, and we started talking about it,” Jeremy said about why they chose the old Federation Bank building. “After seeing it kind of sit here, we're kicking around ideas of what it could be. Something that hopefully brings more use of the space and more activity downtown, and serves the community.”

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Turning the upper area into housing was always the plan but the Redlingers also used their announcement post to ask the public for ideas about the undecided use of the main level commercial space. Utilizing the post to connect with entrepreneurs, small town business owners, or anyone with big ideas for their undecided space.

“With the guy's background in construction, I think it's a good fit for us to find a partner in a business that wants to be here and help develop it for them,” Michelle said.

The size of the building brings a lot of options on the table but until a path is set on where to go, there will be major construction moves with the building done anytime soon. Looking into grants is another cause for delay and while there is no time frame at the moment, this is still the very early stages of the project.

“We don't want to move and develop and do any construction until we know who might be interested in the space so we can customize it or utilize any of the assets,” Michelle said.

This is just the start of an exciting journey the Redlingers are now undertaking and with the main goal being so beneficial to the City of Washington it should come as no surprise the fervor this project gained, and time will tell just how big the excitement can grow.

“There's still opportunities for us to have challenges along the way, and to have some pivots as we go along,” Michelle said. “But, hopefully people see that we're doing it because we believe in the community, and we want to see it grow.

If you have interest or ideas for the lower commercial space contact Shawn Redlinger at 319-461-3142 or Rob Redlinger at 319-461-9027.

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