Page 4 DOWNTOWN MADISoN Sunday, May 30' 2004

Urban Renewal:

Living Downtown ffiers a Ftesh PerspectiveBY iIASARAH YAt{ EYCI(

for Ca?;tal Neufa?ers

Three years ago, whenGeorgia Mulcahy moved intoCapitol Point with her hus-band Dennis Deppisch, she

had a three-dav estate sale toclear out their Maple Bluffhome. This self-proclaimed"packaholic" knew that less

storage space was the trade-offfor their 11th-floor spa-cious,loft-like home.

Now, she said, about theonly thing she misses is her

Japanese garden. They havehappily setded into the rou-tine of watching sunsets overLake Mendota and trackingthe storms that rumble infrom the west. After years ofliving in a landed house,lifedowntown has blown fresh airthrough their lives.

Capitol Point, a 64-unithigh-rise across the streetfrom Caf6 Montmartre,opened its doors to enthusias-tic buyers in 2001. Many ofits residents, like DennisDeppisch, wanted to emulatethe urban lifestyle they hadenjoyed in other cities beforemoving to Madison. "I got a

taste of urban living in mysystem," Deppisch said of hisyears living in downtownChicago. "When we moved toMadison, I couldnt under-stand why there werent moreopportunities to live in thecenter of things."

When asked what theymost appreciate about theirnew neighborhood, bothMulcahy and Deppischimmediately said "the diversi-ty." Their building itselfboasts a variety of inhabitants,from students to professionalsto empty nesters d'une certaine

Karen lngwell and her husband Ted Weltzin love being part of Madison's cityCentef, pHoTO: ANiIANDA WEGNEF

walk out on the Square andsay'Oh, there's a protest'or'that's right, the concert is thisevening.' There's alwayssomething going on."

For both couples, the prox-imiry to the Civic Center,Overture Center. MemorialUnion, and some ofMadisont best restaurantsmake for a lively and conven-ient social life. But equally as

nice are the new and old gro-cers that are as convenient as

they are top quality."I literally walk 30 steps

out ofthe elevator to

Jacobson's," said Mulcahy. "Ifthey don't have the exact cutor poultry that I want, they'llhave it for me the next day."While known for its quality

nge. And between the single-family homes, the YWCA,night owls and daytime work-ers, some of some Madisontmost colorful folks populatetheir neighborhood each day.

"We didnt just create thiscommuniry" Deppisch point-ed out. "We entered v greatneighborhood that wasalready here."

For Karen Ingwell, whoalso lives in Capitol Pointwith her husband TedWeltzin. the hustle of abusding neighborhood wasthe only thing the couplereally missed when theymoved to Madison. "Theminute we saw Madison weliked it so much, we knew wewere here for good." Now, liv-ing offthe Square, they enjoyboth the quality of life theyhave come to value and theexcitement that it offers.

"I like all the activiry" saidIngwell. Sometimes you'll

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Sunday, May 30, 2OO4 DOWNTOWN MADISON Page 5

meats, Jacobson's is also an

exceptional deli, servingwhole meals for take-out andproviding staples like milk,cheese and bread.

"I dont have a bigfreezerany more," Mulcahy added,"and I dont need it."

Moreover, the Farmers'Market, which sets up aroundthe corner twice a week,offers baked goods and freshproduce that are unrivaled. Italso offers avariety of farmfresh meats, from ostrich tobuffalo to rabbit - to say

nothing ofthe fresh organiceggs from the "Eggman."

Ingwell says that she has

become so accustomed to theFarmers' Market produce, "Ihesitate to buy produce atgrocery stores anymore."

"With the Farmers'Market, next door, I neverhave to go to a flower storeeither," added Mulcahy.

Despite these conven-

iences, however, acclimatingto downtown life tookIngwell longer than she hadanticipated. "I thought Iwould immediately startwalking to restaurants andshopping at neighborhoodshops," she said. "But I foundmyself driving to Starbucks atfirst and frequenting my oldhaunts."

But now she has more thanadapted, not only walking toshops and restaurants, butalso walking her dogs or bik-ing along the lake paths andsidewalks. "I'm much morelikely to get on my bike downhere," she added.

Indeed, downtown livingseems to foster an activelifestyle with bike paths,neighborhood shops, and twohealth clubs in walking dis-tance.

Even the dogs seem moreactive. On warm mornings,says Mulcahy, she and

Deppisch will stop at theStarbircks across the Squareand tie the dogs outside."Everyone knows them

Georgia Mulc.ahy, Dennis Deppiscltand their dogs enjoy downtown living.

there," she laughed. "Whenthey're outside they get so

much love they hardly evenlook at us."

It didnt take them muchtime to adapt either. "Theyused to have two doggie doorsto go outside all the time,"says Mulcahy. "But now theylove it here as much as we do."Theyte not alone: Capitol

Point houses more dogs thanit does people - a sure indi-cation of urbanization.

For Deppisch, Madison'sdowntown mid-rises are asign of changing times. "Ourgeneration doesnt need that3,000- to 5,000-square-foothome anymore," he explained.For a lot of folks, low-mainte-nance housing means thefreedom to'just lock the doorand go to Florida, or wherev-er vou want."

Liuing downtown alsomeans that freedom and com-fort dont necessarilv sacrificean active, stimulating lifestyle."In a lot ofcities, people nolonger believe that the bestplaces to live are necessarily inthe suburbs," said Deppisch."Developers now realize thatif this kind of urban living isworking in Chicago andMilwaukee, it'll work here inMadison."I

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