MARSHFIELD – Local preservationists are raising awareness and funds to preserve and upgrade a familiar landmark in Marshfield’s oldest park.
The 95-year-old bandshell at Columbia Park, 201 W. Arnold St. in Marshfield, and the surrounding 2.5 acres of park land has played a key role in countless events including Marshfield Civic Band concerts, Marshfield Dairyfest’s Friday night Picnic in the Park event, weddings and other community-supporting events during the many decades of its existence, Donna Rozar, project supporter, told a Marshfield News-Herald reporter.
“It’s just a wonderful part of Marshfield history,” Rozar said of Columbia Park. “I see people walking there. I see people sitting on the benches having lunch.”
“We just need to always be aware of the role that places like that have played in the community,” Rozar added.
What is the history of Columbia Park?
Columbia Park was first donated to the city by the estate of Samuel Marsh on Nov. 27, 1875, following the completion of the future city’s first plat map funded by city namesake John J. Marsh and J.P. Buck in 1874, according to the National Register of Historic Places. Historical records do not indicate a family relationship between the two Marshes but Samuel Marsh’s Green Bay and Mississippi Improvement Company was originally owned by John J. Marsh.
The park, originally called Northside City Park, is located on a full city block about one block northwest of the intersection of Central Avenue and Veteran’s Parkway bounded by West Blodgett Street, North Chestnut Avenue, West Arnold Street and North Walnut Avenue. A concrete path crosses the park diagonally from southeast to northwest and the bandshell stands toward the west side of the park and faces east. The adjacent St. John the Baptist Catholic Church was built in 1894 and influenced the use and development of the park over each of the over-100-year histories, according to the Historic Register listing.
A 120-foot-tall steel standpipe, or an early water tower, was constructed in the center of the park between 1891 and 1903 along with a 6-foot-tall wooden bandstand on its east side that served as a gathering place and public performance location for the city’s increasingly popular civic band, which acquired the name 135th Medical Regiment Band in 1926, according to the Historic Register listing.
The current bandshell was constructed in an Art Deco style in the midst of the Great Depression in 1931 to replace the aging wooden structure and serves as an example of “self-funded relief projects” many cities took on at the time to help keep local residents employed before federal-level programs like the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Programs were created, according to the Historic Register listing.
The bandshell was listed on the Wisconsin and the National registers of historic places on Sept. 3, 2008, and Marshfield’s local register on June 15, 2010, according to a listing on the city website. In addition to the bandshell, there are 11 other Marshfield properties listed on the local register, 14 on Wisconsin’s register and 15 on the National register. Only five other properties in the city have received all three designations including the Governor William H. Upham House and the Central Wisconsin State Fair Round Barn.
Why does the bandshell need restoration and upgrades?
The 50-feet-wide by 25-feet-deep by 26-feet-tall primarily brick and concrete structure has several maintenance needs, necessary upgrades and a few options for expansion, Rozar said. Besides repairs to concrete and bricks and mortar, the bandshell’s wooden floor will also be repaired and upgraded in some way to preserve its longevity. Currently, a part of the floor remains exposed to the elements year-round as it extends beyond the reach of structure’s weatherization panels.
“We’re going to try to do something that covers up the whole floor in the winter,” Rozar said. She is also advocating for the use of more resilient building materials, such as composite wood planks, to reduce the frequency of repairs to the floor or other features but recognizes the structure’s historic designations may limit those options.
“The Parks and Recreation Department has either replaced part of the floor or a large part of the floor every five to seven years and we need to do something that will have some more longevity to it,” Rozar said.
Further potential upgrades to the bandshell include an addition of a lift to make both the building’s stage and restrooms accessible to people with mobility limitations, upgrades to the restrooms, and risers and temporary extensions for the stage to support expanded use of the stage, including an ability to host larger bands or other acts, Rozar said.
“Unfortunately, the restroom enhancements and accessibility upgrades are going to be more costly so right now our priority is structural integrity of the building,” Rozar said. The final scope of the project will depend on estimated costs and how much money can be raised for the project, Rozar said.
What is Rozar’s motivation for the preservation project?
Rozar said her interest in the project is twofold. Since she moved to Marshfield in the late 1980s, she recognized the historical significance of the bandshell and the essential role it plays in many Marshfield community events.
Over the last several months as she has advocated for the restoration and upgrade project, several people approached her to tell her about family members’ weddings and other memorable get-togethers they remembered being held at the bandshell, Rozar said.
“We have people who are very interested in the preservation of this building and they’re doing it in memory of people that they know have loved the band concerts and the things that have happened at Columbia Park,” Rozar said of donations already received in support of the project.
The second part of Rozar’s interest in the project is honor of her longtime friend Floreine Kurtzweil, who loved attending weekly Civic Band concerts at the park during the summer months. Kurtzweil passed away on Sept. 17, 2025, at the age of 104. She was born in Edgar before moving to Wausau, Chicago, the town of Emmet in Marathon County, and finally to Marshfield at age 83, according to her obituary.
Kurtzweil was a believer and supporter in the value of the Civic Band, Rozar said, and she recalls regularly sitting on park benches at concerts together until Kurtzweil was no longer able to attend.
“There is a lot of history in that bandshell and it really needs to be preserved,” Rozar said. “My desire is to preserve that historic landmark in addition to honoring my friend who just loved to attend events there.”
How you can contribute to the project
Full-service architecture and historic preservation firm Zettler Design Studio LLC of West Salem was hired by the City of Marshfield to perform the necessary surveying and design work following a request for proposals (RFP) process completed on April 14 with a unanimous vote by the Common Council. Most of the firm’s work is expected to be completed before the end of 2026 so construction could begin as soon as spring 2027 with completion expected before Fall 2027, Rozar said.
Zettler or members of the firm’s staff previously completed work on the Upham Mansion Historic Structure Report and the Norris Band Shell in McCook, Nebraska, according to the firm’s RFP response.
“I really appreciate people’s generosity, and people are pleased to see that this project is going forward,” Rozar said. “I’m thankful for the generous donations that have been made and would like to see more people get involved with this preservation effort.”
Donations to the Columbia Park bandshell preservation and upgrade project can be made through the Marshfield Community Foundation, 211 E. Second St., Suite #2, Marshfield, WI 54449. Up to $50,000 of donations will be matched by Rozar in support of the project.
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Marshfield News-Herald: You can help preserve Marshfield’s 95-year-old Columbia Park bandshell
Reporting by Erik Pfantz, Marshfield News-Herald / Marshfield News-Herald
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