This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1950. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could help fund the multi-phase investigation and remediation work ahead under Wisconsin DNR oversight.
This property has been in continuous commercial use since the 1880s, with Sanborn fire insurance maps from 1950 confirming a dry-cleaning facility, greasing operation, and three gasoline underground storage tanks among the businesses operating on-site. A Phase II Environmental Site Assessment completed in January 2025 identified soil contamination including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds such as tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and metals exceeding Wisconsin NR 720 residential direct contact screening levels, along with strong petroleum odors near former UST locations. Groundwater sampling from multiple temporary wells confirmed arsenic and lead concentrations exceeding NR 140 Preventive Action Limits, with groundwater flowing south toward the East River, and Wisconsin DNR has issued a responsible party letter that specifically warns of trichloroethylene (TCE) vapor intrusion risk. The site is an active Environmental Remediation Program case with additional investigation and sampling planned. That history could support an insurance coverage claim against the carriers who issued policies more than 40 years ago — coverage that could help fund the cleanup ahead.
Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible
Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Wisconsin — and those policies may provide coverage that remains enforceable today. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.
Commercial and industrial operations at this property — including dry cleaning with chlorinated solvents and petroleum fueling from underground storage tanks — were established by at least 1950 and continued through the mid-1980s, introducing PCE, petroleum hydrocarbons, and metals into soil and groundwater across decades of day-to-day activity before 1986. The groundwater investigation, vapor intrusion assessment, soil remediation, and ongoing environmental monitoring that lie ahead under Wisconsin DNR's Environmental Remediation Program represent substantial future cost obligations that the Commercial General Liability carriers insuring those pre-1986 operations may be obligated to fund.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.