For the early morning regulars at Rennebohm ‘s on University Avenue, the smell of coffee, eggs and sausage has been just a pleasant memory since 1981, when UW-Madison bought the building and turned it into offices.
Now it ‘s time for the building itself to go.
The process of “deconstructing ” it — to remove all the materials that can be salvaged or recycled before demolition — began in December. Efforts to preserve the building as a landmark failed, and the former Rennebohm ‘s, along with six other buildings in the 1300 block, will be razed to make room for the university ‘s $150 million Institutes for Discovery.