Plans for combination Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins fall through

After three years of effort, plans for the combination Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins proposed at the old Western Fraternal Life Association have fallen through.

The Cedar Rapids City Council approved plans to rezone the property so it could be modified for its new use in 2023. At the time, nearby residents expressed concerns about the way the business would change the neighborhood dynamics. But the council announced Tuesday that the building will be demolished instead.

Burlington-based Reif Oil company owns the building, and its subsidiary Eastern Iowa Food Service operates 20 Dunkin’ franchise locations in Eastern and Central Iowa.

Over time, it became clear that the project wasn’t financially viable, said Cliff Reif, president of Reif Oil Company.

“I was in love with that building. That’s why I got it,” Reif said. “But (we) just ran into a problem everywhere (we) went, and finally I just said, ‘This is impossible.’ ”

Reif said the company spent over $100,000 in engineering costs attempting to convert the building to its new use but encountered repeated obstacles, from construction requirements to a lack of available workers because of the city’s ongoing data center construction.

Reif said he kept waiting for the economy, interest rates and construction costs to improve but the “final straw” came earlier in this year when someone got into the building from the roof and stripped it of copper.

Demolition was the best option given a lack of demand for retail or office space, the building’s other potential uses, Reif said.

The Western Fraternal Life Association building and another building located at 124 19th St. NE will be demolished by November, but according to Reif, there are no solid plans for what’s next. Cedar Rapids City Council documents indicate the cleared property will be put up for sale.

“I tried; I really did try,” Reif said.

Western Fraternal Life Association, a Cedar Rapids-based not-for-profit financial services organization, closed its Cedar Rapids office in 2021 after approving a merger with life insurance society National Mutual Benefit in Madison, Wisconsin.