WAUKESHA, Wis. — When her son was just a baby, Lisa Fritsche made a memory book. 

It’s filled with pictures of birthday parties and details about the day he was born. 

“Lots of pictures,” Fritsche said. “We’re a picture taking family.”

What You Need To Know

  • The City of Waukesha evacuated the Horizon West Condominiums on Dec. 2, 2021
  • The city said the building was under threat of imminent collapse
  • Condo owners are unable to live in those condos, and the city wants the building torn down
  • Some condo owners are suing Travelers Insurance for $17 million 

After grabbing her purse, some clothes, and some other belongings the night of Dec. 2, 2021, she ran back into the Horizon West Condominiums building to grab the book, despite the building being evacuated from concerns it could collapse. 

“It’s just precious to me,” Fritsche said.

She was able to save other belongings from her condo — after residents were able to go back in with a staggered approach to fully move out. 

But the $125,000 she spent to buy the condo? That’s gone. 

“To think that’s just gone, as we found out as things unfolded, that insurance wasn’t going to pay for our losses, it makes you heartsick,” Fritsche said. 

She’s not the only one who has been having a hard time. 

Tonya Nieskes — who now lives in North Carolina — bought her condo at Horizon West in 2009 for about the same price. 

“I had a lovely three bedroom, two bath place on the top floor that overlooked views of the city,” Nieskes said. “It was beautiful.”

In 2011, she took money out of her 401(k) to pay off her mortgage, with the idea that she’d eventually be able to sell her condo and recover what she spent. 

She said she put thousands of dollars into renovations, and even $12,000 to address the balcony issues the building had. 

Now? 

“I’ve lost completely everything,” Nieskes said. 

The condo owners called their personal insurance companies for help. 

Those companies said they can’t do anything, as there was no damage to the individual units. 

“It’s all on the building insurance,” Nieskes said. “We can’t cover your unit because everything technically in your unit is fine. There was no water damage, no fire damage. It’s the building that is the cause of why you have to be out, so you have to take it up with the building insurance company.”

That’s exactly what they’re doing. 

Twenty-seven condo owners have filed a $17 million lawsuit against Travelers Insurance. That’s the insurance company that covers the building. 

The owners say Travelers hasn’t approved or denied their claims, essentially leaving them in limbo. 

“What do I do? I don’t have enough down payment to put on a new home. All of that is tied up in the condo, which I’ve now lost,” Nieskes said. “So, yeah. You’re just really in this weird flux state of ‘I don’t know what to do.’”

Fritsche is in the same situation. 

She said she was lucky her son’s landlord had a place she and her fiance could rent, and that is where she now lives with her fiance. 

Now, the City of Waukesha wants the Horizon West building torn down by Sept. 20.  

The condo owners have to pay for it. It’s upwards of $40,000 each. 

She’s holding onto hope that she and the other condo owners will get help. 

“I rely on faith, friends and family quite a bit, and we’ve had a lot of support,” Fritsche said. 

If you would like to help the condo owners, they have set up a GoFundMe page. You can head to that site by clicking here.