Preservation Committee Meeting

In case you are free at 2 p.m on Jan 7th, the preservation committee has a meeting scheduled, in case you want to weigh in. Looks as if the committee wants to plan an entire month of Preservation themed events for this May:

A. Plan for Preservation Month 2020
a. Discuss ideas for a historic bike ride
 b. Discus Picnic and Flag Raising
i. Cost of bands and venue
c. Discuss Logistics for the Gala
i. Is Art Space available during May 2020?
1. Cost for venue and caterer
ii. Cost for historic markers
d. Review past bus and audio tour guides and routes
 e. Month long initiative ideas
i. Radio and news historic tidbits for the day/ week
 ii. Call for historic photo donations
B. Discuss funding options
 a. Advertising budget
b. Fund raising
c. Create a budget to present to Development Services 

Dillinger's Feed Store

Certificate of Appropriates Committee meeting at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon at Dillinger's Feed Store to discuss demolition of the building.  Dillinger's has sat empty for a couple of years now and my understanding is the current owner would like to demolish it in order to provide more parking for the Newel House building.  However, since Dillinger's is one of the oldest buildings remaining in the downtown area, the owner needs approval from the committee before demolition can start.  Given Carbondale's track record on preservation, however, dollars to doughnuts the committee approves it and the building gets razed by the end of summer.

More on Stotlar House

Apparently the proposed demolition of the Stotlar Home has come up on the agenda pretty quickly as Preservation Commission member De Itner says there was no discussion of it during the Commission's fall meetings ( from an email forwarded courtesy of D. Gorton):

I do not recall hearing about this demolition plan at any of our fall Commission meetings. We do not have a Dec. meeting annually, so it would seem that the commissioners as a whole were not advised of this action at all.

Fruthermore, courtesy of the same email, this time with research into the city codes from Jane Adams, demolition of a builidng in a C'dale historic district may not proceed unles a) the Preservation Commission provides a certificate of appropriateness or b) the city council approves it.

4.1.11. 4. If, upon examination of the application and records of the city, the building and neighborhood services manager or his designee determines that the building or structure proposed to be demolished has been: a) designated by the city council as being in a landmark district, in a historic district, or in a neighborhood preservation district pursuant to title 15, chapter 2, article D of this code, or b) nominated for designation as such a district and subject to the provisions of subsection 15-2D-1D4 of this code, the building and neighborhood services manager or designee shall not issue the demolition permit until a certificate of appropriateness or certificate of economic hardship provided for at subsection 15-2D-1F of this code has been issued or the city council waives the requirement pursuant to subsection 15-2D-1D4 or 15-2D-1F1 of this code.

Since the city council doesn't meet again until Jan 19, a special meeting of the Preservation Commission is apparently the quickest way for Home Rentals to get the demolition approved. Apparently someone doesn't want to wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Commission on Jan 11.

Varisty Center

Got the opportunity to take a walk through the partially renovated Varsity Theater/Varsity Center for the Arts yesterday as part of the Center's seeking historic/landmark district status. The reason for seeking this, I was told, was to make it more difficult to demolish the building, should it ever pass from the Stage Company and CCA's trusteeship.

Renovations are entering stage 3 which means the plan is to finish interior restructuring of the building. If you ever saw a show in the theater before it closed, you should remember the small balcony theater. The plan is to remove the walls separating it from the larger main theater, creating a 400 seat venue. The bathrooms will be remodeled, offices installed in the basement as well as a concession area on the main floor. Finally, the lobby area will be remodeled to approximate what it looked like when it opened in 1940. However the Center has no photographs of the interior from that time so is having to rely memories of local residents as to how it looks. If anyone reading this has photos of the theater during the early years, the Center would appreciate seeing them.

Stage 4 involves the final restoration of the exterior of the theater and is scheduled for completion in 2013. Of course, that date is contingent on the Center receiving funding, currently estimated to cost $4.5 million to complete stages 3 & 4.

The Historic Preservation committee looked over the paperwork the Center provided and, aside from a couple of questions about wording, seemed pretty favorable disposed for it. The HP committee will have another meeting later this year, at with the Center will make its final presentation for the designation, the public will have an opportunity to make comments. The committee then votes and, if it approves the designation, moves the decision onto the city council agenda. for a vote at a subsequent council meeting.

Bucky's Dome

Nice write up on the state of the Buckminister Fuller home. Certainly more recent info about the status of the building than you'll find on the Bucky's Dome preservation site.