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December 21, 1981 Page 6 9. Hearing of Visitors (continued) corner for the Transpo project would be the northwest corner of the Century Mall block but that the American City Co. asked Transp to state their preferences for a site and it was the North/South configuration in the center of the block which does not require the demolition of the Oddfellows Bldg. He reiterated his capacity to renovate the building, financing for the project, and the fact that he has half of the space committed. He requested that the Commission ask the Mayor not to let this kind of thing happen again and indicated that the State Historic Preservation Review Board has placed the issue of eligibility of the Oddfellows Building on their agenda for early 1982. Mr. Wasielewski commended Mr. Brademas for his efforts to prove to the community that rehabilitation is viable. Mr. Don. Sporleder, a principal of the Crumlich/Sporleder architectural firm at 511 W. Colfax. He expressed hope that the Oddfellows Building could still be saved. He read portions of the Historic Preservation Com- mission's Ordinance which charges them with responsibilities of research, restoration, maintenance, rehabilitation and develop- ment of historic places and with setting up a preservation plan. He charged that it is the responsibility of the Commission to declare landmarks which are ultimately decided upon by the Com- mon Council and that the Oddfellows Building, being rated sig- nificant on the survey, merits this designation. He explained the rationale behind the decision not to include the building in the West Washington Street Historic District as well as the history of building in the last several years. Mr. Sporleder reiterated the architectural significance of the building, shared a copy of his letter, (see appendix E) dated December 21, 1981, to the Mayor requesting a halt of demolition and asked that the Commission continue to work with him to save the build- ing. He distributed a portfolio of drawings done by his firm which suggest an alternative plan for Transpo,site plan devel- opment of the area and how the building can be integrated into the Century Mall Project. To the allegation that the building is unsafe, Mr. Sporleder countered that there is no safety hazard involved; experts in terra cotta have recently studied the structure and determined it to be safe. These same experts suggested to Mr. Sporleder that the cost of necessary terra cotta repairs would be less than the demolition costs. He con- cluded by asking the Commission to support him in asking for a halt of demolition and to support the National Register designation. • Mrs. Katherine Brookins, a social anthropologist, who was trained in the study of comparative social systems suggested studying buildings is one way of looking at people's beliefs and a country's history. She told of a visit to Warsaw, Poland where most of the buildings were destroyed and are now being carefully restored. She raised the question of why American