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LOCAL South Bend T6hune A3 Chunk of Avon Theater falls ■Library board asks in demolition. By MARGARET POSMOE South Bend 7h1une SOUTH BENID — An 8.5 -pound chunk of terra cotta brick that recently fell from the Avon Theater's fa- cade has become exhibit A in the discussion about the future of that former down- town movie house. Declaring the building a public safety hazard, the St. Joseph County Public Li- brary board on Monday voted 6-0 to request a cer- tificate of appropriateness from the Historic PreserT tion Commission of South Bend & St. Joseph County for immediate demolition of the old theater at 307-309 S.:Nichigan Si. It is unknown whether HPC will approve the re- quest, because the commis- sion is in the processing of asking the South Bend Common Council to declare the former movie house a historic landmark and for- bid it from being demol- ished. Library director Donald Napoli displayed to library board members the= of terra cotta he found Fri- day that had fallen from the top of the vacant theater's facade. A Downtown South Bend Inc. employee alerted him to the fallen piece. Napoli said. Library staff immediate- ly contacted the city's South Band TnburagWERT ►RANKLW The sidewalk In front of the former Avon Theater In downtown South Bond Is blocked off to pedestrians since an 8.5 -pound chunk of terra cotta brick recently fell from the building's facade. board of public works de- partment, which sent out workers and blocked off the sidewalk in front of the old theater mzth stanchions and barricade tape. Some- thing had to be done quick- ly, because thousands of people were coming down- town on Saturday for the annual Art Beat gathering, Napoli said. An engineering report previously conducted for the library states that other sections of the facade are loose and could fall. the di- rector said. "There is no benefit to the library and no benefit to the public to keeping that building standing. And now it's a public safety hazard," library board attorney James Masters said. The county library bought the vacant theater in 2007 from Downtown South Bend Inc. with the in- tention of demolishing it and eventually using the land for an expansion of the Main Library. If the theater can't be demolished, the li- brary expansion may not happen, Napoli said. For more details about the library's expansion plans, see admin.sjcpl.org/ LongRangePlans/Capi- tal_Improve/1ndex2.html# Main_Project- In related busine>s, the li- brary board voted 6-0 Mon- day to reject all bids re- ceived for demolition of the former Catholic bistiop's of- fice and another vacant storefront along East Wayne Street, two buildings with back walls ad,acent to the Avon. New bid:, are ex- pected to be sought after the theater's WE is re- solved. HPC has scheduled a public hearing at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 in the Council Chambers at the County - City Building on the pend- ing proposal for the city to declare the Avon Tfteater a historic landmark.