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Timothy Klusczinski, President, Historic Preservation Commission — Sep. 17, 2012 page 7
<br />bricks at the top of its west rear wall. This situation presents some serious liability issues for
<br />the Library as well as the Historic Preservation Commission and the City of South Bend.
<br />Action on this public safety issue needs to be addressed now and should not be delayed. On
<br />August 31, 2012, with the advice of the Library's attorney, Mr. James A. Masters, and with
<br />the prior approval of the Library Board, the Library submitted to the Historic Preservation
<br />Commission a "Certificate of Appropriateness," the Commission's prescribed form,
<br />requesting the immediate demolition of the Avon building. The Library is waiting for a
<br />response from the Historic Preservation Commission Board.
<br />At the very least, the Library should have the permission of the Historic Preservation
<br />Commission or of the South Bend Common Council to remove all of the loose tiles and
<br />bricks from those areas on the fagade that have been identified by the Frost Engineering &
<br />Consulting's structural engineers as loose so that they no longer present a safety hazard to
<br />pedestrians and vehicles.
<br />Also, if the building is not to be demolished, then to accurately assess the condition of the
<br />brick wall that has supported the terra cotta face for nearly 86 years, the Library proposes
<br />that all of the terra cotta tiles, capstones, monuments, cones, and pinnacles at the top of the
<br />facade should be removed by a professional company that is skilled in this type of terra cotta
<br />removal and restoration. All of the terra cotta tiles removed would be numbered, wrapped,
<br />palletized by a professional company, such as Grunwell-Cashero of Detroit, and placed into
<br />a safe storage area that could be provided by the Library until such time as the condition of
<br />the supporting brick wall can be assessed and a mutually agreed-upon plan for repairing and
<br />supporting that wall, along with the re -installation of the terra cotta tiles, can be done with
<br />confidence.
<br />The financing for the re -glazing repairs for badly spaling pieces, replacements of those too
<br />badly cracked to repair, and the reinstallation of these terra cotta pieces need to be agreed
<br />upon as soon as possible by the Library, the Historic Preservation Commission, and the City
<br />of South Bend. Since all of this remedial work has been estimated by several companies,
<br />including Arsee Construction, the company that the Historic Preservation Commission
<br />asked to inspect the Avon's facade, to cost more than the Library's original purchase price
<br />for the Avon building ($135,000), an assessment needs to be made as to whether this
<br />structure is worth the costs of restoring, even if it is just the facade. The cost estimates of
<br />Grunwell-Cashero Co., with a complete restoration estimate of $318,500, plus the estimate
<br />of Frost Engineering & Consulting to just support the fagade in place before the tiles are re-
<br />mounted (estimated at $300,000 to $350,000, depending on whether one uses steel or
<br />reinforced concrete for the support), would be approaching $500,000. This does NOT
<br />include the costs of renovating or reconditioning the rest of the Avon building if the South
<br />Bend Common Council declares the Avon a local South Bend Historic Landmark with the
<br />intension of having the Library restore the entire building (see below for the estimates to
<br />recondition the entire Avon building).
<br />The Library's first, best and least expensive choice overall, would be to accept the proposal
<br />of Grunwell-Cashero Co. Inc. from Detroit, MI under its Option 3, which is, to remove and
<br />repair as necessary, including glaze and spall repairs, all terra cotta veneer units, photo -
<br />Recipient of the 2009 Leighton Award for Nonprofit Excellence
<br />www._1_ibra__ryforlife.org
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