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Timothy Klusczinski, President, Historic Preservation Commission — Sep. 17, 2012 page 9 extensive deterioration and has delaminated at several locations (on 10% to 15% of the entire upper fagade), presenting a very real safety hazard to pedestrians on the sidewalk of S. Michigan Street. Entire Top of the Fagade May be Shifting Forward We have one other concern about the east facade of the Avon that needs further examination by professional structural engineers. The entire top of the Avon's fagade may be shifting forward toward Michigan Street. The newer, orange bricks installed several years ago by the City of South Bend on the south wall where that wall joins the front fagade at the southeast corner of the building has developed a long crack that runs from the base of the newer brick wall to the very top of the building to the point where the top of the Michigan Street fagade ends. The crack gradually widens from about l/ 16" at the base to a little more than a 1/4" at the very top just below the parapet. The front fagade appears to be separating from the south and possibly the north walls of the building. What seems to support this suspicion is another crack that runs along the whole front wall just below the tops of the windows on the second level. The terra cotta appears to have moved forward toward Michigan Street by about %". Evidence of this shift forward can be seen across the entire length of the fagade from the south side of the building to its north side. Further examination would be needed to verify this shift. 2. The St. Joseph County Public Library has in a good faith effort since 2007 let it be known to all interested parties that the Avon was to be demolished by the Library to create space along length of the 300 block of South Michigan Street for a new, expanded Main Library building. Its Board -approved Schematic Design plans clearly specify the new Main Library building stretching from Western Avenue to W. Wayne Street along Michigan Street. SJCPL has made this known since September 24, 2007 to the following groups of South Bend and St. Joseph County: a. The Sellers of the Avon, Downtown South Bend, Inc. that owned the building for 20 years (1987 — 2007) prior to its sale to the Library in March 2007; b. The City of South Bend who participated in this sale and later approached the Library about helping to finance the new Main Library expansion and discussing with the Library the possibility of using its present Main Library building (rather than demolishing it) as a new consolidated City of South Bend office building; c. The St. Joseph County Council who each year has unanimously approved the Library's Capital Projects Fund since 2007, a Capital Projects Plan that included the demolition of the Avon Theatre; Recipient of the 2009 Leighton Award for Nonprofit Excellence www.libraryforlife.org