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Timothy_Klusczinski, President,_ Historic Preservation Commission -_ Sep. _17, 2012 _page 18
<br />from the Indiana Historical Society, the National Register of Historic Places, All these
<br />efforts failed to make anything happen with the Avon.
<br />What Will the Renovation and Complete Restoration of the former Avon/Strand
<br />Theatre cost the St. Joseph County Public Library Based On its present Square
<br />Footage?
<br />Average cost per sq. ft. to renovate the entire Avon Building, inside and out, except for its
<br />fagade will cost:
<br />$150 to $180 per sq. ft. based on the most current building trade reports for similar
<br />construction projects.
<br />Assuming the lower number ($150 per sq. ft.), the renovation and restoration costs would be
<br />about $2,673,000 ($150 x 17,820 sq. ft. = $2,673,000). This would include furnishings and
<br />any special equipment.
<br />At $100 per square foot (which would be a barebones, minimal renovation), restoration
<br />costs would be about $1,782,000 ($100 x 17,820 sq. ft. = $1,782,000). Again, these costs
<br />do not include the costs for restoring the fagade. Add another $300,000 to $500,000 to that.
<br />For a recent actual comparison, in 2009 the actual cost to expand and renovate SJCPL's four
<br />City neighborhood branch libraries (LaSalle, River Park, Tutt and Western), expanding each
<br />by 3,000 sq. ft., and completely renovating each building's existing space (7,100 sq. ft. in
<br />each of the original buildings, with 3,000 new square feet added equals a total of 10,100 sq.
<br />ft., or a total of 40,400 sq. ft. for all four branches), came to a total of ...
<br />$5,211,126 or $129 per sq. ft.
<br />This was actual final cost for four identical buildings, including all change orders and
<br />furnishings. It does not include computer equipment nor does it include SJCPL's new RFID
<br />equipment installed after the buildings were completed.
<br />Remodeling always costs more than new construction, mainly because contractors don't
<br />know what they will find when they start to tear a building apart, so their bids tend to be
<br />higher in order to protect themselves. This is a big problem with the Avon since, according
<br />to Downtown South Bend, Inc., no drawings can be found for its original construction as the
<br />Strand in 1926 nor for its remodeling as the Avon in 1948. This makes the bidding process
<br />for renovation much more difficult and expensive since contractors will not take risks on
<br />unknowns. Rehabilitating old construction also means a lot of change orders during
<br />construction which always tend to be higher in costs and lead to cost overruns. The more
<br />detailed and thorough the specifications are during the initial bidding process, the fewer
<br />chances there are for unexpected change orders. These specifications cannot be thorough if
<br />there are no original plans or specifications to guide the contractor in biding.
<br />Unlike the four City branch libraries, the Avon Theatre will also need an elevator to reach
<br />its lower level (if it is made useful with adequate head room and converted into usable office
<br />Recipient of the 2009 Leighton Award for Nonprofit Excellence
<br />w,ww.libraryforlife.org
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