Is City Treasure Worth Keeping?

It was built nearly 130 years ago and sits in a high-profile location in downtown Cedar Rapids, but is it time to give up on trying to restore this historic building?

We're all about preserving our history. Too often, historic buildings are torn down before careful consideration is given to the consequences of what we lose. Cedar Rapids has greatly improved in that area in recent years and for that, city leaders should be commended. However, the latest, and apparently final, option for the Knutson Building in Cedar Rapids just doesn't make sense.

The building, one of two in Linn County that are on Iowa's Most Endangered Properties list (the other is St. Patrick Church in Fairfax), is one the city of Cedar Rapids, Save CR Heritage, and the Historic Preservation Commission have been trying to find a way to save for several years. The city purchased the building in 2012 and since, asbestos has been found inside which could greatly elevate the cost of any work or demolition. Last year, the Cedar Rapids City Council decided to spend money to stabilize the building, which is in great disrepair. One problem. No one bid on the project because of the asbestos.

In the past, city leaders have turned down bids for full restoration because of the amount of money that would be required from the city/public. Last night, the City Council voted for one more round of bids, in a final effort to avoid demolition crews. However, this time, they decided bids could be for anything from a full restoration to simply saving some of the building's decorative facade.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, but if we end up only saving a little bit of the building, don't we still lose?

[via SaveCRHeritage.org]