Armory demolition? Why now? Where are the protests?
? /Journal Star/: Armory may be history
/The city can demolish the State Armory, a historic building across
from Taft Homes where First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President
Lyndon Johnson both spoke, a judge ruled Wednesday.
But whether the state, which has a “preservation covenant” on the
building, allows the demolition remains to be seen.
Peoria County Chief Circuit Judge John Barra agreed with the city
that the building at 523 NE Adams St. is unsafe and a nuisance after
years of neglect.
“We’ll have to review it,” said Bill Wheeler, legal counsel and
associate director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The
covenant requires the owner to “preserve and maintain the exterior
envelope, interior vestibule and the entrance corridor.”
“We’re not familiar with the legal proceedings to date,” Wheeler
added. “We’re not in any kind of financial position to come in and
rescue the building, unfortunately.” /
Here is the odd thing: There’s movement to get the building repaired and
renovated. I’ve seen the plans. Why agitate for demolition? Why not
throw the city’s economic development bureaucracy behind the project
Chase is planning? What am I asking? This is Chase Ingersoll. THere’s no
way they will work with him.
Still, why the rush to get it demolished right /now/?
Driven around town recently? There are other buildings that look much,
much worse that do not have the historical significance. Been down to
look at that rotting eyesore at the corner of Southwest Adams and
Western Avenue?
Its funny how the tag historic preservation can be slapped on something
in this town to protect if from an apartment building being built next
door, for example, but when its something really historic like the
Armory, the city wants to demolish anyway.
Will the usual historic preservation crowd get behind an effort to safe
the armory? If not, it will be hard to take any of their concerns about
other properties seriously in the future. They’ve been silent so far.
Could the land be “in play,” with a politically connected developer
having his or her own plans for the site? It is right across the street
from Taft Homes and everyone knows the Powers-That-Be had been wanting
to demolish and redevelop that prime riverfront property for years.
BTW: Good reporting by Jennifer Davis.
