900 Baltimore Ave.

[LenexatoKCMO]

Hey lawyers, is there any way to get some kind of temporary restraining order or injunction against the demolition of this building until such a time as an independent structural analysis can be performed? And, if so, would anyone else be interested in throwing some money at it?

I don't know if any of the lawyers that frequent here have any preservation or even real estate experience - I know I don't and I don't work with anyone who would.  Most of the KCMO bar and bench are probably on the 15th hole by now.  Certainly a worthy cause. 

[FangKC]

Unfortunately, the building will be demolished before anything can happen legally.  Most city officials, judges, and attorneys have gone home by now. According to the Star article, the demolition is to begin on Saturday.

[smh]

This is unacceptable.  The City is using liability as a justification to do nothing to protect a historic structure.

Measures could be taken to minimalize the risk to the public. Why can't the City simply block off the area around the building?   Doesn't the City have to block off the area to demolish it anyway to minimize risk to the public during demolition?

The simplest and cheapest solution is to just block the sidewalks around the building.  Thus, why can't the City set up blockades of the street around the building and require that emergency crews come in and set up structural supports to stabilize the building walls until it can be repaired?

Hell, I would be for shutting down Baltimore and W. 9th Street temporarily until this can be accomplished.

I can think of other buildings in this city that are dangerous and haven't been demolished. The Vine Street Workhouse is a shell, and anyone can walk up to it and enter it.  The same is true for the old Wheatley-Provident hospital at 19th and Forest.  What about the Laugh-O-Gram Studios building at 31st and Forest?  It was collapsing and doesn't have a roof.  Volunteers raised money to stabilize it, and there was a protective blockade around it for months.  Then there was the carriage house at Blossom House at 12th and Pennsylvania that had collapsing walls and no roof structure for years, and it was on a public alley.  Why didn't the City have concern for public safety in those situations for years and years?

Fang, I responded to the email from Ed Ford's office with one that basically mirrored your comments above. Literally mirrored.  :lol:

I'm no attorney but the question I have would be who has standing to sue. Seems the landowner is likely the only person...I don't know of any other potential party that could get the case before a judge to get a TRO. But then again, I don't know much. Hopefully an attorney on here might have some more creative ideas on how to achieve standing.

I never heard back from Russ Johnson's office. I got an obligatory reply/ignore from Cindy Circo's office--not worth reposting here.

[smh]

Unfortunately, the building will be demolished before anything can happen legally.  Most city officials, judges, and attorneys have gone home by now. According to the Star article, the demolition is to begin on Saturday.

I think it should be noted that judges work on Saturday if an emergency temporary restraining order needs to be heard. However, I wouldn't know how to go about getting that ball rolling. May need an already established case...

[DaveKCMO]

if the building is soooo dangerous to pedestrians, why not just close the surrounding sidewalks? the city never seems to have a problem allowing that under the most inane circumstances. the liability excuse is a total joke. remember the city's scorecard on ADA compliance?

[FangKC]

You got that right Dave.

I remember crossing the Wyandotte bridge over the freeway next to the River Market years ago pushing someone in a wheelchair. The sidewalk had dropped mid-bridge and I couldn't push the wheelchair past it. It was an obstacle to the disabled.  I had to literally pick the woman up out of her chair and carry her over the hole, sit her down, then carry the chair over the hole, and reseat her to proceed.  This situation has existed for years. It's still there even though I called the City about it then.



There is another place where people in wheelchairs cannot proceed. Along 10th Street west of Broadway, next to the Opera House Lofts doorway, there is a steep sidewalk curb dropoff next to the alley where one can't proceed in a wheelchair. You have to turnaround and go out into the street to go west towards Washington.

When Quality Hill was redeveloped, the project got HUD money to build the new apartments and some of the apartments had to be accessible to the disabled.  However, less than a block away, the City has this curb that doesn't allow wheel-chair bound people to pass on the sidewalk.

One side of the alley, the curb is adjusted for the disabled. The other side, it is not. If you look closely, you can see the sidewalk in front of the Opera Lofts doorway is relatively new. It's not like they didn't have the change to fix the situation.

[smh]

Not to mention right up the street from 900 at 1010 Baltimore. These damn things protruding into the street trip me up all the time, couldn't imagine if I was in a wheelchair or on crutches--why would the city have ever allowed this?:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 81,,0,1.33

[FangKC]

Good find SMH, I had forgotten about that location.

[aknowledgeableperson]

No its a case of you not knowing what the word facade means. 

I know what a facade means but do you know what a brick building is?  As I said I don't know if the story is being reported correctly.  Given the buildings age it could very well be a brick structure, as opposed to brick covering a steel structure.  And so the problem may be running deeper than just the facade.

FYI, I have friends in St. Louis rehabbing older structures, houses and duplexes, that face Gravois Park.  They have almost finished a three story duplex built in 1910 that is converted to single family.  This is a brick structure, three layers thick, so yes there is a brick facade but also two other layers of brick behind the facade.  There are also  apartment buildings they have looked at, cheaper than dirt, and shied away from because of bulging and shifting brick.  And some of these buildings have already had some of the repairs done years ago (steel rods running through the building and then capped on the outside) since you can see the stars over the brickwork.  So depending on the problem it may require more than just alittle tuckpointing here and there.

[smh]

Has anyone happened by today to see if anything is going on over there? I would be down there with a camera, but I am in Columbia for a couple of weeks.

It would be awesome to have an update if anybody gets by the building today.

Thanks!

[taxi]

I will try to swing by there soon.

Fang, we are probably too late to save this structure. I like your idea for a new ordinance addressing this concern. It is very unlikely any council person will take the initiative to write one. If you're interested, I'd be willing to help draft one with you and garner support for it. This whole ordeal pisses me off and without some kind of ordinance, it will happen again.

I'm no Jane Flynn, but I'm willing to work on this and do whatever I can to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again.

[smh]

I will try to swing by there soon.

Fang, we are probably too late to save this structure. I like your idea for a new ordinance addressing this concern. It is very unlikely any council person will take the initiative to write one. If you're interested, I'd be willing to help draft one with you and garner support for it. This whole ordeal pisses me off and without some kind of ordinance, it will happen again.

I'm no Jane Flynn, but I'm willing to work on this and do whatever I can to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again.

Ditto.

[carfreekc]

Has anyone happened by today to see if anything is going on over there? I would be down there with a camera, but I am in Columbia for a couple of weeks.

It would be awesome to have an update if anybody gets by the building today.

Thanks!

As of around 4:30 this afternoon, it was still standing with no visible activity at that time.





And wow, that's kind of annoying that "Lane" was changed to the pretentious "La Rue" next door. At least the tiled front entrance hasn't been changed.

[FangKC]

And wow, that's kind of annoying that "Lane" was changed to the pretentious "La Rue" next door. At least the tiled front entrance hasn't been changed.

The historic name of the structure--before it became Lane Printing--is the LaRue Building.  They probably switched the name as to not have issues with the existing Lane BluePrint Printing Co. building further south near Main Street and Truman Road.

[carfreekc]

The historic name of the structure--before it became Lane Printing--is the LaRue Building.  They probably switched the name as to not have issues with the existing Lane BluePrint Printing Co. building further south near Main Street and Truman Road.

Ah, I didn't know that was ever known by La Rue before, thanks Fang! I take back my judgment then! Not generally a fan of Centres and Shoppes, and this just struck me in the same way. But if there's context for it...

[FangKC]

I can't verify it, but I think that there was a LaRue Engraving and Printing Company in that building before it was Lane Printing.

If you look on historical maps, there were a great number of printing and engraving shops in the north end of downtown.

http://kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.p ... OX=1&REC=1

[KCMax]

So is it still standing?

[AJoD]

From Deb Hermann's office seconds ago:

"This demolition is on hold."

[LenexatoKCMO]

I know what a facade means but do you know what a brick building is?  As I said I don't know if the story is being reported correctly.  Given the buildings age it could very well be a brick structure, as opposed to brick covering a steel structure.  And so the problem may be running deeper than just the facade.

The word facade translates as "front" or "face" and its use an architectural term predates by many centuries the sort of construction technique you are attempting to ascribe to it. 

[smh]

So is it still standing?

Still there, for now.  :)

I'm still hoping (especially now that its Monday and the powers that be have returned to their offices) for some type of intervention to prevent the creation of yet more surface parking. Wishful thinking, perhaps.

Also, Hyperblogal has a nice "farewell" post to the building:
http://hyperblogal.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... cosby.html


Though, again, hopefully this ain't the end.