Historic Preservation in the Urban Core

[FangKC]

The new owners of the Sauer Castle introduce themselves.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092672479201

[FangKC]

Another empty school building damaged by fire. It's no longer owned by the KCPSD. The owners are:

LCKC Ladd Development Partners LLC
3640 Benton Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64128

Firefighters recovering after suffering burns in elementary school building response

On calls of visible flames, just before 3 a.m. Friday firefighters responded to the Sanford B. Ladd Elementary School in the 3600 block of Bellefontaine Avenue.
...
Upon arrival, flames were seen shooting from three sides of the old schoolhouse, no longer in use.
...

https://www.kctv5.com/2023/06/30/kansas ... re-friday/

Location:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0589373 ... ?entry=ttu

The development plan.

https://www.localcode.co/ladd

[FangKC]

Scaffolding up around Sauer Mansion.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=844 ... 0207486757

[grovester]

That's great, I thought that one was a goner.

[FangKC]

Some interior photos were posted of Sauer Castle by Rosin Preservation..

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1LHuqPNJ72 ... BiNWFlZA==

[FangKC]

Grandview High School students are documenting the restoration of Sauer Castle.

https://fox4kc.com/news/local-students- ... n-kck/amp/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSWbMzu247o

[FangKC]

Update on Sauer Castle restoration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB4Iv68IBlc

[shinatoo]

Update on Sauer Castle restoration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB4Iv68IBlc

Great that they are doing it right! Looks like it's going to be fantastic.

[FangKC]

Sauer Castle update:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6PPbkttiFz ... BiNWFlZA==

[moderne]

Got to have some skilled carpenters to do that work even if modern technology makes it easier to duplicate the gingerbread. Too bad the house is in an isolated sketchy Appalachia neighborhood.

[FangKC]

Article on Sauer Castle restoration.

https://kcstudio.org/long-down-for-the- ... a-rebirth/

[FangKC]

Restoration of the Sauer Castle tower before and after.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=101 ... 5133717596

[FangKC]

Philadelphia consulting firm buys Rosin Preservation

Rosin Preservation has been acquired by Heritage Consulting Group in a combination that unites the expertise of two leading U.S. historic preservation firms.

Founded in 2006, Rosin Preservation provides full-service guidance to clients on building rehabilitation strategies and applications for historic tax credits. Owner Elizabeth Rosin last year estimated her firm had consulted on more than $1.6 billion in rehab projects and gotten almost 2,000 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
....
"Rosin Preservation is an ideal company to acquire as they have a strong presence in the Central Plains region, and this is a logical area for Heritage’s growth," Hamilton said in a Monday release.

With Rosin's acquisition, the firm's staff now works under Heritage's brand, adding expertise and resources to the Philadelphia company while continuing "business as usual" in its work with historic preservation clients.
...

https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/ ... &empos=p14

[moderne]

KC can't keep anything it births. We are just a capital colony for the coasts.

[FangKC]

What's old can be new
Amid the challenges of adapting and restoring structures, developers must balance honoring the past with creating a brighter future

It took artists’ eyes to see the potential in a rapidly deteriorating school building on the edge of the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District.

The Crispus Attucks School, at 1801 E. 18th St., was noteworthy as one of the main grade schools in Kansas City for Black children during segregation. But the school, built in 1905 and expanded in 1922, had sat in disrepair for years before the city sold it for $100 in 2018.
...
Degradation of the building’s plaster continued between when the team first walked through the school and when they were able to start work, said Jason Schram, director of preconstruction for general contractor A.L. Huber. Floors were deteriorating, and graffiti covered the walls. The roof of the 1922 building was in bad shape and had let in a lot of water.

“This building was really at risk. It was on the cusp of not being salvageable,” Schram said. “We’re acting with a sense of urgency the entire time, knowing that our window for being able to preserve this building was very limited.”

One saving grace was stabilization work the city had done on the older of the two school buildings.

“On the 1905 building, if the city had not put the new roof on it, it would have been a total loss,” Project Manager Andy Huber said. “Whoever had the forethought to reroof it really gave the building a second chance.”
...
When historic elements of a building are lost or can’t be preserved because of its condition, contractors still can maintain a historic feel. Huber said all of the windows in the Zhou B Art Center were replaced with historic replicas. Workers used molds to re-create custom plaster pieces.

“It was really a good thing that some of those molds were taken early,” Schram said, “because I would say within a year, that plaster would have been gone and not been able to be replicated because it was that rapid of a deterioration.”
...

https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity ... 8&empos=p1

In this situation, the City intervened and put a new roof on the Attucks School to save it. There is precedent here. Why this isn't done sooner in other situations? Why isn't the City doing that now with the Scarritt Building while waiting for a court to hash out financial arguments?

Time is of the essence in not only saving money but often saving details--like in the case of the school getting molds made of plaster details windows before they deteriorated. Fixing the roof likely saved much money when Zhou Brothers continued the restoration.

This is an important point. If action is taken to fix a roof, so much money is saved restoring a building--especially interior details. Developers have to borrow less money and pay less interest. More importantly, it's less difficult finding a developer willing to restore an old building.

The Mainstreet Theater lost most of its interior details because the roof leaked so badly that water ruined them. That is why the concrete skeleton is exposed throughout the interior.

The City can fix the roof and put a lien on the building to get their money back.

[Cratedigger]

Was it owned by KCPS at the time? Does it change if it is a building is under private ownership?

[FangKC]

The Crispus Attucks School, at 1801 E. 18th St., was noteworthy as one of the main grade schools in Kansas City for Black children during segregation. But the school, built in 1905 and expanded in 1922, had sat in disrepair for years before the city sold it for $100 in 2018.

I don't know how it came into the City's hands though.

I believe the City does have the power to make repairs to a structure and bill the owner for those repairs or seek repayment by lien. They also can demolish a dangerous building and place a lien on the property for the cost of the demolition when the owner sells the land.

[Midtownkid]

City Council unanimously passed a new Demolition Delay ordinance introduced by the Historic Preservation Commission!! This is a huge step forward for preservation in the core.

Basically, a demo permit pulled for any building that is over 50 years old in KCMO will be subject to a 45-day delay. This will give the Historic Preservation Commission time to review the demolition proposal and see if the building is significant before it can be demolished.

Hopeful this will stop unneeded demo of potentially-viable and historic buildings.

[moderne]

Uh, KC Life Insurance.

[beautyfromashes]

City Council unanimously passed a new Demolition Delay ordinance introduced by the Historic Preservation Commission!! This is a huge step forward for preservation in the core.

Basically, a demo permit pulled for any building that is over 50 years old in KCMO will be subject to a 45-day delay. This will give the Historic Preservation Commission time to review the demolition proposal and see if the building is significant before it can be demolished.

Hopeful this will stop unneeded demo of potentially-viable and historic buildings.

Even if it gets historic designation, doesn't this just mean a two-year delay in demolition? How would this have saved the homes in North Valentine or any other historic building? There needs to be something with more teeth.