Tuesday, Apr. 13, 2010

The case to save the Industrial Arts Building

By Joel Sartore, Sunday, April 11, 2010

Too many times in the past, the citizens of Lincoln have tolerated the destruction of our architectural heritage. Anyone who has attended Jim McKee's infamous talk, "A History of Lincoln's Parking Lots," knows all too well the amazing buildings that we've already lost or destroyed because someone was in a hurry to come up with the next best thing.

But it's a siren's song we hear. All too often, the rush to demolish and rebuild is about someone making money under the guise of doing us all a favor. With enough public apathy, it seems anything is possible. And so we've come to the next historic treasure on the ropes in Lincoln: the Industrial Arts Building at State Fair Park. Handsome, straight as a string and exceedingly well-crafted, this is a true gem. There's a reason so many people are outraged about its possible demise.

Those who care about things like this are called preservationists. We realize cities that save their historic buildings are worth more in every way. Imagine Lincoln without the Haymarket District. But in this throw-away society of ours, we sometimes take what we have for granted. If it isn't brand-new and shiny, we lose interest. Preservationists and structural engineers alike know that pre-WWII buildings are generally so well built they end up outlasting new structures. And it's often less expensive to renovate an existing building than to pay for a teardown and come up with something else from scratch.

So far, planners have agreed with this concept for the 4-H Building, also located in State Fair Park. It's been slated for a substantial, high-end use. Plenty of time will be allowed for development. The Industrial Arts Building should be afforded the same treatment. There have been several studies by prominent engineers saying it's in very good condition structurally, with plenty of life left. The key is in finding the right tenant ... and the funding. But this takes time. And that's the rub.

I have nothing but respect for the university president and chancellor. Still, I have to ask: Why do we have to decide the fate of this amazing and unique building so quickly, especially when only one tenant has been signed for the entire campus so far? A July 1 deadline for proposals is far too fast and doesn't allow nearly enough time for multiple parties to look at it and come up with solutions. To some, this rushed deadline seems purposefully short-timed and could easily eliminate possibilities, helping to ensure that it gets torn down while we wink and say, "We gave it our best shot."

It doesn't have to be this way, though. Just look at Whittier Junior High School.
High praise should be given to our chancellor for his role in saving Whittier, a marvelous, historic structure along Vine Street. It took years of patience to establish a use and come up with the money to implement it. Now it lives again as an energy research facility. This is something for which the chancellor received far too little praise.

In this economic climate, everything must have value to survive. Structures like Whittier and others continue to grace our skyline because people rolled up their sleeves and figured out how to work with our heritage, not against it.

If you look on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Web site, you'll see a definition of Innovation Campus. The word "sustainable" is prominent, right at the top. As we go forward, saving the Industrial Arts Building would show that we're not all talk. Engineers, architects and contractors are being chosen with "green" in mind. Surely throwing a unique structure like the IAB into the landfill is not only wasteful, it flies in the face of the entire premise - and promise - of the new campus.

Joel Sartore is a National Geographic contributing photographer. His latest book is "Rare: Portraits of America's Endangered Species."

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