Freeborn County commissioners bought a downtown eyesore with plans to tear it down, but at least two commissioners have doubts about destroying the old Western Grocer building after a historical architect told them it was irreplaceable.

Monday, May 07, 2001

Freeborn County commissioners bought a downtown eyesore with plans to tear it down, but at least two commissioners have doubts about destroying the old Western Grocer building after a historical architect told them it was irreplaceable.

&uot;I wouldn’t demolish it,&uot; said Charlie Nelson, the Minnesota Historical Society Architect who toured the building last week. &uot;My gut reaction is that you should conduct a study before you make that decision, because there’s too much good stuff here. It’s a phenomenal space. It’s got timber and structure you’ll never replace.&uot;

Looking past the broken windows and warped wood floors, Nelson said the Western Grocer building is structurally very sound – almost overbuilt. The open floor plan is an asset in renovation, making the building suitable for shops, light manufacturing, apartments or townhouses, a restaurant, or an annex to the courthouse.

&uot;I think there’s a tremendous potential here,&uot; he said. &uot;It won’t be cheap – all these projects cost money – but the building is a strong building and it’s certainly worth going the extra mile.&uot;

Nelson toured the building at the request of County Board Chairman Dave Mullenbach. He also spoke to commissioner Dan Belshan and Interim Administrator Darryl Meyers about the county’s options.

&uot;You have to look at the skeleton of the building,&uot; he said. &uot;You have to look at the structure and what holds it up.&uot;

The building could be updated, using modern materials like custom insulated windows to improve efficiency, he said. The Historical Society could help renovators develop a plan, he said.

&uot;I can tell you what will work financially and what won’t work,&uot; he said. &uot;I can tell you the limits of what the building will take.&uot;

The county could get matching grant funds up to $75,000 to restore the building if they promised to preserve it for a certain amount of time, Nelson said. They could then sell it, but that commitment would be a condition of the sale.

He advised them to apply to have the Western Grocer building added to the national register of historic places, and hold off on a decision until their eligibility is determined.

&uot;Then you can decide whether to keep it or to sell it,&uot; he said.

At Mullenbach’s request, Nelson will write a report on the building to present to the county board.