10th anniversary post: Preservation or demolition?

The former Ambroz Recreation Center, fall 2023

On May 12, 2014, the Hach Building at 1326 2nd St SE was demolished. The local preservationist group, Save CR Heritage, had spared no effort in trying to save the 1901 building, without success; they spent its last weekend protesting to no avail.

protest at the Hach Building, May 2014

The Hach Building had last been used as a tavern, but had been badly damaged in the 2008 flood and neglected since. It was owned by the Melsha family, which also owns the delightful and historic Little Bo's a block away on 16th Avenue.

Rear view of the damaged Hach Building, May 2014

Ten years later, the property remains empty, though eventual development is part of the long-term New Bo Action Plan. Kickstand, a bar with a prodigious bike rack that is often full in the summer, has gone in across the street, so the New Bohemia neighborhood's lively bar scene continues to grow.

Ten years later, the expected demolition of another Cedar Rapids historic landmark has aroused opposition. Ambroz Recreation Center, 2000 Mt Vernon Rd SE, was built as Buchanan School in 1920 (Hadish 2024). From 1975-2016, it was used by the City of Cedar Rapids for community events like summer arts programs. (My sons as children took classes here like Art from the Junk Drawer.) It has been vacant since (Tabick 2024). 

parking lot entrance

view across 21st Street

On April 23, 2024, the Cedar Rapids City Council approved Steve Emerson of Aspect Architecture Design as site developer. It was the City's fourth effort to find a buyer/developer for the building. Emerson envisioned a four-story, 52-unit apartment complex that got neighbors' backs up big time. Emerson has said his firm's plan is subject to change. 

Rendering of Aspect Inc proposal (from Hadish 2024)

The existing Ambroz building was lovely and homey when my boys were taking classes here 15-20 years ago; while it has apparently deteriorated beyond repair, the City has not considered another proposal, by Jim Hobart of Hobart Historic Restoration, that would have rehabilitated the current building and added townhomes nearby. "It's well worth saving," said Hobart (Hadish 2024). [It's not clear to me that Hobart formally submitted this proposal to the city, based on conversations I've had.]

I am not, strictly speaking, a preservationist. Development of a place should never be frozen, because sometimes the highest, best, most publicly valuable use of land is new construction. We would take places out of a process of evolution by trying to hold them forever at a particular stage that may no longer be adaptive (see Del Maestro 2024). But I do value historic preservation, because where appropriate it provides people with orientation, interest, and a sense of place; too much demolition leaves you with architectural and spiritual emptiness. As one writer characterized a grand scheme of Le Corbusier, the rigorously superimposed plan cleared the land of all signs of humanity and centuries of urban culture (Woudstra 2014).

The Ambroz building was built as a neighborhood school on a two-lane street that became a four-lane street and is in the process of being widened still further.

under construction, spring 2024

Nearby resident Jennifer Trembath justifiably questioned the context of the new building proposed by Aspect Inc. in her statement to the City Council, but I think she's going to be unhappy whatever happens, because of the widening of Mt. Vernon Road with the increased traffic speed, and noise that will bring.

The Hobart proposal appears to me to develop the property at neighborhood scale, with as much transition between the neighborhood and the new road as can be imagined. So does something like this Atlanta project, but Hobart offers the additional perk of retaining the existing building. 

Hobart's rendering (in Hadish 2024) continues the current two-story brick construction, with parking facing Mt. Vernon Road and buildings built to both 20th and 21st Streets. It would actually soften the large parking lot behind the current building, which stretches from 20th to 21st Streets.

parking lot facing 20th Street

Aspect Inc. (pictured above) shows a four-story building with that weird exterior that's going to scream "2020s" in a few years. What if Aspect built a three-story brick building? Two such buildings exist at the intersection of 16th Street and 3rd and Grande Avenues, and work well in the context of Wellington Heights. How would a somewhat friendlier approach to construction affect people's feelings?

1601 Grande Ave SE

1600 3rd Avenue SE

Another strong argument for preservation is that rents in older buildings are often more affordable than in new construction, providing a broader set of opportunities for residents and entrepreneurs (see Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities [Random House, 1961], ch. 10). In the present case, though, it might well be that the building is too far gone to be renovated cheaply, and new construction might be more economical?

That brings me to a more general concern about preservation in Cedar Rapids (and probably your town as well). The Ambroz Building, the Hach Building, and People's Church, to name three local cases, were historically valuable structures that had arguably deteriorated to the point that their continued existence was no longer economical. While it's tempting to hate on the private owners of the Hach Building, it's worth pointing out that People's Church was a nonprofit and the Ambroz Building (along with any number of gorgeous century-old Cedar Rapids schools that are probably doomed) are owned by local government. Is there a way to prioritize the maintenance dimension of historic preservation such that significant structures aren't continually being demolished?