McLean County Times

Town of Normal Historic Preservation Commission met Feb. 11.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

Historic Preservation Commission 1 February 11, 2025

Members Present:

Robert Porter, Kathy Burgess, Quentin Rabideau, Nancy Armstrong, Chris Niebur

Members Absent:

Larry Schumacher, Justin Vickers

Others Present:

Planner I Tessa Ferraro, Office Associate Hannah Neal, Steven Simmons Assistant Corporation Counsel, Director of Facilities and Inspections Mark Clinch

Call to Order:

The meeting was called to order at 12:30 PM by Ms. Burgess.

Approval of Minutes:

Mr. Niebur moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting on January 14, 2025. Mr. Porter seconded.

Other Business:

a. 104 W North Street, review rear section

Per the request of the Historic Preservation Commission at the previous meeting, arrangements were made to walk through 104 W North Street. Ms. Ferraro reviewed some key points from the previous meeting, mentioning that the wall between 104 and 102 had some significant bowing. The Commission would need to weigh in on whether the wall could be restored, if it should be rebuilt, or could be demo’d from the rear of the building if it is unsalvageable. Ms. Ferraro emphasized that no decisions needed to be made during this visit, and that they were here to gather information.

The Commission started in the back room of 104, where the shared brick wall had the most visibility. Ms. Ferraro pointed out where some of the parge coat was cracking as well as where the wall was bowing.

Mr. Niebur inspected the room and asked Ms. Ferraro if it had been added in after the original construction.

Ms. Ferraro said that the aerial images of this property imply that the room had been there for a long time, at least since the 1940’s, but she was unsure if it was original.

Ms. Armstrong asked who would be responsible for rebuilding the wall.

Ms. Ferraro said the Town of Normal would be overseeing the construction. Mr. Rabideau asked if an engineer had assessed the wall and if they had any concerns.

Mr. Clinch said that Farnsworth Group had looked at the wall and considered the wall both architecturally and structurally. He went on to say that they were unclear if there would be collateral damage caused by the demolition. It is not technically a deconstruction, but the demo contractors have introduced a method of how they want the demo to proceed.

Mr. Rabideau asked if there were any additional views of the wall from upstairs.

Mr. Clinch said that there were additional areas to view next door at 102 W North Street, which would end up being the exterior side of the wall.

Ms. Ferraro asked if there was any visibility downstairs.

Mr. Clinch said that the downstairs wasn’t as accessible and reiterated that looking at the wall from 102 would provide a better visual.

Mr. Niebur noted that there was a slope in the floor of the back room of 104 and Mr. Porter agreed.

At this time, the Commission went next door to look at the wall from the other side.

Mr. Rabideau noted some areas on the wall that had settled. He said based on what he was seeing he would be surprised if the contractors would be able to leave the current wall as an exterior wall without rebuilding.

Mr. Clinch said that has been the general consensus from everyone else who has inspected the wall so far.

There was some discussion about where the wall would end if it were to be rebuilt. Tentatively, it would be where the second story begins.

Mr. Clinch said that a rendering would be done to come up with an ideal finished product. He added that this project could have significant impact on the Town’s budget.

Mr. Clinch added that when it comes to the final rendering of the structure, the UDRC would need to provide their input as well. The Town is hoping to start work this fall if possible.

Mr. Niebur said that seeing a rendering would be helpful for the commissioners to visualize the final product. He added that it is difficult to make a decision not knowing for sure what the intention of 104 will be.

Mr. Clinch agreed, adding that when the Town originally bought the building the intent was to knock both buildings down, but over time that has become less certain.

At this time the Commission finished walking through the lower level of 102. The Commissioners then went up the stairs of 104 North to view the upper from upstairs from both 104 and 102.

On the upper level of 102 Mr. Rabideau and Mr. Nieber both felt that the condition of the wall was beyond repair. Mr. Rabideau said once the contractor pulls out the joists, the bowing in the wall could get much worse.

Mr. Niebur asked Mr. Clinch if Farnsworth had discussed using steel plates and tying back to the neighboring floor structure.

Mr. Clinch said they had discussed some foundation work but nothing else as of right now. Mr. Niebur added that this option would likely only be needed in a worse case scenario. Mr. Rabideau said that it might not be a bad idea just to be safe.

Mr. Clinch said that they were still discussing options.

There was some discussion regarding a large crack in one of the corners, at which point Mr. Clinch also added that if they do need to completely rebuild, they are hoping to salvage some of the brick for the new structure. He also mentioned that after the discussions with UDRC, there would hopefully be some elements added to the rebuilt wall to break up the monotony.

Mr. Clinch, Mr. Niebur, and Mr. Rabideau went out onto the back balcony and assessed the wall from the exterior.

The Commission noted some historical elements of the interior of the upper level that may be of interest to the old house society.

Ms. Ferraro said that next steps for this project would be to come back to the Commission once there were renderings available and discussions had been had with the Uptown Design Review Commission.

Mr. Rabideau said he would be interested in knowing what the Town’s long-term intentions were for the space.

Ms. Ferraro said with the current market constraints, it is hard to say. The Town is open to ideas, but no commitments can be made at this time.

With nothing further to discuss regarding the property, Ms. Burgess asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting.

Ms. Armstrong made a motion to adjourn, and Mr. Niebur seconded.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:11 PM

https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5228