My Preservation

Something that has made very brief news lately is what seems to be the imminent demise of the freight depot on Clinton and Fourth St.

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100521/NEWS/5210325

I find the depot to be very symbolic of Fort Wayne, stagnant. The depot has been sitting there for the ages, where the only improvement to the structure was to add a billboard to the side. Redevelopment costs (as typical in FW) are higher than the building new, Thanks to the Planning Commission's rubber stamp for new developments in the far far reaches of the area.

The building has been sitting crumbling away until it is ultimately too late for it to be saved, due to it fiscal impossibilities or the process is too far along, the ones that want to save it are reactionary to the process, they stage a last ditch effort, which rarely ever works out or comes across as unorganized.

What I find amazing about the plans to demolition of the depot:

1. May is historical preservation month. I find it to be a huge slap in the face to plan demolition of a building that is on Arch's endangered building list for quite some time now. It sits on a much neglected piece of land, and now the owners decide it needs to go - On the month we are suppose to remember and cherish our history. Where is our mayor and staff on this? Their silence has been deafening about this piece of land that was once desired by them is about to lose what is considered, to some, a selling point of this. On top of that our rich history was being heralded earlier this month, now we're seemly side stepping out of the way to eradicate it.

2. Why on earth are the Rifkin's worried about this piece of land? Flashback: 2007, Omnisource is sold for nearly 1.1 Billion Dollars (no fat finger on the B). I personally would want to wash my hands of this land and liability. Everyone is 99% sure that this land is contaminated and will need heavy remediation before development. I'd hand the land over, tell the city - "it's your problem now" and then continue to do backstrokes through my pile of gold coins ala Scrooge McDuck.


All in all, this land represents missed opportunities. We can't replicate the past, and given this opportunity was can certainly preserve what we have left. We only have to look to the recent past to see one near missed opportunity, the Embassy. I'm not saying that this depot is as beautiful or ornate as the embassy, The theater was moments away from demolition, luckily for Fort Wayne, it the leveling was put off. Now, Fort Wayne, having taken advantage of an opportunity, has a great asset like the Embassy. The possibilities of the depot are endless, all it takes is the right idea with the right people. The news of possible demolition has ignited a few flames, lined up with Arch and the available restoration grant money, it can definitely work. After all, whats the rush?