A prominent local architect and preservation advocate said he believes the United Way building in downtown Toledo should be saved, possibly by being sold if the agency no longer wants the structure.
?It shouldn?t just be discarded,? said Paul Sullivan, a Toledo architect who is a past president of the Toledo chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
?We have programs that recycle bottles. We should be able to recycle buildings.?
Earlier this month, the local United Way announced it plans to construct a smaller building, and tear down its current home, considered by some to be a downtown landmark.
The organization has said it can no longer afford its $400,000 annual upkeep, and estimates renovations to be too costly at about $10 million.
Mr. Sullivan toured the building yesterday with United Way representatives, Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop, and Steve Seaton, director of support services for Lucas County Job and Family Services.
Lucas County Commissioner Peter Gerken is touring the building today. A tour of the building with its architect, Byron West, is scheduled for next month, according to Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.
Yesterday, the commissioners unanimously approved a resolution urging United Way to reconsider its demolition decision.
?I certainly commend their decision to build downtown. That?s important for our community,? said Mr. Konop, who offered the resolution.
?However, in an age where downtowns are competing with each other throughout the country to attract and retain young people and professionals, I don?t think it?s prudent to tear down buildings that have uniqueness and that have history in this community.?
The resolution also asked United Way to help with a feasibility study for moving the county?s job and family services department to the building.
The job and family services building at 3210 Monroe St. has been occupied since 1971, and likely will need $6 million to $10 million in renovations in the next several years, according to an engineering study, Mr. Seaton said.
Mr. Konop said if the county has to upgrade the job and family services building, it would be better to spend the money downtown.
Commissioners Tina Skeldon Wozniak and Mr. Gerken supported the resolution, but said their first obligation was to the county?s taxpayers.
?We understand the idea that having buildings torn down downtown isn?t the best idea, but at the same time we?re going to make the best decision for the taxpayers,? Ms. Wozniak said.
Bill Kitson, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Greater Toledo, said the agency is continuing to move forward with its plans for the new building.
?The county?s resolution is not binding,? he said. ?We still have not been presented with any viable financial solution. These have been pleasant tours, but no one has put any viable financial solution in front of us.?
Mr. Kitson said the agency has met with commercial real estate experts who advised there was little chance of selling the building.
On Friday, University of Toledo President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs toured the building with a dozen staffers. Following the tour, he said it would require too many upgrades for the university to invest in the building.
?A developer would have a difficult time of making the financials work because we?re having a difficult time making the financials work,? Mr. Kitson said.
The United Way would hate to sell the building and see it either demolished for parking or sit empty and abandoned, he said.
Selling the building also would leave the agency with having to find a downtown location that is open and accessible to its clients, which it was unable to do when examining options for the property, Mr. Kitson added.
Mr. Sullivan, a past chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Council of Northwest Ohio who has been involved with renovating and preserving a number of downtown buildings, said he ?found the building to be very well-kept,? though he said the roof and some of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems needed to be upgraded.
However, he described those as issues of deferred maintenance rather than intrinsic problems with the building.
He added, ?I don?t have an intimate knowledge of the building,? and said those were his impressions after yesterday?s tour.
Mr. Sullivan said he is a United Way donor.
?I think the world of the United Way,? he said. ?Obviously, they are trying to do the right thing and do it in a fiscally responsible way.?
The United Way?s board has approved borrowing from its board-designated, endowment-like fund to pay for the new construction.
The board approved tapping up to $6.4 million from the fund, which it often uses to subsidize administrative costs, then reimbursing the fund with $2 million to $3 million from a targeted capital campaign.
Mr. Kitson said the board?s choice was made for the long-term financial health of the organization.
