Costs of Grant

[Mike Zannoni]

Great project. I'm sure there are treasures in many households in Lakewood, photo-wise. So many of Lakewood's older residents must have boxes of stuff in their attics. It's great that they can have the Observer scan them for publication so they don't have to deal with getting them online if they don't have the equipment. . .

Nice one of the new Grant ground breaking of 1969. I've heard some opinion that Grant needs to be completely demolished, but as some buildings in University Circle nicely show, architecture from this era is very easily updatable, for relatively little cost, compared to a complete demolish and rebuild.

Buildings of the Grant type have steel structures onto which walls are "hung", and a totally new look and completely updated functionality are achievable for only a few million dollars (according to recent architectural reports, showing that Grant still has complete structural integrity) compared to the tens of millions currently in consideration for older buildings. This is mostly from a prejudice against "60's architecture" as somehow irredeemably ugly. But in these times, wasting $12 - $14 million of our tax money on an architectural whim is a crime . . . And I defy anyone to go look at today's Institute of Music and call it ugly . . . Just saying.

Thanks for the glimpse into some real local history. I look forward to a regular feature of more old photos in The LO, and will keep my radar up to help.

[Stan Austin]

Mike---- I envy your optimism about the architectural viability of '60s era architecture. However, I think it ought to go down with Lawson's dutch loaf and only be remembered in photographs.
Grant was a unique experiment and has served the community well.
Now something new and better should be considered.
Stan

[Mike Zannoni]

Stan --

I might agree with you, if there were unlimited funds at hand. If that were the case, I'd say let's rebuild everything! Keep all seven Elementary schools, let Lincoln be the open-enrollment pet school of Lakewood’s more affluent and mobile, let Grant get the total rebuild and keep that stellar educational team together serving the highly dense center of Lakewood. In fact, I rather like the idea of a new “campus” involving Grant, the Board of Education building and a recreation center, something envisioned by more than a few on this Deck.

However, in these times when the School Board is claiming that it needs to close an Elementary school for financial reasons, even though the 7 we have now are overcrowded, with enrollments on the rise and projected to continue to rise, with highly usable space we apparently can afford to heat and cool but not to clean (the currently unused modulars at Grant), we just may want to consider a "less than optimal" solution, when that solution would save us 10 - 12 million dollars.

I'm saying this because Lincoln cannot be renovated, according to the only architect's report we have: it must be demolished and rebuilt, it must be rebuilt tall (3 - 4 stories), and it must include properties not in hand (2 - 4 residential house/lots that must be bought). Price tag 14 - 16 million dollars.

Give Grant a functional and aesthetic facelift: 4 million dollars.

If we have to choose, we should choose responsible stewardship of limited resources in uncertain economic times, with education of children who are here now being the strongest consideration.

That's my point, not that it's the best of all possible solutions.

CIM old:

CIM old

cim old 2.jpg (47.83 KiB) Viewed 1728 times

CIM now:

CIM now

CIM NEW 7.jpg (51.98 KiB) Viewed 1728 times

[Stan Austin]

Betsy said
"I'm waiting for Stan to answer Mike.)"

Mike-- as the old saying goes, a picture is worth .....Your example of CIM certainly shows what can be done---
given the right circumstances.
If there is an architect out their who can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear on a cost effective basis then renovation is the way to go.

Stan

[Mike Zannoni]

For those who may come across this wondering about this thread's beginning, this actually started in "Vintage Lakewood", a thread announcing (and now updating) the new feature of the same name, by Rhonda Loje in the printed LO (in the Lakewood Living section). The first installment showed a 1969 photo at the groundbreaking of Grant Elementary school, which brought back memories for more than a few, and was also a call to others to share their historic photos of Lakewood for future installments . . . Jim O'Bryan moved the thread here out of courtesy to Rhonda, as we were getting off topic.
----------------

Good point, Stan: I don't know what that beautiful CIM renovation cost. But during Phase Three, where the architectural reports were not made public, an impression was given that either Grant or Lincoln would need to be fully demolished and rebuilt, and that the costs would be roughly equal. When I asked specifically about the relative costs of keeping Lincoln vs. Grant, I was told that the cost for each project was within 1 million dollars of the other. Later I learned that the relative parity was based on the false assumption that neither could be renovated. The cost of renovating Lincoln, I'm told, is prohibitive, because of its age, while the cost of renovating Grant is not at all.

[Stan Austin]

Mike--- FYI and the others, even though Lakewood is an older inner ring suburb there are several examples of older and modern commercial rehabs which, because they are commercial mean that their new use has been financially viable.
One is a dentist office on the NorthWest corner of Robinwood and Madison. It was built in the early '60s as a 3 bay Shell gas station. I used to walk by it every day going to school at LHS.
Another is a dentist/architect office on Detroit North side next to the Castlewood Condos. This used to be Lossman Motors, a VW dealership.
In a related side note on cost viability, I read that the Chrysler Stamping Plant in Twinsburg which is only 35 years old is not suited for a a manufacturing function anymore. I would have thought that if anything that a big flat plant would be the easiest building to re purpose but I guess not.
Stan

[Mike Zannoni]

Stan --

Are you speaking towards the repurposing of the Lincoln building or the Grant building? (Or more generally . . .)

[Bryan Schwegler]

Maybe they can do something with that super ugly city hall we have too...

[Stan Austin]

Mike-- I was speaking about Grant and, also, generally.

Bryan-- I think lots of folks would agree that City Hall needs to be replaced both design wise as well as functionality. For instance, when I visit the police station (for journalistic purposes only!) I can't help but notice a rabbit warren of offices and cramped desk space. The front lawn represents wasted land just like the old YMCA. But that was a 50s design feature. But, this year's capital budget has just finally called for replacement of the chairs in the Jury Room. At that rate, it'll be a much colder day than today before money becomes available for a replacement.

Stan