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Wooster Told Its City Hall Not Safe For Current Occupants of Offices: Advised To Move Quickly
- Wooster Told Its City Hall Not Safe For Current Occupants of Offices: Advised To Move Quickly [1]
Wooster's 71 - year - old City hall was condemned Monday night as inadequate and constituting a hazard to its occupants as it is used now and has been used for several years.
City officials were informed in no uncertain terms to make a decision within 10 days "for the immediate future" or be ordered to restrict occupancy. Mayor Edwin Johnson received the order Monday from State Dept. of Industrial Relations and turned it over to City Council.
Councilman Ralph Kane called a joint meeting of Council and Wooster Planning Commission for 7:30 p.m. Friday "to decide our course of action."
"The condition of a portion of the existing structure," the letter declared, "is barely capable of sustaining the load imposed, with no allowance for wind or snow loads."
Roof Getting Weaker
C. R. Daubenmire, chief of factory and building inspection of State Dept. of Industrial Relations, signed the letter. He states that "unless we are advised of action in immediate future, we will be compelled to issue an order restricting occupancy."
The roof soon will be inadequate to take care of dead loads, Daubenmire stated. (Council Details on Page Seven)
A copy of the letter was forwarded to the state fire marshal, who is also empowered by state law to enforce minimum standards.
"There is every indication that corrections of existing conditions in your city building should received the immediate attention of your local authorities."
Value Is $345,000
The order came after a recent inspection of the building. City of officials were reluctant to make predictions on the outcome of Friday's meeting, but they were determined that positive action could be initiated before the 10 day deadline they said.
The value of the city building is $345,037 including the fire station at the rear of the hall and the unused top of the "opera house" above municipal court. The estimate is based on an appraisal by West Brothers Inc., of Cleveland, and was included in an overall appraisal of city property reported Monday night.
Breakdown of the figure which is replacement value, is City City Hall $195,392; opera house, $78,565; and fire station, $71,180. Estimates do not include equipment.
Time To Build: Growing Wooster at End of Facilities
- Time To Build: Growing Wooster at End of Facilities [2]
Many people ask: How does it happen that all of a sudden Wooster's City Building needs to be replaced by two new fire stations and a new city hall?" This is the first in a series of articles to answer that question and answer other questions arising to the $900,000 bond issue to be voted on in November.
The file is a long one, although not a thick one! It starts way back in 1887 when the present City Building was erected-- originally as an Opera House: ten-ton plaster done, and all the trimmings; but not a stitch of steel.
At that time, Wooster consisted of 1,622 acres of land, and old Opera House was almost in the center of this area. Except for eight acres added in 1922, no other area growth occurred between 1871 and the addition of Bloomington Heights in 1926. A 55-year period of virtual rest.
Population also stood still: from the 1870 census until the 1910 census - 40 years - Wooster grew from 5,500 to 6,000 for a total increment of 500 citizens. So, from the time the City Building was built (for a different purpose) forty years went by with only insignificant changes in size or population.
Since the mid-twenties, however, population has jumped 9,500 to a total of 17,500 people; while during the same period, acreage within the City limits has gone up 1,600 to a total of around 3,200 acres at the present time. In the past 30 years, therefore, Wooster has grown as much in numbers and area as was here altogether after the first 100 years of its existence!
Now no one has yet disagreed with the almost foregone predictions that by 1980 we shall see some 25,000 citizens in Wooster, or by 1990 nearly 30,000. These years are only 20 to 30 away from this year. Certain units of government increase arithmetically with the population; for every 1,000 people, add no less than two policemen, and a smaller number of firemen; add enough people to the street, water and sewer departments to take care of added service runs; top with a pinch of administrative assistance to take care of the added burdens of running the other employees.
The old Opera House, even if it were in sound condition right now, could not possibly be expanded to house this growing ___ of public servants which the years ahead will demand, for it is already overcrowded. The only reason that the growth of the 30's and 40's could be absorbed in this present building was that Council in 1949 participated in a delaying action.
___ year that Barber & Magee, Structural Engineers, and Spagn and Barnes, Registered Architects, reported, among other items: "...the center roof of the building is in a state of collapse...after center room (menace to public safety) is corrected, a more complete investigation should be made of other roof trusses... act promptly to check further failure in the structure... this work may be of a temporary nature, until city is in position to provide additional needed facilities... there appears to be considerable need for expansion of fire department and added facilities or police department... pointing and waterproofing of brickwork will be required... a second floor could be constructed through the auditorium to carry additional offices, while street level could accommodate necessary garage space..."
In 1949 and 1950, around $42,000 was spent in doing part of what had thus been recommended: a courtroom was installed, offices carved out of the round Opera House for the mayor, the auditor, the clerk of courts and part of the police force.
The roof was partially repaired (one portion was raised 30 inches and steel posts inserted). No additional facilities have since been added. The fire department has not been expanded at all. No added facilities for police have been provided. No pointing or waterproofing has been done. No second floor has been constructed through the auditorium, and the street level has already been used up so that no garage space is even available.
In August of 1957, William Huff, Registered Architect, after a cursory examination of the same building, by now somewhat altered and much older, wrote in part:
"... roof has slate off... will last only short time... exterior masonry in need of repointing... tower needs attention or removal... several joints in trusses practically failed... floors sagging out of level... second story has no proper second means of egress... toilet facilities need expansion and study of fire hazards... construct 2 fire stations in other locations..."
Slight repairs were made. In September of 1958, Hunt Sandblasting company proposed to "sandblast, repoint, waterproof, for $13,7000." In December of 1957, Council has earmarked $15,000 or City Hall Improvement Fund, and added another $15,000 to same in 1958. We had a $30,000 fund-- but nothing else was done.
Nothing still having been done on February 14, 1959, C. R. Daubennire, of the Department of Industrial Relations of the State of Ohio, sent the following Valentine to the Maylor of Wooster: "... portions of existing structure barely capable of sustaining the dead load imposed, with no allowance for wind or snow...unless we are advised that steps will be taken in immediate future to correct hazardous conditions we shall be compelled to insure public building order restricting occupancy. Please advise within 10 days"! It was during those next 10 days that the vision of three new public buildings for Wooster was born again!
Talk of Building Clouds Old City Hall Site's Fate
- Talk of Building Clouds Old City Hall Site's Fate [3]
The future of the East Liberty Street site of Wooster's old city hall took on a new aspect this week with fresh discussion of the property as a possible building site.
"We originally expected to make a small park there," Mayor Jack Lester told a Chamber of Commerce merchants' group Tuesday night, "but there is some interest now by a builder who would like to buy it and put up an office building. We just aren't certain. However, we still think it will be a park for awhile at least."
Situation 'Fluid'
Chamber of Commerce Manager Fred Neuenschwander said he has discussed the site with a Medina builder, but that the builder has not seen the property and the matter is "so fluid and in such an early state that there is nothing definite that can be said about it."
He said that any prospective downtown builder would be shown the old city hall site as "the most readily available downtown site."
Monday night Neuenschwander informed city council of the interest and suggested that a price on the property be set. No price has been set by either the city or a prospective buyer.
Wants Post Office Annex
Also uncertain in the property's future is starting time for the razing of the former downtown fire station on the rear of the lot.
Mayor Jack Lester said a decision on where to relocate the parking meter repair department housed there is yet to be made.
The mayor has recommended to Postmaster Henry M. Heyl that the post office vacate the city-owned building on the Buckeye-North parking lot "as soon as possible" as quarters for the meter department. The post office leases the building from the city as an annex but will not need it when a new Wooster post office is built. No site for a post office has been announced.
Wants Shop Closer
"I think the parking meter equipment should be located in the parking meter area." Mayor Lester told the Record today.
Earlier plans called for moving the meter department to the former Wooster Farm Dairies Building on Madison Avenue, which becomes city property when the Expressway is completed next summer or fall.
Freeman Construction Co. has leveled the front portion of the old city hall site. Walter Jones Construction Co. has contracted to level the remainder, when officials decide where to put the meter shop.
- March 31, 1887: "Babb and Logan dwelling Public Auction", Wooster Republican, p. 0.
- February 17, 1959: "Wooster Told Its City Hall Not Safe for Current Occupants Of Offices: Advised To Move Quickly" by Jane Doe, The Daily Record, p. 123.
- February 23, 1959: "We May Have to Build New City Hall", The Daily Record, p. 123.
- March 21, 1959: "How City Hall Is Cracking Up" by Jane Doe, The Daily Record, p. 123.
- October 00, 1959: "Time To Build: Growing Wooster At End of Facilities", The Daily Record, p. 123.
- October 03, 1960: "Wooster To Build City Hall, Fire Station Here - Contracts Expected Jan. 1 For Separate Buildings", The Daily Record, p. 123.
- January 20, 1961: "Making Way for New City Buildings" by Jane Doe, The Daily Record, p. 123.
- December 09, 1961: "Wooster's New City Building: Is It Bargain Beauty, or Beast? Three Building Cost $200,000 Less Than Amount Voters Approved", The Daily Record, p. 123.
- January 09, 1962: "Talk of Building Clouds Old City Hall Site's Fate", The Daily Record, p. 123.
- March 05, 1962: "Wooster's Dedication on Sunday: Ceremonies Precede Public Inspections At Three Buildings", The Daily Record, p. 123.
- March 08, 1962: "What Wooster Mast Plan May Do Reported", The Daily Record, p. 123.
- April 04, 1962: "City Hall's Swan Son Begins: Wooster Officials Packing" by Elinor Taylor, The Daily Record, p. 16.
- June 06, 1962: "Denizens Of Month-Old Wooster City Building Find It Nice Place to Work" by William L. Parker, The Daily Record, p. 123.
- September 09, 1962: "This Old Landmark-- Mark of Uncertainty" by John Stallard, Akron Beacon Journal, p. 123.
- February 08, 1964: "Organization Table Defines Lines of Wooster Government Authority", The Daily Record, p. 123.