Advance Leader and Indy Star

Jerry Nesbitt and Jed Mast at the Ligonier Public Library sent me this clipping from IndyStar.com. I thought I'd post it here along with my response to Bob Buttgen at the Advance Leader in Ligonier who asked me to respond to some questions about how the proposed project would affect the Ligonier Historical Society, the Library, and the archival collections. I've summarized my comments to Bob below:

Right now we have been awarded an Indiana Landmarks Endangered Places Grant in the amount of $1750. These initial funds will help provide honoraria to architects for their help in recommending a scope of work and budget to stabilize the building structure. I don't have specifics yet, but the architects were very impressed by the way the Ligonier community has taken care of the building. It is in incredible condition and is a physical testament to the community's commitment to historic preservation of a sacred space. But, being built in 1889, there are some regular maintenance issues that need to be addressed. The architects acknowledged that the building needs a new roof (which might have originally been slate), some plaster on the interior needs to be repaired due to water damage, and some masonry needs restorative tuck-pointing. The stained glass windows currently have protective glass covering them. However, with recent archival techniques, we can replace this glass with glass including UV protection to prevent the windows from fading due to the sun's rays. Several of the windows are bowing around the bottom panes which will need to be stabilized by a professional. In addition, the front doors to the building do not have an appropriate seal, allowing bugs and the elements to freely come into the building. 

  

The Ligonier History Museum will most definitely benefit from any renovations of the Ahavas Sholom building. The Library owns the building, so the Library too will benefit from the renovations. Included in a grant proposal will be a line item to organize and provide adequate storage and display of the Historical Society collections. Whether or not the Ligonier Historical Society collections will stay in the Ahavas Sholom building, or being relocated, has not been determined. At the end of the day, that's putting the cart before the horse! If we are awarded the monies- the building must first be stabilized and the collections of the Ligonier History Museum will ONLY be enhanced and showcased for the community education and enjoyment.  

Initial architect meeting on Friday

This Friday, I will be meeting with an architect for an initial walk-through of the synagogue building. We hope to determine and rough budget and a scope of work in order to apply for additional funding. Fingers-crossed!

We made the headlines!

Indiana Landmarks awards Endangered Places Grants in northern Indiana

Projects in six cities receive Endangered Places grants

3/28/2012

Media Contact:

Todd Zeiger, Director, Indiana Landmarks Northern Regional Office 574-232-4534,tzeiger@indianalandmarks.org.

Indiana Landmarks recently awarded Endangered Places Grants to preservation projects in six cities, including Elkhart and Ligonier.

The Elkhart Redevelopment Commission received a $2,500 grant for a structural analysis of a vacant structure at 200 North Main Street on the city’s River Walk. Known as The Armory although never officially used as one, the building was constructed c.1885. In 1911, the structure was doubled in size with an addition designed by Elkhart architect E. Hill Turnock. The study will assess the cost of stabilization and the landmark’s viability for reuse. The grant will be matched by $500 from the Downtown TIF district.

A coalition of organizations in Ligonier are partnering to restore a landmark that represents the community’s Jewish heritage. The coalition, led by the Ligonier Public Library, received a $1,750 Endangered Places grant to develop renovation plans for the 1889 Ahavas Sholom Temple.

The coalition will use the grant to assess the landmark’s potential for adaptation as a museum honoring the community’s Jewish heritage, with interactive exhibits to promote respect and mutual understanding among the city’s diverse ethnic groups. Other partners in the project include the Future Ligonier Alliance, Ligonier Historical Society, and Noble County Visitors Bureau.

Indiana Landmarks makes Endangered Places matching grants to nonprofit organizations for feasibility studies and other activities related to saving landmarks and strengthening preservation groups. Other recent grant recipients include organizations in Indianapolis, Martinsville, New Albany and Seymour.

To learn more about The Armory project in Elkhart, contact Barkley Garrett, City Economic Development Manager, 574-294-5471, barkley.garrett@coei.org.  For information on the reuse of Ligonier’s Ahavas Sholom Temple, contact Wendy Fergusson, wendyfergusson@gmail.com.

For information on Indiana Landmarks’ grant programs, contact Todd Zeiger, director in Indiana Landmarks’ Northern Regional Office in South Bend, 574-232-4534,tzeiger@indianalandmarks.org.

Grant money awarded!

Last week I received the following message from our representative at the Indiana Landmarks office:

The grant request for the Ahavath Scholom Temple was approved at a reduced level yesterday. Our Endangered Places Grant fund is unusually low this year and all requests that are coming in are facing reductions in the amount. The grant was approved for $1,750. 

While this certainly won't get the project to a set of construction drawings - working with an interested architect who may be willing to contribute some of their time - you should be able to get a good overview of the condition of the building and the potential for use as envisioned. 

Although we didn't receive all of the money we had hoped for, what great news! We are certainly able to obtain a survey by a building inspector, a stability status report from an historic preservationist, as well as a report from a structural engineer. We will begin working on these reports as soon as we receive the check from the Indiana Landmarks office which should be within the month. 

Grant Proposal Submitted!

After emailing off a batch of materials this morning, I received this message from our representative at the Indiana Landmarks office: "Got it. Looks excellent. I will get it submitted. We meet on March 14th and I'll follow up after that with you. Thanks for all the effort." 

Needless to say, I'm excited and thankful to everyone for helping me put together the grant materials! Here is a section from the grant proposal that details what we hope to accomplish with the $3,000 if awarded:

 This grant proposal targets the preparation needed before embarking on our project. Preparations include consulting a professional architectural team in cooperation with a structural engineer to conduct a feasibility study and facility assessment. Both of these studies are needed to determine the architectural stability of the building, including the stability status of the stained glass windows which are currently bowing, exterior brickwork which needs tuck-pointing, and the basement foundation which shows signs of leaking water. It will also help provide recommendations for bringing the building up to code, suggest solutions to accessibility concerns to the lower level, and determine the costs of renovating, and possibly expanding, the lower level.  The grant money will also help us begin to consult a museum exhibition designer to begin work on a concept-stage master plan. This master plan will determine our dollar per-square-foot of exhibits ratio and will also be a useful tool to use as we continue fundraising.

Meeting at Ligonier Public Library

On Saturday, I met with the Ligonier Public Library committee. I reviewed two presentations from last year about the museum concept and proposal and I also discussed possible grant opportunities for professionals to provide structural stability studies on the synagogue building. Upon further discussion, I found out that the building is actually endangered. The roof needs to be repaired, the stained glass windows are bowing, the basement has water leaks, and the bricks and masonry need tuck-pointing. Now it is even more important that we employ the help of these professionals to help us determine the actual needs of the building. If you are familiar with the building and know of any other structural issues, can you please discuss this on the "discussion board" tab of this site? All thoughts are appreciated!

Sundays at Sinai, a new book by Tobias Brinkmann

I am anxiously awaiting the new book by Tobias Brinkmann at Penn State, entitled Sundays at Sinai. I am hoping that Brinkmann's book will provide a model to tell the story of Ahavas Sholom.

Here's what U. Chicago Press has to say about the new gem they are publishing this summer:

First established 150 years ago, Chicago Sinai is one of America’s oldest Reform Jewish congregations. Its founders were upwardly mobile and civically committed men and women, founders and partners of banks and landmark businesses like Hart Schaffner & Marx, Sears & Roebuck, and the giant meatpacking firm Morris & Co. As explicitly modern Jews, Sinai’s members supported and led civic institutions and participated actively in Chicago politics. Perhaps most radically, their Sunday services, introduced in 1874 and still celebrated today, became a hallmark of the congregation.

In Sundays at Sinai, Tobias Brinkmann brings modern Jewish history, immigration, urban history, and religious history together to trace the roots of radical Reform Judaism from across the Atlantic to this rapidly growing American metropolis.  Brinkmann shines a light on the development of an urban reform congregation, illuminating Chicago Sinai’s practices and history, and its contribution to Christian-Jewish dialogue in the United States. Chronicling Chicago Sinai’s radical beginnings in antebellum Chicago to the present, Sundays at Sinai is the extraordinary story of a leading Jewish Reform congregation in one of America’s great cities.