Roger Tomten: 'We Need a Bob Vila Revival'

Apparently the age of Bob Vila has come and gone.

After a decade or more of interest in the restoration and rehabilitation of older homes, the interest has been waning the last several years. The same trend seems to be filtering through private and religious institutions as well. The prospect of more home demolitions continues even in the historic neighborhoods of Stillwater.

Within the last year, Lakeview Hospital announced plans to purchase and demolish two homes adjacent to their Greeley Street campus. The hospital’s long range plans include a building expansion and the construction of a parking ramp where the two homes currently sit. Admittedly, the Hospital is unsure exactly when the expansion will take place, if ever. However, it makes sense that they would purchase the properties when they become available. The problem is when they chose to demolish the homes simply because they “don’t want to be in the housing business.” What if they never do expand? The neighborhood is negatively impacted with no gain to the community.

Previously, Trinity Lutheran Church requested and was granted the demolition of a residential building to make room for a relocated Post Office. When that particular P.O. location fell through, for reasons too lengthy to get into, the building was gone before the project went down the drain, so the neighborhood lost the structure for no apparent reason. Trinity indicated at the time, that it did not want to be in the housing business.

Most recently, St. Paul Lutheran announced plans to tear down two homes that it owns adjacent to their 5th Street building. The Church doesn’t have any long range building expansion plans, but states that they want to add more space around their facility. When St. Paul Lutheran first expanded its parking lot 15 years ago they purchased three adjacent homes, tore down one house and at the time wanted to take down these two homes as well. They were asked to reconsider and did so, until now. Since they were purchased, the homes have been rented out to those in need of housing. Now the Church is indicating “they no longer want to be in the housing business”.

IMPACTS

This is a troublesome trend on several levels; the waning interest in restoration, the lack of concern for the neighborhoods, and the institutions’ lack of understanding of their role in the neighborhoods.

Neighborhoods are not enhanced nor are communities improved when institutions, some of which are large land owners in the community, state they are not interested in housing. Historic neighborhoods are not enhanced with larger parking lots or more undefined open space.

The physical characteristic most admired in our historic neighborhoods is the formation of the street. The street, lined with mature trees, bordered by sidewalks and outlined by the public face of individual homes, the front porch. These streets, laid out in a grid pattern, create blocks that when repeated, eventually form a neighborhood. When a home disappears from the street, a piece of the neighborhood is lost, a strand in the fabric of the neighborhood is removed, and the strength of the fabric of the neighborhood is weakened.

Stillwater is not the first community to deal with this issue. Whenever non- residential institutions such as churches, universities, or hospitals locate in an urban setting, there is a concern when these institutions expand or grow. More homes are lost. More of the neighborhood is lost. In most cases, however, the institutions win the argument and are allowed to expand. For the good of the entire community the benefits of the expansion of the institution outweigh the cost to the neighborhood. The benefits may include additional jobs, additional services to the community, etc. The benefits to the community, based on St. Paul Lutheran’s plans, include adding space around their facility. This is a thin benefit, if any, to the community for the loss of two homes.

It’s too bad that neither institution wants to continue providing housing in the community, especially in Stillwater, a historic community made up of historic homes. They could utilize the homes as demonstrations on how to restore homes correctly. They could provide workshops, learning opportunities for those who have similar problems with their homes. They could take on the responsibility of providing housing in the community. They certainly are capable; they just seem to not be willing. We need a Bob Vila revival!

-- Roger Tomten