Wrecking ball again aimed at historic gas station
JANESVILLE — If the former gas station at 101 Franklin St. were an animal, it would be a cat. The historic building hasn't used up its nine lives yet, but it's getting close.
Faced with a roof that needs repair, the Janesville City Council will decide the building's fate Tuesday.
The station was built in a Spanish-Colonial style with red-clay tile and shed-roofed parapets. It is featured in a book called "Fill'er Up: The Glory Days of Wisconsin Gas Stations" by Jim Draeger and Mark Speltz, and it qualifies for the National Register of Historic Places.
The former service station is a 2,815-square foot building that sits on a 7,230-square-foot parcel. It's future has been in doubt since 2003, when city administration recommended it be torn down to make way for the new police station.
The police station was built around the building, which the city eventually purchased for $92,000 in 2007. In 2008, city staff recommended the council demolish the building and maintain the space for future police station expansion.
That's when a local group called Citizen Advocates for Preservation formed, bemoaning the city's perceived lack of interest in historic preservation. It took the building on as its first client, hoping to find an alternative use for it.
The council decided it would cost more to tear the building down and mow grass than to leave it stand, and it opted to give the group a chance to find an alternative use.
But finding an interested party to buy the structure has proven difficult because the city won't give up ownership, said Shannon Ahrens, a member of the citizens' group. Any renter would be required to sign a 20-year lease and would have to spend his or her own money for renovations.
Now, according to a city memo, there are two options for the building's future: work ranging from a cost of $50,000 to $95,000, or demolition.
Needed repairs include reconstruction of a parapet wall, tuckpointing, infilling of missing bricks, repair of the chimney and coping on top of the wall, according to city staff. The roof membrane needs replacing because of the collapse of the parapet.
In his recommendation, City Manager Eric Levitt acknowledged renovations would cost more than demolition.
"But the tradeoff would be moving forward with a historic building and establishing a use in the future of benefit to the city," he said.
Police now use the building for storage. The citizens' group has recommended the city adapt it for such use as a police safety center or museum, or as conference space.
The group also asked a mason to look at the building, and he reported it is in great structural shape, Ahrens said. The group also has offered its volunteer help to work on the building.
In their book, Draeger and Speltz define the station and others like it as being "ephemeral" because few of the hundreds that were built remain standing.
"Preservation of remaining stations cannot come too soon," they wrote. "It is our hope that our celebration of these stations will spur interest in saving this chapter in American history, and readers will recognize that gas stations are more than just gas: They are touchstones to understanding how the auto shaped the Twentieth Century."
The former Standard station was built as a super-service station in 1930, the book said.
"The building, which survived a threatened demolition in 2002 to make way for a new police station, still stands as a rare intact example of the Standard Oil Company's standardized design for its super-service stations," the book said. "It is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places but, as of early 2008, its future is once again in question."
If you go
Because of the Memorial Day holiday, the Janesville City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall, 18 N. Jackson St.
Items on the agenda include action on a resolution to partner with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to become a Green Tier Legacy Community. The Sustainable Janesville Committee has recommended the city partner with the DNR to create a sustainability plan for the city.
May 28, 2012 at 1:05 a.m.
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I am more concerned about the last paragraph of this article "Items on the agenda include action on a resolution to partner with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to become a Green Tier Legacy Community. The Sustainable Janesville Committee has recommended the city partner with the DNR to create a sustainability plan for the city."
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I read the Agenda Packet for Tuesday's meeting which includes the documents which have been prepared to declare the Common Council of the City of Janesville to be a signatory to the Green Tier Charter for Legacy Communities. The document also states that City Staff are directed to assist with meeting the Charter goals.
Nowhere does it say that the residents and taxpayers will have any input regarding the operations and future direction of our city. If this Charter is so great, why is it an afterthought in a large article which doesn't interest very many people? There are only 12 comments so far for the gas station.
May 26, 2012 at 2:23 p.m.
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Maybe I was in California for too long but I don't understand the latching on to old, inefficient, high maintenence, and sometimes ugly buildings under the guise of "historic preservation".
What kind of historic preservation are we experiencing with some of the downtown buldings, for instance the Monterey Hotel?
May 26, 2012 at 12:26 p.m.
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This city keeps looking for unique things to draw people here, but regularly drags it's feet till it's too late and more often than not tears down what is already available. This is a charming building that shouts for maintenance and use! Start recognizing the past and use what we've got for a draw.
CREATE...don't just demolish the past for yet another municipal parking lot!
May 26, 2012 at 10:24 a.m.
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I like TroubleMaker's comment that they don't make historic buildings anymore. I always thought this building would make a great convenience store...only without gas pumps. I used to manage a White Hen Pantry store, and this type of business would lend itself, not only to the building, but to the neighborhood as well. You have the police dept. right there, along with 4 large apartment buildings. On top of that you have a plethera of downtown businesses that would provide prospective customers as well. I also think the city should give up owning the building...let the new owner purchase it, and get it registered as a historic sight. This would also help toward bringing in some more "outside area" customers to the business. Just think what that convenience/deli type store could make on doughnut sales, cig sales and food sales.
May 26, 2012 at 10:10 a.m.
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"down to make way for the new police station."
Isn;t the station they have NEW?
"The police station was built around the building"
Around? It is on the other side of the street.
May 26, 2012 at 10:07 a.m.
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I just read the site you put in , Doc, and that is a great idea!
May 26, 2012 at 1:15 a.m.
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Solution to the high cost of restoring the gas station ; http://finance.yahoo.com/news/tlc-needed...
It makes perfect sense in times like these tough economic times for cities across the nation and that is why it makes sense here in Janesville especially. To bad it's too late for the city to have taken this approach with the Tallman House.
May 26, 2012 at 12:39 a.m.
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The city should restore it to its original state and use it as a gas station for the cop cars... seen how it is right there. They could also use it as a museum at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone. Save money on gas and make money off of the museum
May 25, 2012 at 8:32 p.m.
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During the time my uncle used it as a repair shop there was never a drop of grease put into the ground, jethro! Who knows about the tenant before.
May 25, 2012 at 8:21 p.m.
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That deal in 07 sounds pretty GREASY to me
May 25, 2012 at 8:19 p.m.
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$97,0000 for a vacant, run down building that may have contaminated soil underneath it? WTF?
May 25, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.
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The article says "the city won't give up ownership" and "Any renter would be required to sign a 20-year lease and would have to spend his or her own money for renovations."
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Who says? Who is the "City"? We can change this policy even though it might mean changing the city leadership if necessary. Sounds like "someone" has set things up so that tearing it down is the only option. And that smells like corruption and abuse of public office. Perhaps the Gazette should do a little investigative journalism and find out specifically who has been behind and involved in this "City" policy. Perhaps THEY are the ones who need to be "torn down."
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I say let's downsize the police department and stop any plans for an expansion. We are way over-policed, but they aren't making historic buildings anymore.
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