Several articles from "The Meridian Star" on the THREEFOOT Building
May 20, 2010
By Jennifer Jacob Brown / [email protected]
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN Meridian's Threefoot Building has been placed
alongside a prehistoric settlement, a Civil War Battlefield, and the church
where Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks were both laid to rest on a list of the
most endangered historic places of 2010.
The Art Deco style building has been placed on the National Trust for
Historic Preservation's 2010 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic
Places, a list, which includes historic landmarks ranging in type from a 2,500
acre coastal area to a small private home.
What this designation means for the Threefoot Building, National Trust
officials said, is national attention and additional resources. According to
John Hildreth, director of the Southern office of the National Trust, the
designation could help save the building from becoming a pile of old rubble.
The national attention from the designation could help attract investors,
and the designation allows the trust to help the city find ways to save the
building. According to Hildreth, the Trust is able to help look for grants and
loan programs, and has a for-profit subsidiary that invests in rehabilitation
projects.
"Our mission is to help people protect, enrich, and enjoy the places that
matter to them," Hildreth said during the formal announcement at Dumont Plaza
Wednesday. "(The Threefoot Building) matters to generations of Meridianites...
It matters because it has a viable future."
The building was nominated for a spot on the list by the Mississippi
Heritage Trust, which already had the building on its own list of most
endangered historic places in Mississippi.
Built in the late 1920's, the Threefoot is Meridian's tallest building, and
the most recognizable part of Meridian's skyline.
Though the family that built the Threefoot lost the building during the
Great Depression, it remained in use as an office building during the depression
and for decades afterward. After Meridian's first mall was built in the 1970s,
downtown commerce suffered, and the Threefoot building became nearly vacant,
deteriorating for many years before being closed in 2000.
New Orleans developer HRI Properties, which specializes in historic
restorations, entered into an agreement with the city to transform the building
into a mid-scale hotel. The agreement required the city to back $14 million of
the project's financing, and after Mayor Cheri Barry took office, HRI left the
project citing a lack of support from the mayor's office.
The mayor's office was not represented at Wednesday's announcement. The only
city or elected official present was City Council President Bobby Smith.
"I'm disappointed nobody from the mayor's office is here, and nobody else
from the city council is here. It sends a terrible message," said Smith, adding,
"I've always been invested in the Threefoot Building... This is something I
don't take lightly. This is a building for everybody in the world to see."
Smith lamented the loss of HRI as an investor, but Hildreth said that, even
though it fell through, the fact that there was a previous project in the works
is a good thing.
"To me it shows that private investment is a possibility here," Hildreth
said. "The fact that it didn't work doesn't mean that it can't work. It's just
finding the right deal at the right time... so it's actually kind of a head
start."
Hildreth said the National Trust doesn't have a specific criteria for places
to include on their annual list, but that they generally look for "a kind of
intersection of significance and threat."
The threat to the Threefoot Building, according to the National Trust Web
site, is demolition.
"Even though a developer expressed interest in the building," the Threefoot
Building entry on the Web site reads, "the City of Meridian was unable to
provide funds for gap financing or other incentives and now locals fear that
the City Council will attempt to remove the building from the Mississippi
Landmark List in order to pave the way for demolition."
Hildreth acknowledged that saving the Threefoot Building is a challenge, but
said it's a challenge Meridian would be wise to take on.
"No community has ever progressed by walking away from a challenge," he
said. "Like the Riley Center, (the Threefoot Building) is an irreplaceable asset
for the redevelopment of downtown Meridian."
The Threefoot building is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
For more information on the National Trust for Historic Preservation and to
learn more about the 11 places on the list of endangered places this year, visit
them on the Web at www.preservationnation.org. For more on the Mississippi
Heritage Trust, visit www.mississippiheritage.com.
May 21, 2010
By Jennifer Jacob Brown and Steve Gillespie
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN When the National Trust for Historic
Preservation announced that the Threefoot Building was placed on a list of
endangered historic places at Dumont Plaza Wednesday, there was a big turnout of
local leaders and business people but the mayor, her staff, and most of the
city council were conspicuously absent.
On Thursday Mayor Cheri Barry said she didn't know about the event until
after it had happened.
But, David Preziosi, director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, said
Thursday that he spoke to Barry and Kirk Thompson, executive advisor to the
mayor, on the phone Tuesday afternoon, and informed them Wednesday's press
conference would specifically be about the Threefoot Building.
Also on Thursday television station WTOK reported that Barry said she knew
about the event, but didn't receive an invitation.
According to Meridian Chief Administrative Officer Mark McDonald, however,
the city wasn't notified of the announcement.
"We didn't know anything about it," McDonald said Thursday. "We could have
adjusted the schedule had we known about it."
"None of the members of the council nor the mayor were notified," said Ward
4 City Councilman Jesse E. Palmer, Sr. "I don't think I would have missed
something as important as that."
McDonald said City Council President Bobby Smith, who was present at the
announcement, was notified Wednesday morning, and that invitations were mailed
to "select businesses," but that no one whispered a hint of it to the mayor's
office or the other council members.
McDonald said the mayor was at a funeral visitation when the event was going
on, but that, "We could have adjusted the schedule had we known about it."
McDonald said he did not know who was in charge of notifying people about
the announcement, and did not know why the mayor's office and most of the
council were left out.
Preziosi said that besides calling the Mayor, invitations to the event,
which did not specifically mention the Threefoot Building, were mailed to
members of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Meridian and members
of Mississippi Heritage Trust in Meridian.
June 26, 2010
1929: Construction begins on the Threefoot Building at a
cost of $750,000.
1979: The Threefoot Building is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
2000: After decades of dwindling tenants and deterioration, the Threefoot
Building closes.
February 2006: The Meridian Redevelopment Authority files condemnation
papers against the owner of the Threefoot Building, and the city purchases the
structure for $1.2 million from Threefoot Building Inc.
February 2006: The city announces an unnamed Jackson developer signed a
contract to purchase the building with 60 days to close on the contract. The
deal doesn't materialize.
August 2006: Meridian enters into a preliminary agreement with Historic
Restorations Inc., of New Orleans to develop the historic building into a hotel
November 2008: On the verge of a final decision by the Meridian City
Council on whether to go forward with the HRI proposal, local hotelier Abdul
Lala, president of Lala Enterprises, tells the city he will build a $30 million
Hyatt Place franchise hotel and banquet hall on the west side of 23rd Avenue,
which would require the demolition of several buildings on the two blocks
between 23rd and 25th Avenues and Fifth and Sixth Streets, if the council
rejects HRI Properties' proposal to turn the Threefoot into a Courtyard by
Marriott hotel.
January 2009: Meridian City Council votes 3-2 in favor of HRI Properties'
proposal to renovate the Threefoot Building with the city guaranteeing $14
million of the project's $50 million financing. Part of the agreement also is to
develop the Kress Building into a banquet hall with a capacity of 950-1,000
people.
July 2009: In a meeting called by newly sworn-in Mayor Cheri Barry, the
Meridian City Council holds an hour-long closed meeting with Barry, and HRI
representatives at Union Station, followed by a public meeting with questions
about the project posed to HRI officials.
August 2009: HRI Properties gives city officials, local media and a
potential project lender a tour of the Threefoot Building.
September 2009: Mayor Cheri Barry inquires about delisting the Threefoot
Building from the National Register of Historic Places for possible demolition.
December 2009: City Attorney Bill Ready recommends the City Council
terminate its agreement with HRI. Mayor Barry said: "I'm concerned as the mayor
what kind of commitment this is going to put financially on our city. We (the
city's administration and its financial and legal advisers) have all decided it
is not in the best interest of the city of Meridian for the taxpayers to make
this project go forward."
Barry cited the many other expenses the city anticipates, including debt
payments on the multi-million dollar City Hall renovations, the need for a new
police station, the need to provide water, sewer, and fire services to the
recently annexed area, and the fact that city employees did not get the 3
percent raises they are used to this year. "It's not that I'm against the
project," she said. "It's the timing of the project."
December 2009: HRI terminates its Threefoot agreement with Meridian citing
a lack of 100 percent support from Mayor Barry, and drainage repairs needed
downtown, specifically at the Threefoot.
April 2010: The Meridian City Council donates the Kress Building to
Mississippi State University, to be used along with the Newberry Building,
donated by The Riley Foundation, for the MSU-Meridian business division.
May 2010: The Threefoot Building is placed on the National Trust for
Historic Preservation's 2010 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic
Places.
June 27, 2010
By Jennifer Jacob Brown / [email protected]
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN Since the City of Meridian first purchased the
Threefoot building in 2006, it has incurred a lot of expenses more than $2.5
million worth.
The largest cost was the purchase of the building itself $1.2 million plus
$25,000 in closing costs. Add to that the $1 million that was paid to would-be
developer HRI Properties for the cancellation of their development agreement,
several years worth of insurance payments, stabilization costs, and monthly
expenses such as utility bills, and you've got a pretty expensive building.
But the Threefoot building doesn't have to be a money pit forever. There are
options and lots of them.
Mayor looked into de-listing, demolition
One option that Meridian Mayor Cheri Barry looked into early in her tenure
was demolition, but she said Wednesday that tearing down the iconic building is
not in her current plans.
According to an e-mail written by Mississippi Heritage Trust Director David
Preziosi, provided anonymously to the Meridian Star, "In September of 2009 I
spoke with the Mayor about the Threefoot building after it was placed on MHT's
endangered list. In that conversation, she wanted to know how to get the
building removed from the National Register of Historic Places for possible
demolition."
Preziosi confirmed in a phone interview that Barry had called him to find
out how to get the building de-listed.
Barry also confirmed that she looked into it, but said she was just trying
to learn about the different options available for the Threefoot building.
"When I called them I was strictly calling to get information," she said.
"You can call them and get any information you need about saving a building or
taking a building down."
"I'm looking at all the options of what the best plan is for the City of
Meridian," she added. "Nothing is off the board."
In his e-mail, Preziosi said he advised Barry not to have the property
delisted, and gave her the names of people she could talk to about funding
opportunities for the Threefoot building.
Those people, a grant administrator and a tax credit administrator with the
Mississippi Department of Archives and History, said they had not heard from
Barry. However, Jim Woodrick, acting director of the MDAH Historic Preservation
Division, said he did have a conversation with Barry about historic preservation
in general.
Barry said her plan for right now is not to demolish the Threefoot building,
but to find the funds to stabilize it, preserving it from further decay until
the economy picks back up, at which time she hopes to find a developer who will
invest in its renovation.
At the time that Barry inquired about getting the building de-listed, there
was a development agreement in place for the building, but not one she was happy
with. New Orleans developer HRI Properties had an agreement with the city to
develop the Threefoot building into a hotel. The agreement was made shortly
before Barry became mayor, and was cut off shortly afterward.
Critics of the HRI Threefoot project, which included the Barry
administration, said it required too much monetary commitment on the part of the
city. For the HRI project to take place, the city would have had to back a $14
million loan to the project by issuing general obligation bonds.
Barry asked about de-listing the property in September of 2009, and HRI
ended their involvement with the Threefoot project in December of that year,
citing a lack of cooperation from the mayor. The city then paid HRI $1 million
to reimburse pre-development costs, a requirement laid out in the development
agreement.
Josh Collen, a vice president of development for HRI who was closely
involved with the Threefoot project, said HRI was not aware that Barry looked
into having the property removed from the National Register of Historic Places.
He said the financing of the project centered on tax credits available only to
buildings that are listed on the national register.
What which historic status means
Even if a formal request to de-list the building were made, the likelihood
of its being granted is low. According to Bill Gatlin, the National Register
coordinator for the state, "We only delist buildings if they are destroyed or so
altered that you can't tell what they look like."
"It would have to be much, much more damaged than the little deterioration
that has occurred (to be de-listed)," added Woodrick.
Removing the property from the National Register wouldn't have made it any
more or less legal to demolish. "National Register listing doesn't in and of
itself provide any protection to any building. That's only if there's federal
funding," said Woodrick
According to the National Register Web site, "National Register listing
places no obligations on private property owners. There are no restrictions on
the use, transfer, or disposition of private property."
While National Register listing does not offer protection to historic
buildings, it does make a building's renovators eligible for federal tax
credits. If those tax credits are used, restrictions on what can be done with
the building apply, but if those credits aren't being used, as is currently the
case with the Threefoot building, the building's owner is free to demolish the
building, or otherwise alter it in any way they please.
John Hildreth, director of the Southern office of the National Trust for
Historic Preservation, said the building's designation as one of America's 11
Most Endangered Historic Places for 2010 also does not place any restrictions on
what can be done with it. Like the National Register listing, the Threefoot's
designation as an endangered historic place is meant to provide it with funding
opportunities.
But there are restrictions on alterations to the Threefoot building, and
those are there because the building has been designated by MDAH as a
Mississippi Landmark.
Russell Archer, of the MDAH Landmark Program, said that Mississippi Landmark
status gives MDAH license to oversee alterations to a building.
The goal, he said, is to "preserve as much historic fabric of the building
as possible."
However, that doesn't mean they won't give leeway when the circumstances
call for it.
"Our interest isn't in making a building into a museum piece," he said. "It
varies according to the project. In broad terms we follow the Secretary of
Interior standards for rehabilitation... We use these standards as a guideline."
Archer said the Landmark program aims to preserve the historic significance
of Mississippi Landmark buildings while still allowing for the modern upgrades
that they need to be viable and useful.
As an example, he pointed to the recent renovation by HRI of Jackson's King
Edward Hotel. The building was made into a Hilton Garden Inn hotel with all the
modern amenities that the Hilton franchise requires, and with apartments on the
upper floors that were not historically part of the building.
Decisions on these kinds of allowances, Archer said, are made project by
project.
In addition to being on the National Register of Historic Places, on the
NTHP endangered list, and a Mississippi Landmark, the building is also on the
Mississippi Heritage Trust 2009 list of the Mississippi's 10 Most Endangered
Historic Places, which is similar to the NTHP list, but on a state level. It was
MHT that nominated the building for a place on the national list.
It was also by nomination that the building was placed on the National
Register. It was listed back in 1979, with its architecture as the primary
reason it is considered historically significant, Preziosi said.
"It's one of only three Art Deco skyscrapers in Mississippi, and the only
one outside of Jackson," he said.
The Threefoot was designated a Mississippi Landmark in July of 2008. It was
not nominated, but was identified as a landmark by MDAH. Archer said there was
local support for the designation at the time.
Along with MDAH, the Meridian Historic Preservation Commission has the right
to approve or deny modifications to Mississippi Landmark buildings in Meridian.
So, while the National Register listing and NTHP endangered status don't
restrict what can be done to an historic building, these two agencies do. As a
Mississippi Landmark, the Threefoot building cannot be either torn down or
renovated without their consent.
Looking back at Meridian and its tallest building
The city of Meridian has had a long and rocky relationship with the
Threefoot building. In the past four years, that relationship has sparked one
controversy after another from the purchase of the building in 2006 to its
designation as an endangered historic place this year.
First constructed in the late 1920's by two brothers who ran a successful
hardware business in downtown Meridian, the Threefoot building was meant to hold
hundreds of offices. But the timing of its construction was bad coinciding
with the stock market crash of 1929.
The Threefoot family lost the building during the great depression but it
continued under different ownership as an office building for several decades.
After Meridian's first mall was built in the 1970's, the city's economic center
began to shift away from downtown, and the building saw fewer and fewer tenants.
By the 1990s the Threefoot was mostly abandoned and was in ample company as
one of downtown's many deteriorated buildings.
In August of 2006, the city purchased the building from Alabama developer
Howard Robbins for $1.2 million. According to a Meridian Star article from that
time, the city purchased the building with the expectation that it would be
renovated by an unidentified Jackson developer into "200 hotel rooms, retail
shops, and banquet halls."
Though no developer from Jackson followed through with the building, HRI
spent an extensive amount of time working with then-mayor John Robert Smith to
create an agreement between themselves and the city to develop the building.
HRI planned to transform the building into a Courtyard by Marriott hotel
with a $55 million renovation, $14 million of which was to be backed by the
city. After many negotiations, public hearings, and a last minute challenge by
local hotelier Abdul Lala, HRI and Smith prevailed on the city council to
approve the development agreement, which they did with a 3-2 vote in January of
2009.
In July of 2009, Barry took the office of mayor and soon reported that she
saw problems with HRI's plan. In September, she asked Preziosi how to go about
removing the building from the National Register. Around that same time, HRI
asked the city to help them complete the funding of the project by assisting
them in procuring grants from the state.
Barry refused to ask the state for grants, saying that economic times were
too grim to ask for money that wasn't essential for city government to function.
She also reported problems with the acquisition of an adjacent building that
needed to be torn down to make way for the project.
In December of 2009, the city's agreement with HRI was dissolved, and the
city agreed to reimburse $1 million to HRI for their costs in pursuing the
project.
Things were then relatively quiet when it came to the Threefoot building
until June of this year, when NTHP announced that the building was included on
its 2010 list of America's Most Endangered Historic Places.
The listing was announced at Dumont Plaza, but Barry and her staff were not
present for the announcement. Barry later said she did not attend because she
was not informed of the event in a timely manner, and wrote a letter to the
Meridian Star criticizing NTHP and MHT for neglecting to send her an advance
invitation, and for placing the building on the list without first consulting
her.
She said the announcement was made in poor timing because of the financial
problems the city is facing.
Preziosi said not including the mayor on the invitation list was not meant
as a slight, and that only local members of NTHP or MHT were invited. He also
said the mayor did not meet with NTHP representatives to discuss tax credits and
other options, saying, "I don't think it worked out scheduling-wise."
Endangered historic place
Representatives of NTHP and MDAH said the listing does not mean the city
will be forced to spend money on the building, and that the endangered status is
not meant to imply any wrong-doing on the part of the city, but to bring
national attention to the building, along with increased grant and development
opportunities.
"The (endangered) status I think a lot of times is misread by communities,"
said Mingo Tingle, the chief of technical preservation services for MDAH. "The
word endangered has a two-edged sword effect. Some might think it implies that
the owners had not done their job taking care of the building. But with the city
that has not been the case."
By being on the endangered list, Tingle added, "It gets national
recognition, for, first of all, its importance, and second of all, the need for
funding and rehabilitation. So I think the fact that that was done is going to
be pluses for Meridian... The fact that it says endangered means we've got to
move fast... And, though they say we are in dire economic times, there are a lot
of tax credit and grant opportunities that are available for that building."
Barry said she would "love to talk to the Mississippi Heritage Trust as far
as getting grant opportunities to stabilize (the Threefoot building)."
She said that, for the time being, she feels stabilizing the building
keeping it from crumbling to the ground is all the city can do, especially
considering the flooding problems in and around the building's basement.
"It's not just a matter of saving the building, it's a matter of looking at
the entire block," she said.
When it comes to the insurance, utilities, and other regular costs of the
Threefoot building, Barry said she does not currently plan to use demolition as
a means to put those costs to an end.
"We don't have a choice in the matter (of paying bills on the Threefoot
building) right now," she said. "We're looking at all our options, and talking
and working with developers."
For more on what the options, opportunities, and possibilities for the
Threefoot building are, read the second installment of this story in Monday's
Meridian Star.
The costs of the Threefoot building
The City of Meridian purchased the Threefoot building in August of 2006.
Since then, it has done what buildings usually do rack up bills. Ed Skipper,
the city's finance director, gave the Meridian Star a breakdown of what the city
has spent on the building in the last four years:
Amount borrowed for purchase: $1.225 million
HRI Payment: $1 million
Stabilization costs: $105,471
Insurance premiums 2006-2009 - $156,575
Other incidentals, such as replacing broken windows, 2006-2009 - $5,865.30
Monthly expenses, such as utilities, 2006-2009 - $25,151.58
All fiscal year 2010 expenses to date: $54,559.91
Total expenses 2006 - present: $2,572,622.79
June 28, 2010
By Jennifer Jacob Brown / [email protected]
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN Meridian's downtown Threefoot building has been
an object of speculation for some time. Everyone agrees that something needs to
be done with it, but they don't always agree on what.
The building's status as a Mississippi Landmark puts some restrictions on
what can be done to it, but its historical designations also create
opportunities for funding that aren't available to just any old run-down
building.
Essentially, there are four options for the Threefoot building renovation,
demolition, stabilization, or inaction.
Meridian Mayor Cheri Barry has looked into both development and demolition,
but said she favors the idea of stabilization, or "mothballing" the building,
for the time being.
The Threefoot building has suffered extensive damage from decades of
neglect, and Barry said she wants to minimize further damage until the economy
improves, holding the building for future development.
Grants
The Threefoot building has several historic designations: The Mississippi
Department of Archives and History has named it a Mississippi Landmark, the
National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed it on their 2010 list of
America's Most Endangered Historic Places, the Mississippi Heritage Trust has
placed it on their 2009 list of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in
Mississippi, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Together, these designations make the building eligible for a number of
funding opportunities through grants and tax credits. Because the Threefoot
building has so many designations and is in such bad repair, it's more likely to
be selected for competitive grants, according to Mingo Tingle, the chief of
technical preservation for MDAH, and the administrator of state preservation
grants.
"The fact that there is some stabilization to be done, since we consider
that more of a critical need, would make it more eligible for funding (than
buildings that are already in pretty good shape)," he said. "Since the Threefoot
has been put on the National Trust's 11 most endangered historic places, that, I
think also raises its significance for federal and state preservation grants."
Tingle said there are a number of possible grant opportunities for the
Threefoot building, and that those could be applied to restoration work or
stabilization.
"I think restore and stabilize kind of go hand in hand," he said, "so I
think you could use grants for either one."
Tingle said the city is "probably eligible" for a Community Heritage
Preservation Grant from MDAH. CHP grants are usually reserved for historic
courthouses and schools, but Tingle said exceptions are made for Mississippi
Landmark buildings owned by certified local governments (local governments with
historic districts and an historic preservation commission). The Threefoot fits
both those criteria.
Tingle said the CHP grants are not very large, but could be used toward
"mothballing" the Threefoot building.
The city is also "probably eligible" for a Save America's Treasures Grant,
which Tingle described as a "very large" federal grant that "has been very
popular." Tingle said this grant program was used in the renovation of the Grand
Opera House in Meridian and the Clarke County Courthouse, but warned that it
"may not be here next year" because of proposed federal budget cuts.
Another possible source of grants is one the city government is very
familiar with already Community Development Block Grants are extensively used
by local governments for a wide variety of projects.
"In several cases," said Tingle, "cities have been able to tap into HUDD
money through Community Development Block Grants into the millions of dollars to
restore buildings that I think Meridian could be eligible for for the Threefoot."
Tingle said that Barry has not talked with him about grant opportunities for
the Threefoot building, but that it's possible she talked with someone else in
his department. He said Meridian has not applied for any state-administered
preservation grants under the Barry administration.
Tax credits
There are also funding opportunities for the Threefoot building in the form
of tax credits.
The building is eligible for federal and state tax credits because it is
listed on the National Register and because the rehabilitation of the building
would meet a minimum cost requirement, according to Todd Sanders, the federal
and state tax credit coordinator for MDAH.
The Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit is 20 percent of certified
rehabilitation costs. That means that 20 percent of the cost of renovations can
be deducted from the building owner's income tax.
The Threefoot would only be eligible for the federal tax credit if it is
developed as an income producing project, Sanders said.
One extra advantage of the federal tax credits is that they can be sold by
the building's owner, which can help generate capital for renovation.
Currently, the federal tax credit is 26 percent for historic buildings in
Meridian because of temporary tax credit incentives for development in areas
affected by Hurricane Katrina, but Sanders said the credit will likely return to
20 percent soon.
Federal credits can be taken forward through 20 years worth of income taxes
and backward one year.
The Threefoot building would also be eligible for a state rehabilitation tax
credit worth 25 percent of certified rehabilitation costs. Unlike the federal
tax credit, the state credit cannot be sold it can only be used by the owner
of the building. State tax credits can be taken forward 10 years.
Together, the federal and state tax credits would equal 45 percent of
certified rehabilitation costs.
"Once the project is finished," said Sanders, "they (the building owners)
would be able to take a dollar for dollar tax credit."
Sanders said no one from the mayor's office has contacted him about tax
credits available for the Threefoot building, but that they could have spoken
with someone else in his office. He said his last communication about Threefoot
building tax credits was with HRI Properties, the New Orleans developer who
previously had an agreement with the city to develop the building into a hotel.
Development opportunities
Josh Collen, a VP of development with HRI who was closely involved with the
Threefoot hotel project, said his company would still like to develop the
Threefoot building someday.
HRI left the Threefoot project in December of 2009, citing a lack of
cooperation from the mayor's office, but Collen said the company doesn't
completely write off buildings because of setbacks.
"I think it's a great building," he said. "I think the kind of problems its
facing are surmountable... We would be thrilled if things changed. We'd love to
come back someday. I think our plan would still work, or if the city wanted to
do something else with it. That's what we do is use these kinds of complicated
public-private partnerships to make difficult projects work."
Barry said she didn't feel the time was right for the HRI Threefoot project
which required the city to back a $14 million loan because of the financial
problems the city was facing at the time. HRI has said since first leaving the
project that they would like to come back when the city's finances improve.
The building's listing as an NTHP endangered place is expected to improve
its chances of development. The designation draws national attention, which
could help attract investors, and also allows NTHP to help the city find ways to
save the building by assisting with grant and loan programs, and through its
for-profit subsidiary that invests in rehabilitation projects.
Barry has said ever since the end of the HRI project that she is "talking
with private developers" in hopes of finding a development option that won't
require as much financial commitment on the city's part as the HRI project did.
John Hildreth, director of the Southern office of NTHP, said the fact that a
past development project fell through is not likely to hurt the chances of
future development projects.
"To me it shows that private investment is a possibility here," he said
earlier this month. "The fact that it didn't work doesn't mean that it can't
work. It's just finding the right deal at the right time... so it's actually
kind of a head start."
'Nothing is off the board'
Right now, the future of the Threefoot building is open. Barry said
Wednesday that she plans to look into grant opportunities to help stabilize the
building, but that "nothing is off the board."
When it comes to saving the building, there are plenty of people from around
the country who want to help. Along with HRI's continued interest, MDAH is ready
to get on board.
According to Tingle, "We, the department, are always available and willing
to work with the city toward the preservation of the building and its
longevity."
"(The Threefoot building) is an integral part of Meridian's downtown and
it's really near and dear to a lot of people there locally," added Russell
Archer, of the MDAH Mississippi Landmark program. "These buildings are part of
what helps people identify where they're from and what's special about a city,
like Meridian, that has a lot of character."
NTHP also wants to help save the building, which is why they put it on their
endangered list.
"Our mission is to help people protect, enrich, and enjoy places that matter
to them," said Hildreth. "The Threefoot building matters to generations of
Meridianites... It matters because it has a viable future."
August 30, 2010
By Jennifer Jacob Brown / staff writer
L.M. and Louis Threefoot had high hopes when they first
erected the now iconic Threefoot building downtown what they didn't have was
good timing.
Construction began on the Threefoot building, which originally cost $750,000 to
build, in mid-1929 just before the stock market crash that sent this country
into the great depression.
A newspaper article from April of that year reported that, along with the
Threefoot brothers, "some score or more of the leading citizens of Meridian and
Mississippi," invested in the building, which was said to have "space for
upwards of two-hundred and fifty offices."
But apparently 250 offices was more than depression-era Meridian could
accommodate.
According to the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute on Southern Jewish Life, a
non-profit organization that documents Southern Jewish history, "the costly
venture left the (Threefoot) family business on shaky ground and eventually led
to its closure."
But the building has outlasted the business, and stands as what is probably
Meridian's most recognizable landmark today.
Erected on the former site of the Threefoot Bros. and Co. hardware store, the
building was home to a number of offices for several decades (many Meridianites
still recall the terror they felt while awaiting fillings in a dentist's office
there) but has now been abandoned for many years.
If all goes as planned, the building will soon be put to use once again this
time as a Courtyard by Marriott hotel. HRI Properties, a New Orleans developer
that specializes in historic renovations, is in the process of ironing out the
finer details in the renovation of the building into a hotel.
HRI gave city officials, local media, and a potential project lender a tour of
the building Thursday.
Right now, it doesn't look so pretty. While the exterior of the building is
noticeably worse for the wear, the interior is in a much more obvious state of
deterioration.
The floors are scuffed and broken in some places, covered with filthy unraveling
carpet in others, and some parts of the building are naked. The walls in many
cases are covered with either severely chipped paint or old, cheap-looking sheet
rock. Random parts of the building are littered with various types of debris and
old, beat-up furniture.
An underground stream flows through the basement boiler room. It has been rigged
to flow through a small pipe into a bucket, but it still causes flooding spray
paint marks past flood lines, which in one case reaches shoulder height. Some of
the boilers and other pieces of equipment in the room are so old they look like
they may be made completely out of rust and corrosion.
The elevators still work, but they are rather scary to ride upon. They have no
interior doors, the cab walls with their grungy old paneling look extremely
ramshackle, and the elevators themselves are old-timey enough that their use
requires the assistance of an elevator operator.
On the 14th floor, a room that will become a fancy suite is currently stripped
of all adornment, covered with broken masonry, and strung together with cables.
But the potential to create a beautiful hotel is nonetheless evident in the room
all one has to do is look out the window gorgeous views of downtown Meridian
and the tree-covered hills that surround it can be seen from what will soon be a
terrace connected to a two-room suite.
Indeed, HRI Vice President Josh Collen said the Threefoot building is actually
in pretty good shape compared to other building's they've renovated. "You should
have seen the King Edward before we started working on it," Collen said of the
historic but rotted Jackson sky-scraper that is now being transformed into a
Hilton Garden Inn hotel scheduled to open later this year.
In the basement, Collen said, the underground stream will be diverted using
pumps and drains. On the ground floor, the art-deco style hallway that contains
the elevators will undergo a historically precise renovation. Fortunately, new
elevator cabs will be installed. But the elevators' decorated brass exterior
doors and other adornments in the hallway will be refurbished.
The rest of the ground floor is not considered historically important, so HRI
will be able to knock down walls to make room for the standard Courtyard by
Marriott lobby amenities, including small meeting space, a business center, a
bar, and a small store.
The remaining floors will contain guest rooms that meet both historic
preservation standards and Courtyard by Marriott franchise standards. The second
through tenth floors will each contain 12 rooms. The 11th through 13th floors
will each have five. The 14th floor will house three regular guest rooms and a
two-room suite with terraces.
The top two floors will be used for storage and other similar functions.
HRI has not yet begun the building renovations. The work that is underway on the
exterior of the building now is being done by the building's current owner, the
City of Meridian. Workers are removing loose masonry that poses a safety threat
to drivers and pedestrians on the street below.
Right now, HRI is still in the process of completing the financing and ironing
out other details. They are still looking, as of last week, for a $5 million
dollar first mortgage lender (the main purpose of Thursday's tour was to show
the building to a potential lender, NBC bank in New Orleans).
HRI is also still working out a design compromise between Marriott and historic
preservation authorities and working out a deal with Trustmark bank for the
removal of their downtown bank branch, which blocks what will be the main
entrance to the hotel.
Though the building is currently in a shambles and actual renovation work hasn't
begun yet, the deal-making that must be done to make the project happen appears
to be coming to a close, and signs point strongly to the Threefoot building
again becoming something that the brothers who built it could be proud of.
MERIDIAN Harsh economic times have stymied efforts to restore Meridian's Threefoot Building, a 16-story Art Deco structure now listed as one of America's Most Endangered Historic Places.
Built by a prominent family in the 1920s, the building is one of only three Art Deco skyscrapers in Mississippi. The others are the Standard Life Building and the Plaza Building, both in Jackson, said David Preziosi, executive director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust.
Mayor Cheri Barry and officials with the state Department of Archives and History are seeking $150,000 in grants to stabilize the building until officials can reach a renovation deal with a private developer.
Hank Holmes, director of the archives agency, said he's planning to examine the building later this month to gauge its condition after years of decline.
"I understand it's not in very good condition," Holmes said. "There are really no available grant programs now, but there may be some emergency stabilization money through the state Department of Archives and History."
Threefoot is an icon, Holmes said: "It's one of those buildings that so many people across the state can identify."
It is still the tallest building in Meridian, a city with a population around 40,000 in central Mississippi. Its name comes from the family who developed it. The Dreyfus brothers translated their family name, which means "three foot," from German to English, historians say.
September 11, 2010 (Clarion Ledger Jackson, MS)
Economy delays restoration of icon in Meridian
Harsh economic times have stymied efforts to restore Meridian's Threefoot Building, a 16-story Art Deco structure listed as one of America's Most Endangered Historic Places Built by a prominent family in the 1920s, the building is one of only three Art Deco skyscrapers in Mississippi. The others are the Standard Life Building and the Plaza Building, both in Jackson, said David Preziosi, executive director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust.
Mayor Cheri Barry and officials with the state Department of Archives and History are seeking $150,000 in grants to stabilize the building until officials can reach a renovation deal with a private developer.
Hank Holmes, director of the archives agency, said he's planning to examine the building later this month to gauge its condition after years of decline.
"I understand it's not in very good condition," Holmes said. "There are really no available grant programs now, but there may be some emergency stabilization money through the state Department of Archives and History."
Threefoot is an icon, Holmes said. "It's one of those buildings that so many people across the state can identify."
It is still the tallest building in Meridian, a city with a population around 40,000. Its name comes from the family who developed it. The Dreyfus brothers translated their family name, which means "three foot," from German to English, historians say.
The building had an inauspicious start.
A vision of Sam Threefoot, it was completed in 1928, right before the Great Depression. The family had been in the grocery and cotton brokerage businesses.
"It was bad timing. It wasn't successful. It seemed to never really have a heyday," said Stuart Rockoff, the historian for Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life.
According to the institute, Sam Threefoot later took his life because of financial ruin.
But Rockoff believes the building has "great potential" for downtown Meridian since it's the most prominent feature of the skyline.
The city owns the building, once used for office space but vacant for years. The trust submitted Threefoot Building for the national endangered list released in May. It's located near the historic Marks-Rothenberg Building, now known as the Mississippi State University Riley Center, and an opera house.
"We're hopeful they'll get some funding to stabilize it for the meantime. One of the reasons for being on the endangered list is that it will help with grant funding and possibly find some other developer who is interested," Preziosi said.
For now, Barry said Threefoot Building is a casualty of the national economic downturn. She said it's a $60 million to $70 million project to restore the building because "it's in deplorable condition."
Barry said city officials had been in negotiations with HRI Properties, the New Orleans-based company responsible for the restored King Edward hotel and Standard Life Building in Jackson, to transform the building into a hotel.
Barry said the city's talks with the company ended when local leaders decided against pursuing a $16 million revenue bond.
"We certainly want to look at all of our options, but during these hard economic times when we're looking at furloughs and cuts, I cannot put the money toward restoring any building," Barry said.
HRI President Tom Leonhard said his company had signed a contract with the city, but he understood the reason for the pullout earlier this year. Leonhard said his company's urban renewal projects require a public-private partnership and often a financial commitment from cities.
"We're hopeful that when the capital markets improve and the financial position of Meridian improves, we can revisit the Threefoot project," Leonhard said.
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16 December 2010