Cheney’s Historical Preservation Commission has approved a special valuation tax incentive application by Cheney Properties, LLC for work done on restoring the International Order of Odd Fellows Building located on the southeast corner of the First Street/Cheney-Spangle Road intersection. The approval allows Cheney Properties to apply for special tax credits for the $630,172.51 of work done restoring the building between April 2012 and April 2014.
In approving the application, the commission accepted recommendations from city staff that a management agreement be executed and recorded with Spokane County to protect the property in perpetuity, and that parts of the renovation work consistent with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s historic preservation standards are identified as well as expenses that qualify for the special valuation program.
The federal standards require restoration work to retain and preserve the historic nature of a structure by utilizing existing materials and preserving original construction and accoutrements. Where this is not possible, new construction shall not destroy existing work that characterizes the property and shall be differentiated from the original and be of compatible “massing, size scale and architectural features” to protect the building’s historic integrity.
Cheney Properties owner Steve Emtman told the commission at its Oct. 2 meeting that the IOOF building had deteriorated to such an extent in some areas that extensive re-construction was done to shore up the two-story structure that was in danger of collapsing. According to the valuation application, the basement floor was dug out to accommodate new concrete floorings supporting new structural walls, with additional walls and beams added to support the interior structure and floors.
Also presenting challenges to maintaining the historic integrity was the corporate requirements from one of the building’s commercial tenants on the ground floor — the Jimmy John’s sandwich shop.
“Upstairs is where we were able to keep everything like the way it originally was,” Emtman said.
The original Odd Fellows meeting hall upstairs was subdivided into four apartments, three two-bedroom units and a studio. Seventy-five percent of the original wood trim, interior doors, wood flooring and wainscoting were refurbished and reinstalled in the apartments, along with similar work in the stairway and on the first floor where bathrooms are located for Jimmy Johns customers.
Five offices were created in the remodeled basement as well. The old roof was replaced and selected repairs on exterior brickwork and window replacement — utilizing existing material where possible — were also performed.
Jim Kolva, Spokane Historic Landmarks Commission member and owner of a historic building in downtown Spokane, told the Cheney commission Emtman called him in April and asked him to assist with preparation of the valuation application. Kolva said he advised Emtman that in preparing the costs he only include material and labor, and in the case of the latter only what he paid his construction crew for their work, omitting any mark up.
Emtman added that the application did not include any work installing equipment provided by Jimmy John’s for their specific use.
“This is construction we did to the structure of the building to improve the building,” he added.
All five of the commission members present commented favorably on the work done by Cheney Properties. Commission Chair Charles Mutschler said he was impressed with the amount of interior trimmings and material that was saved and reused.
“That was not easy,” Mutschler added.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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