Could some flooded homes set for demolition be saved?

As fervently as many people would like to rid Cedar Rapids of its flood-damaged past, others see value in saving it.

Preservationists take issue with the number of homes - mostly affordable housing - being demolished under the city's “imminent threat” list since the 2008 flood. Buildings on that list are considered a public health or safety threat because of structural damage or environmental hazards, such as mold.

So far, 139 listed homes were demolished in 2008 and 2009, with another 543 scheduled for demolition or already razed this year - nearly 700 total. Funding is through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Listed buildings do not undergo the same review with the city's Historic Preservation Commission as other structures slated for demolition.

Barbara Mitchell, deputy state historic preservation officer, noted in an e-mail that the State Historic Preservation Office is concerned about the number of properties on the list because of mold, two years after the flood.

Mitchell questioned if the city used mold remediation experts familiar with historical structures.

“Our office would welcome a professional assessment of the ‘imminent threat' of the mold growth in order to better understand the true concerns about the safety of reusing these homes,” she wrote in an e-mail to Preservation Iowa.

John Riggs, the city's project manager for flood demolition, said that after the flood, Fire Department staff, FEMA workers and others helped city inspectors determine which buildings were unsafe.

Those have all since been reinspected by city inspectors, Utilities Director Pat Ball said.

The city has not called on Linn County Public Health staff for inspections but refers residents to health staff for questions concerning mold, said Ruby Perin, Healthy Homes branch manager.

Health staff have clocked 250 responses to flood-related nuisance complaints since 2008, she said, some related to mold. Perin said mold can be a health issue to people with asthma or those sensitive to the spores.

Rod Scott, president of Preservation Iowa, said mold in itself should not be a cause for demolition.

Scott worked on flooded and damaged homes as a contractor for 20 years in Phoenix and is working on flood-damaged homes from Hurricane Katrina.

If Gulf Coast homes are being saved five years after Katrina, where temperatures promote year-round mold growth, why not in Iowa? he said.

“They aren't an imminent threat,” Scott said. “They're just fine.”

He pointed to the Dostal House, 1000 Third St. SE, a century-old home that was soda-blasted last year. The home looks and smells clean inside.

Czech immigrants built homes like the Dostal House with an old method of timber-framing, using hefty timbers for the foundation that make them rock-solid, he said.

Scott is particularly concerned with homes in the Bohemian Commercial Historic District.

The district, on Third Street and 14th Avenue SE, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is extending to include Czech Village, across the Cedar River.

More than $8 million in tax credits are being used by business owners rehabilitating their buildings, based on that historical designation. The tax credits would be jeopardized if the district was delisted.

Districts are rarely removed from the register, but Mitchell could not say that demolition would not change the designation.

“If a substantial number of buildings are lost, the district boundaries may need to be redrawn - again. This could leave some historic buildings outside the listed district,” she wrote.

Dale Todd, president of Southside Development Board, said preservationists should be more proactive in identifying homes that could be saved.

“No one wants to see houses with historical significance get demolished,” he said, “but also, no one is interested in prolonging demolition if there's a health hazard, if it is structurally unsound or if there's no business plan.”

All Demolition Addresses

As fervently as many people would like to rid Cedar Rapids of its flood-damaged past, others see value in saving it.

Preservationists take issue with the number of homes - mostly affordable housing - being demolished under the city's “imminent threat” list since the 2008 flood. Buildings on that list are considered a public health or safety threat because of structural damage or environmental hazards, such as mold.

So far, 139 listed homes were demolished in 2008 and 2009, with another 543 scheduled for demolition or already razed this year - nearly 700 total. Funding is through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Listed buildings do not undergo the same review with the city's Historic Preservation Commission as other structures slated for demolition.

Barbara Mitchell, deputy state historic preservation officer, noted in an e-mail that the State Historic Preservation Office is concerned about the number of properties on the list because of mold, two years after the flood.

Mitchell questioned if the city used mold remediation experts familiar with historical structures.

“Our office would welcome a professional assessment of the ‘imminent threat' of the mold growth in order to better understand the true concerns about the safety of reusing these homes,” she wrote in an e-mail to Preservation Iowa.

John Riggs, the city's project manager for flood demolition, said that after the flood, Fire Department staff, FEMA workers and others helped city inspectors determine which buildings were unsafe.

Those have all since been reinspected by city inspectors, Utilities Director Pat Ball said.

The city has not called on Linn County Public Health staff for inspections but refers residents to health staff for questions concerning mold, said Ruby Perin, Healthy Homes branch manager.

Health staff have clocked 250 responses to flood-related nuisance complaints since 2008, she said, some related to mold. Perin said mold can be a health issue to people with asthma or those sensitive to the spores.

Rod Scott, president of Preservation Iowa, said mold in itself should not be a cause for demolition.

Scott worked on flooded and damaged homes as a contractor for 20 years in Phoenix and is working on flood-damaged homes from Hurricane Katrina.

If Gulf Coast homes are being saved five years after Katrina, where temperatures promote year-round mold growth, why not in Iowa? he said.

“They aren't an imminent threat,” Scott said. “They're just fine.”

He pointed to the Dostal House, 1000 Third St. SE, a century-old home that was soda-blasted last year. The home looks and smells clean inside.

Czech immigrants built homes like the Dostal House with an old method of timber-framing, using hefty timbers for the foundation that make them rock-solid, he said.

Scott is particularly concerned with homes in the Bohemian Commercial Historic District.

The district, on Third Street and 14th Avenue SE, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is extending to include Czech Village, across the Cedar River.

More than $8 million in tax credits are being used by business owners rehabilitating their buildings, based on that historical designation. The tax credits would be jeopardized if the district was delisted.

Districts are rarely removed from the register, but Mitchell could not say that demolition would not change the designation.

“If a substantial number of buildings are lost, the district boundaries may need to be redrawn - again. This could leave some historic buildings outside the listed district,” she wrote.

Dale Todd, president of Southside Development Board, said preservationists should be more proactive in identifying homes that could be saved.

“No one wants to see houses with historical significance get demolished,” he said, “but also, no one is interested in prolonging demolition if there's a health hazard, if it is structurally unsound or if there's no business plan.”