Cedar Rapids considers salvage operation like Iowa City’s

Pieces of Cedar Rapids history are being parceled out at the Salvage Barn in Iowa City.

A plan to relocate two historical apartment buildings to make way for the Physicians' Clinic of Iowa medical mall in southeast Cedar Rapids failed to materialize, so architectural features of the buildings were salvaged, thanks to an Iowa City group.

Solid wood cabinets, trimwork, doors and leaded-glass windows were meticulously removed from the 1930-built Roman Apartments, 1115 Second Ave. SE, and the Ellinor, a dusty-blue 12-plex built in 1910 at 1040 Third Ave. SE. Both were eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Also, antique heating grates and other items were salvaged from a house at 630 Ninth Ave. SE that Mercy Medical Center plans to demolish.

“Salvage is a last resort,” said Helen Burford, director of Friends of Historic Preservation in Iowa City. “I wish we could do more.”

The non-profit group operates the Salvage Barn at the Iowa City Landfill. Almost all the labor is volunteer.

Three volunteers, including Burford, helped two employees for about 10 days earlier this month to salvage the buildings in Cedar Rapids.

Had the weather been nicer - the buildings were not heated, as temperatures dipped below freezing - more people likely would have volunteered, Burford said.

Hardwood floors that normally would be saved had to be left behind because there was not enough time to remove glued carpet, she said.

David Zinser, president of D.W. Zinser of Walford, said the goal had been to demolish the buildings before Christmas, but the buildings were still standing earlier this week.

Charles Jones, CEO of Green Development of Iowa City, had hoped to relocate the two apartments but said he could not find a bank that would finance the moves.

A salvage operation has been a point of discussion for the Cedar Rapids Historic Preservation Commission since the Flood of 2008.

Under federal rules, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides mitigation funding when federal projects adversely affect historical properties. That includes demolition of flood-damaged homes that are eligible for the National Register.

The commission suggested some of that funding be used to establish a salvage operation in Cedar Rapids, similar to the one in Iowa City.

At a meeting earlier this month, however, Chairwoman Maura Pilcher questioned if the request should proceed.

“I wonder whether or not Cedar Rapids will actually support this,” she said.

Salvage operations need trained volunteers and an understanding of historical structures, Pilcher said.

Commission member Amanda McKnight-Grafton suggested the group discuss partnering with another agency, such as Habitat for Humanity's ReStore, before scratching the idea.

ReStore, which sells new and used building materials, moved earlier this month from Hiawatha to 350 Sixth Ave. SE in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Burford noted that the Salvage Barn sells architectural and historical building items that are at least 50 years old and no longer are sold commercially, while ReStore generally sells newer products.

Operating the Iowa City site is labor-intensive, she said, but it keeps items out of the landfill and benefits homeowners and others interested in historical preservation.

Gary and Christine Vance of South Amana agree. The two found door casings they needed at the Salvage Barn that matched their 1893 home.

“That would be wonderful,” Gary Vance said of the proposed salvage operation in Cedar Rapids. “That would help so many people.”