PUBLISHED ON July 13, 2008
Yakima Herald-Republic
by CHRIS BRISTOL YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
Time has not been kind to the Wilson Building.
Situated at one of downtown Yakima's busiest corners, the building's modern glass-and-metal storefronts look nothing like when it was built in 1902.
The rusting green metal facade that covers the second floor dates to the 1950s. Its many-times-over remodeled interior holds no hint of a bygone era of craftsmanship.
So who would be unhappy over plans to demolish the Wilson, located at the corner of East Yakima Avenue and Third Street, in order to expand the adjacent Capitol Theatre?
For starters, folks who make up the city's small but vocal preservation community. They haven't seen what's behind the facade, nor the interior. But they're skeptical of Capitol Theatre CEO Steve Caffery's contention the building is unsalvageable.
Tinged with a sense of powerlessness, their frustration illustrates the difficulties in redeveloping Yakima's downtown, where matters of architecture, arts, preservation and personality can collide even among otherwise natural allies who share a common goal of creating a more relevant and economically viable downtown.
But where the supporters of the Capitol tout the need to improve on a genuine landmark -- the theater -- preservationists see irony in that one old building is being torn down for the benefit of another old building.
The theater wants to replace the Wilson with a multipurpose facility informally known as "the pavilion" that would serve a number of functions for the theater, including box office, concessions and an intimate music venue. And it is part of the theater's ambitious $15 million long-term plan to create a larger campus intended to revitalize the city's core, which was staggered by the closure of the downtown mall several years ago.
The fact that virtually everyone at City Hall, which owns the theater and has clearly signaled its tacit support for the demolition, is behind Caffery's plan fuels much of the dissatisfaction among preservationists. They also point to the loss 22 years ago of the historic Miller Building, which was located on Yakima Avenue about a block east of the Wilson, and the recent destruction of two century-old buildings on East Yakima Avenue to make way for a chain drugstore.
"As far as I can see, we're just window dressing," says Jenifer Wilde-McMurtrie, a member of the city's Historical Preservation Community and a critic of the Wilson demolition.
Fellow commission member Scott Irons says the feeling of impotence stems in part from the belief that the Wilson demolition was a fait accompli long before anyone knew what was in the offing.
Still, he argues that it's not too late to turn back and that an independent structural and architectural analysis of the building should be done before a final decision is made.
Of particular concern, he said, is that the decision to demolish was made before the metal facade has been removed. What lies underneath has not seen the light of day for decades and could be eye-opening.
Irons says Caffery "doesn't want anybody to see what's underneath -- that would change the picture."
Caffery, who arrived in Yakima in 1986 just weeks after the Miller Building was torn down, bristles at the suggestion that he and the theater's architect, Barbara Cline, evaluated the Wilson's rehab potential in bad faith.
Credited as the driving force behind the theater's expansion plan and for taking an active role in the ongoing downtown revitalization, Caffery makes no secret of his dislike for news stories questioning the Wilson's fate.
Still, he agreed last week to give the Yakima Herald-Republic a tour of the building. Cline came along for expert analysis.
The Wilson has been home to many businesses over the years including a drugstore, music shop and a liquor store.
Most recently it housed Kimmel Athletic Supply, which is preparing to move soon to a new location across town on Lincoln Avenue, and a now-gone bridal and tuxedo shop. Much of the second story appears to have been little used for years.
Cline is convinced the building has never been considered significant in the city's history and says her research indicates that until recently it never even had a name, just an address.
She says the two biggest knocks against rehabilitation for the pavilion planned by the theater is its suspect structural integrity -- the foundation is unreinforced stone and cement -- and its lack of architectural flourish.
"There's just nothing elaborate or detailed here," she said, citing the lack of such examples as marble floors, murals or ceiling ornamentation often found in turn-of-the-century buildings.
For Caffery, that overpowering feeling of neglect and disrepair -- but especially the structural issues -- makes the need to start over an easy call. He doesn't appreciate being second-guessed.
"It is our intention to demolish this building, because we think we can do better," he says, noting that the Herald-Republic tore down potentially historic properties on East A Street as part of a pressroom expansion back in the late 1990s.
As for his preservation critics, Caffery says, "Nobody's talked to me. We've been very open about our plans, designs and intentions. That's really all I can say."
Caffery repeated his promise to photo-document the building's heritage before tearing it down, a pledge that would involve removing the metal facade and recording what's found beneath. He says the project is in the early planning stages and no time frames have been set.
As part of that promise, Caffery suggested the work perhaps could be performed by one of the state's leading preservation experts -- Michael Sullivan, co-principal of Tacoma-based Artifacts Consulting and a native of Yakima.
Using Sullivan, however, could backfire.
In an interview last week, Sullivan questioned the Yakima arts community's dedication to preservation and warned that a hasty demolition of the Wilson could run afoul of state's sometimes complex archeology laws, which can vary depending on ownership and public funding.
Although currently in the hands of the theater, the property eventually will be signed over to the city as part of the public/private funding package paying for the expansion project.
As for the demolition itself, Sullivan renewed his advice that the metal facade should be removed before a final decision is made.
"It's just the right thing to do," he says. "I'm not sure it's the easiest path for them, and I understand the logic ... All I can say is, it's my advice to pull off the metal first, take it or leave it."
