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October 1, 1999
Historic statusfor Poor Farmmoves forwardBy GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- Obtaining historic status for the Brown County Poor Farm cleared another hurdle Thursday night, as members of the Planning Commission made further recommendations. Members of the New Ulm Heritage Preservation Commission applied to the state in July for designation of the property as a historically significant property that should be preserved. The current owner of the structure, Jon Hartley of Lafayette, plans to convert the structure into a 17-room country inn after he gets proper approval from the city. To convert the building, which was built in 1906, into an inn, the building must be designated, or a zoning change would be required, according to the City Code. Hartley has owned the building since 1991. He has been waiting for the city to extend utilities to the area so he could begin work on the project and he is now ready to move ahead. The commissioners recommended that construction needs to begin within a reasonable amount of time, at which time the commission will push the matter through as quickly as possible, so the process will not be delayed longer than is necessary. The commissions recommendations will be presented to the Heritage Preservation Commission at their next meeting. The building, classified as Colonial Revival, has been privately owned since 1938 and served as a boarding house for several years. It has been unoccupied since 1965 and was damaged by a fire in 1980. It is located across the Cottonwood River Bridge near Hy-Vee, in what is now termed, for development purposes, Ridgeview Estates. "Over the years, several people have owned the building, and many people have looked into it and different reports have come back," City Council Member Joel Albrecht said. "The question we have to ask is whether the building is usable." Hartley has had several engineers looking at the structure, and they have determined that it is usable and can be enclosed and remodeled to serve the proposed purpose. "We are in the process of getting financing for the project and are working with local banks," Hartley said. "There are a lot of factors that are contingent upon other things. It has been frustrating at times." The proposed project can be done, as long as final approval is given by the Heritage Preservation Commission, the Planning Commission and the City Council. "The question we need to ask is how far do we go?" Albrecht said. "If we designate it as a landmark and the plans fall through for development, the designation remains. Designation is not a simple task. It is not designed to be simple." When everything is go from an engineering and a financial standpoint, Albrecht would approve the project, but he was hesitant to do so with a property that is in limbo. "If we try to designate the property in the early stages like this, then we tie everyone's hands," he said. If the building is not fixed it will eventually need to be demolished, because it is unsightly and will hinder further development, City Building Inspector Al Gag said. "I want to move forward with this project," Hartley said. "We are doing this and money is going into the project. I just need a way to start moving. Things are moving slowly. Every time another meeting is required, it slows down the process." In order for the property to declared a local historical landmark, it must be approved by the state and all comments received to date indicate a favorable outcome, he said "We have had many well-intentioned people who have come before various commissions requesting things and many projects don't get started," Albrecht said. "Once something has ben done and set in stone, such as rezoning, or whatever, undoing it takes twice the effort." The property is not a detriment to the neighborhood and converting it to an inn will not overshadow any further development in the area and its historical significance will be an anchor, Hartley said. "Once we put the stamp on it as historic, it's done," Commission Member Dan Braam said. "We need to look at what is good for the entire community. I know it is a historical structure, but there is also a need for residential development."
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