City has just issued a Request soliciting letters of interest (RFI) from qualified individuals or organizations (for-profit and not-for-profit) to lease, restore, and utilize a City-owned property including the Fisher Mansion and associated carriage house. Information obtained from any letters of interest will help the City decide the timing and scope of an RFP for the actual lease, renovation and use of the property. In addition to requirements regarding how the buildings must be restored, it is required by the City that some portion of the project be identified for use by the community.
In addition to contact information for the individual, organization or group of organizations submitting, letters of interest should provide:
• a “high level” description of your level of interest,
• the general type of use you envision,
• how the use relates to the City’s priorities (identified in the RFI),
• your anticipated level of restoration, and
• your financial ability to commit to the renovation if you were to be selected through such an RFP process.
Please forward this notice on to any individual or organization you think might be interested.
The RFI available here.
Letters of interest are due 3 pm, June 11, 2010.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Final Historic Structure Report
Click here to be directed to a pdf of the full final Fisher Mansion HSR.
Monday, January 4, 2010
A Happy New Year for the Fisher Mansion
The Fisher Mansion will continue to shine in 2010 as the City moves forward with the restoration and preservation of this historic property. The structural evaluation report by the SEAU will be finished today and then the final draft of the Historic Structure Report (HSR) will be distributed later this week to the Partners Team for final review. Next week the Partners Team and the conultants will meet to discuss the findings of the HSR and next steps for the mansion and carriage house.
This year decisions will be made on how to allocate the funding secured from the Save America’s Treasures program. There is also the potential for additional funding through the Capital Facilities Grant that the city applied for last year, which would be utilized for the structural upgrade and roof replacement of the carriage house.
Planning for the annual Celebrate the City event will be kicking into high gear soon to prepare for the two-day event to be held at the Fisher Mansion in May. Look for more details soon.
This year decisions will be made on how to allocate the funding secured from the Save America’s Treasures program. There is also the potential for additional funding through the Capital Facilities Grant that the city applied for last year, which would be utilized for the structural upgrade and roof replacement of the carriage house.
Planning for the annual Celebrate the City event will be kicking into high gear soon to prepare for the two-day event to be held at the Fisher Mansion in May. Look for more details soon.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Let’s Celebrate the City at the Fisher Mansion!
Celebrate the City is an annual historic preservation celebration and fundraising event for City-owned historic properties. Last year's inaugural event was an afternoon of 1890’s-themed entertainment to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the City & County Building renovation.
Celebrate the City 2010 will be a two-day extravaganza featuring the Fisher Mansion. The event will be held at the property and will celebrate the history of Albert Fisher, the Fisher Brewing Company, the fine architecture of the mansion and carriage house, and the culture and history of the surrounding neighborhood. Planning is in its initial stages, but we anticipate hosting the following events:
• Gala Victorian evening (Friday 5/14/10, 6-8 pm)
• Family-friendly community activities (Saturday 5/15/10, 1-4 pm)
• Beer/root beer garden (Saturday 5/15/10, 5-9 pm)
Mark your calendars to attend!
Celebrate the City 2010 will be a two-day extravaganza featuring the Fisher Mansion. The event will be held at the property and will celebrate the history of Albert Fisher, the Fisher Brewing Company, the fine architecture of the mansion and carriage house, and the culture and history of the surrounding neighborhood. Planning is in its initial stages, but we anticipate hosting the following events:
• Gala Victorian evening (Friday 5/14/10, 6-8 pm)
• Family-friendly community activities (Saturday 5/15/10, 1-4 pm)
• Beer/root beer garden (Saturday 5/15/10, 5-9 pm)
Mark your calendars to attend!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Mechanical Report
Mechtech Engineering evaluated the existing conditions of the mechanical system of the mansion and carriage house last week. An older natural gas forced air furnace provides heat for the basement, main, and second levels of the mansion. It is an 80% efficiency twin set unit that does not provide air conditioning. The air is distributed through the original heating vents, which are located on interior walls. Modern mechanical systems are generally located near the exterior walls and/or windows. Two electric baseboard heaters on the second level supplement the system. Air conditioning on the main level is provided via two window units. The attic level is heated by a 90% efficiency natural gas furnace that also provides air conditioning. The ductwork for this area is exposed. The carriage house is not heated by a mechanical system.
The plumbing in the mansion is dated, with some pipes being original to the system. Currently, hot water is generated by an 80 gallon natural gas commercial hot water heater, which is located in the basement. Historically, a cistern in the attic space collected water that was used for the mansion’s original plumbing system. The cistern itself is still present in a mechanical room at the top of the stairs to the attic.
Recommendations
While the current systems could continue to serve a residential use of the building, any commercial use would require new mechanical and plumbing systems. Active use of the carriage house would require installation of a mechanical system. The location of the property adjacent to the Jordan River makes it a good candidate for a renewable heating and cooling approach.
The plumbing in the mansion is dated, with some pipes being original to the system. Currently, hot water is generated by an 80 gallon natural gas commercial hot water heater, which is located in the basement. Historically, a cistern in the attic space collected water that was used for the mansion’s original plumbing system. The cistern itself is still present in a mechanical room at the top of the stairs to the attic.
Recommendations
While the current systems could continue to serve a residential use of the building, any commercial use would require new mechanical and plumbing systems. Active use of the carriage house would require installation of a mechanical system. The location of the property adjacent to the Jordan River makes it a good candidate for a renewable heating and cooling approach.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Open House & Funding
Open House
Approximately 200 people attended the open house at the Fisher Mansion on October 31, 2009 to take a tour, visit information stations that provided details from the draft Historic Structure Report (HSR) findings, and have the opportunity to provide feedback. A highlight of the open house was the opportunity to see the original wood floor in the library and dining room, which was discovered to be intact during the HSR team’s investigations. In addition to revealing the wood flooring, the City’s property management crew also opened up the top half of the gypsum board walls that were added to enclose the main stairwell when the mansion served as a group home. This allowed the natural light from the skylight to flow down to the main floor and gave visitors a sense of the original character of the main staircase and skylight. Open house guests also had the chance to visit the upper levels of both the mansion and the carriage house and observe the unique structural framing design used by architect Richard Kletting for the buildings.
Funding
The City has received notice that $150,000 from the Save America’s Treasures program is available to help catalyze restoration efforts for the Fisher Mansion project. Specific uses for the funding have not been established, although immediate needs include the repair and structural upgrade of the carriage house, which has been identified as having great potential for a community-oriented use. Several small donations were also made by visitors to the open house event.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_13685774?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com
Approximately 200 people attended the open house at the Fisher Mansion on October 31, 2009 to take a tour, visit information stations that provided details from the draft Historic Structure Report (HSR) findings, and have the opportunity to provide feedback. A highlight of the open house was the opportunity to see the original wood floor in the library and dining room, which was discovered to be intact during the HSR team’s investigations. In addition to revealing the wood flooring, the City’s property management crew also opened up the top half of the gypsum board walls that were added to enclose the main stairwell when the mansion served as a group home. This allowed the natural light from the skylight to flow down to the main floor and gave visitors a sense of the original character of the main staircase and skylight. Open house guests also had the chance to visit the upper levels of both the mansion and the carriage house and observe the unique structural framing design used by architect Richard Kletting for the buildings.
Funding
The City has received notice that $150,000 from the Save America’s Treasures program is available to help catalyze restoration efforts for the Fisher Mansion project. Specific uses for the funding have not been established, although immediate needs include the repair and structural upgrade of the carriage house, which has been identified as having great potential for a community-oriented use. Several small donations were also made by visitors to the open house event.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_13685774?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Re-use Scenarios and Treatment Approaches for the Mansion & Carriage House
As part of the HSR project, the consultant team is evaluating re-use scenarios for the mansion and carriage house. It is the intent that, at a minimum, any re-use project for the property will meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring and Reconstructing Historic Buildings (SOTIS). Part of the HSR process will be to provide some general cost estimates for the recommended treatment approaches for the buildings and an assessment of the re-use scenarios that will align with the recommended treatments. Each treatment approach has a set of Standards and accompanying Guidelines for use throughout the course of a project. The following information from the National Park Service website, gives a brief summary of the standards for the four treatments: Preservation, Rehabilitation, Restoration, and Reconstruction.
“The Standards for the first treatment, Preservation, require retention of the greatest amount of historic fabric, along with the building's historic form, features, and detailing as they have evolved over time. The Rehabilitation Standards acknowledge the need to alter or add to a historic building to meet continuing or new uses while retaining the building's historic character. The Restoration Standards allow for the depiction of a building at a particular time in its history by preserving materials from the period of significance and removing materials from other periods. The Reconstruction Standards establish a limited framework for re-creating a vanished or non-surviving building with new materials, primarily for interpretive purposes.” (http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/standguide/overview/using_standguide.htm; accessed Oct. 15, 2009)
It is anticipated that different treatment approaches may be recommended for the mansion vs. the carriage house. The overall goal is to retain the historical integrity of the buildings while providing the opportunity for a new, economically-feasible use to locate on the property.
“The Standards for the first treatment, Preservation, require retention of the greatest amount of historic fabric, along with the building's historic form, features, and detailing as they have evolved over time. The Rehabilitation Standards acknowledge the need to alter or add to a historic building to meet continuing or new uses while retaining the building's historic character. The Restoration Standards allow for the depiction of a building at a particular time in its history by preserving materials from the period of significance and removing materials from other periods. The Reconstruction Standards establish a limited framework for re-creating a vanished or non-surviving building with new materials, primarily for interpretive purposes.” (http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/standguide/overview/using_standguide.htm; accessed Oct. 15, 2009)
It is anticipated that different treatment approaches may be recommended for the mansion vs. the carriage house. The overall goal is to retain the historical integrity of the buildings while providing the opportunity for a new, economically-feasible use to locate on the property.
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