Constructed by a Swedish immigrant in 1909, the Calkins Building is on the short list of possible new City Hall sites. An estimated $7 million would be required to renovate the historic downtown structure.
Durango-based RMBA Architects presented its City Hall Needs Assessment study to municipal leaders on Tuesday, Dec. 10, recommending a central government building more than twice the size of the current City Hall facility. Architect Michael Bell said renovating the Calkins Building, complete with a 10,000 sq. ft. addition, could cost an estimated $7 million.
“The building is all boarded up, and we are very concerned about its future,” said Linda Towle, director of the Cortez Historic Preservation Board.
Constructed using local sandstone, the Calkins Building serves as a symbol of Cortez history, Towle said, adding she would love to see new life breathed into the century-old facility.
“It would be wonderful to make the old Calkins Building the new City Hall,” Towle said.
Earlier this year, the Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 school board was unsuccessfully in attempts to have the historic structure listed as one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places. Owned by the school district, the Calkins Building served as the Cortez schoolhouse from its construction in 1909 until 1947.
“It’s a fine old building,” recalled Vivienne Kenyon, who first attended the school in 1934. “It’s long lasting and durable.”
Kenyon was instrumental in helping to secure grant funding to help preserve the Calkins Building. Hopes of restoring the structure to become a museum; however, never materialized.
Bell told city council members at a workshop Tuesday the current 12,000 sq. ft City Hall lacks adequate office and on-site storage space, the public is unable to easily access pertinent city departments and additional security and parking measures are needed.
“City personnel is projected to increase by nearly a third within five years,” Bell explained. “We recommend the new City Hall should be 25,000 sq. ft.”
The study ranked three potential sites for a new City Hall structure. Topping the list is a vacant city-owned lot at Empire and Mildred streets, across from the Justice Building. The total estimated cost to construct a new City Hall at the location is $6.8 million.
Renovating the two-story Calkins Building was the study’s first alternate choice. The $7 million renovation and addition price tag does not include the purchase price of the property from the Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 school system.
School board treasurer Brian Demby believes the Calkins Building has prime real estate development potential; citing the grounds itself may be more enticing to developers than the building.
“The building takes the shine off the apple,” he said metaphorically, “but there’s a lot of apple there on site.”
School officials launched a renovation effort of the Calkins Building several years ago to develop the facility into school administrative office space. The project was shelved in 2011 due to lack of funding.
School superintendent Alex Carter is confident the school board would offer the century old property to the city at a great cost, but he didn’t elaborate on a selling price.
“I think the Calkins Building would be an incredible facility for the city government,” said Carter. “As a historian myself, I think the value of renovating and reusing historical buildings is more than just an environmentally sound practice, it would also be a source of great community pride for generations of Cortez citizens.”
The third alternate City Hall choice RMBA Architects recommended to city leaders is situated on the northeast corner of the current Justice Building property at Empire and Mildred streets. The total estimated cost of building on this site was $7.2 million.
“All three sites are workable for a new City Hall,” said city building director Rick Smith. “Anyone of the three we could work with.”
With current construction cost at about $250 per sq. ft., city leaders are uncertain when they would move forward with plans to construct a new City Hall.
“The study is just a snapshot, and gives us a great idea for planning purposes regarding cost and location,” said city manager Shane Hale. “No plans are underway for construction.”
