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    N&O Article re Old County Social Services Building (4/21/98)

Outmoded box or architectural gem?
That is the question

Wake officials, preservationists differ on county building

By TREVA JONES, Staff Writer


RALEIGH -- Historic preservationists say the old Wake County social
services building in downtown Raleigh was a structure ahead of its time.
Now county officials say its time is up.
The building at the corner of Davie and McDowell streets, designed by
the firm of a renowned architect and built in 1949, might be behind the
wrecking ball sometime after July 1.
No final decision has been made to demolish the building, which has
been vacant since the county Department of Social Services moved out in
1994.
But in a recent capital budget meeting, the county commissioners called
for $350,000 in the 1998-99 budget for possible demolition and
construction of a surface parking lot at the site. That would be combined
with about $95,000 left from an earlier $100,000 appropriation to study the
building for possible uses or demolition.
The money would go toward the costs of demolition, asbestos
abatement, lead-paint removal and construction of the parking lot.
But the specter of demolition raises red flags at the Raleigh Historic
Districts Commission, which has identified the building, at 201 W. Davie
St,. as worth considering for designation as a Raleigh Historic Landmark.
"I think it is historically, socially and financially irresponsible to tear this
building down," said David Maurer, chair of the historic commission and an
architect specializing in preservation.
The organization wants a meeting with county officials to talk it over.
But Vernon Malone, a member of the Wake Board of Commissioners
for 14 years, said that the building should go, and that he wouldn't want to
see it sold to a private entity because the county should hang on to the land.
"I think it should be torn down," Malone said. "The building has
absolutely no style, and from my perspective, questionable historical
significance. And when you couple that with the condition of the building
and the fact it is laden with asbestos, you'd be talking about an inordinate
amount of money to bring it up to some kind of standard, and to make it
adaptable and usable for longtime use."
The building was designed by G. Milton Small, who then headed the firm
of William Henley Deitrick, a prominent Raleigh architect.
Soon after it was finished, an Architectural Record story reported in
detail on the building.
According to the story, the structure was erected to house several
county activities. The ground floor included a large multipurpose area that
was used on Saturdays as a retail curb market where farm women sold their
products. At other times, it served as an assembly room.
The first floor housed offices, labor and special equipment rooms for the
county's public-health program, and the second floor accommodated the
welfare department and agricultural programs. There were offices, space for
home demonstration agents and even a small courtroom.
The structure was simple, functional and low-maintenance. Stairs were
made of exposed steel, the floors were covered with asphalt tile, and
interior partitions were of concrete block. An ultra-modern
window-washing trolley moved around the building on tracks.
The historic significance of the building was recently affirmed in a report,
sponsored by the Historic Districts Commission, that focused on Deitrick's
work. It considers the property a significant architectural landmark for the
city and county.
The county doesn't see it that way.
"We just did not find the building to be architecturally significant," said
Richard Y. Stevens, the county manager.
"It's a box. It's just a box with not much interest in it, and building
problems."
Among those problems is asbestos that would have to be removed.
With the condition of the building and its equipment, it would take "a very
expensive conversion to produce a relatively small amount of space,"
Stevens said.
The building was once for sale, but the county declined an offer after
deciding it would be wiser to keep it than to try to buy other downtown
property later. The conclusion was that it wouldn't be in the public's best
interest to save the building and try to make it fit future needs, Stevens said.
"It was not a decision easily made. It was done with a lot of thought," he
said.
Stevens pointed out that Wake County has recycled other buildings for
new uses, including the County Home building on Whitaker Mill Road; the
Crosby-Garfield, Thompson and Auburn schools; and Oak View, a
run-down farm the county bought and turned into a park.
Preservationists have a different viewpoint. "I think it would be a real
loss to Raleigh and Wake County to tear that building down," said Dan
Becker, executive director of the Historic Districts Commission.
Becker said that although the building is unfashionable now, it was
considered ahead of its time when it was built and is a landmark for Wake
County.
He compared it to Oakwood, Raleigh's premier historic district.
Oakwood's ornate Victorian architecture was out of style and the
neighborhood was deteriorating when the city decided to run a freeway
through it in the early 1970s. Preservationists threw on the brakes, the city
backed off, and Oakwood is now an area of highly prized downtown real
estate.
Maurer said a potential buyer once offered the county $250,000, about
the same amount that demolition would cost, with plans to renovate the
building for downtown housing. It makes no sense to destroy the building
when there isn't an immediate need or plan for the site, he said.
"I think it is just a huge, irresponsible use of taxpayers' money," said
Maurer, who operates his own business in a house that was slated for
demolition until he bought it and moved it.
Robin Quinn Pugh, the county's preservation planner, said the Wake
County Historic Preservation Commission recently deferred action on the
building, waiting to see what the Raleigh group does.