ArchitectureView By Bob Barzan
Nominate an Endangered Modesto Building
You can make nominations for the list of endangered buildings, structures, and landscapes being compiled by Modesto Heritage, the local preservation group. What buildings in Modesto do you want to see maintained, restored, preserved, and/or reused and that give Modesto its unique identity: the McHenry/Brewster or Cressey mansions? What about the Modesto Arch, the old oaks along Dry Creek, the Lion Bridge, the former Elk’s Lodge on I Street, the Beaty Building, or the former World Savings Bank at 10th and I? Perhaps there is a building or structure in your neighborhood that could be on the list. Be an advocate for the special places in our community that deserve attention and preservation.
When making your nominations, keep the following in mind, though not all points are necessary to make a building, landscape, or structure eligible:
1. The building, structure, or landscape should be important to the community because of its history or design
2. For more than a year, the building has been either under used, vacant, or abandoned
3. Vandals have attacked the building, structure, or landscape breaking windows, spraying graffiti, or causing other damage
4. Needed repairs and maintenance are not being done
An endangered building list is important because too often the community is called upon to rally support for a building about to be torn down, when the development plans are already approved, or when it is really too late to do anything about it. A list helps the community identify buildings at risk while there still may be time to save them. The list is important because it also raises consciousness about the architecture and landscape treasures Modesto has and how they contribute to the economic well being of the entire community.
Send your nominations to the Modesto Art Museum, modestoartmuseum@yahoo.com . The Modesto Heritage Committee will review the nominations and post them in the December issue of ModestoView and on the museum web site.
Bob Barzan Modesto Art Museum
Tour 13, is the Tynan Hotel esgar, is Esgar’s Confectionary Tour 153 is the Chuck Wagon Tour 162 is the Voight Mansion Tour 169 is Owl Drug Store Tour 174 is the Majestic Building Tour 034 is the B&T Market, now Crescent but seriously altered
