The MCDA has stored at Grain Belt in one of its buildings that is soon to be demolished the following items:
1. Franklin Theater sign. Two or three years ago during renovation of the former Franklin Theater the sign was removed & was to be hauled away. The redeveloper contacted us to ask if we wanted it. We contacted Seward Redesign to inquire as to whether it might be able to be used on the Franklin LRT station. This sounded like a good idea, so we hauled the sign to Grain Belt for storage. Unfortunately, it was ultimately determined that the cost of renovating the sign, installing it on the station and maintaining it far exceeded the available budget. We made some efforts to find other uses for the sign, but to no avail. So, we now have a huge sign - approximately 8' wide, 22' long & 6' deep - sitting in a building that is scheduled to be demolished sometime this Fall. Historic Preservation Commission staff is aware of its existence, & it has not been designated as historically significant. Problematic conditions of the sign include the following: -structural integrity is questionable -some corrosion of the structure & the metal skin -incandescent fixtures - literally hundreds line both vertical sides - need to be replaced & rewired -neon ballasts & tubing need to be redone And of course there's the challenge of moving it - a truck with a crane is required (so forget about folding your back seat down & sliding it into the trunk). 2. Pantages(Mann) Theater seats. When renovation began, approximately 200 seats were removed & stored at Grain Belt, the thought being that they might be able to be reused. It was ultimately determined that they could not be, & the general consensus is that they are in horrible (or more technically speaking, crappy) condition. We're looking for someone - frankly, a benefactor - who is interested in restoring and/or reusing the Franklin Theater sign. The challenges & costs as noted above are considerable. We also want to note the availability of the theater seats, if anyone is interested in taking all of them. We don't have the staff resources to schedule individual appointments to view these items, or to to have an open house. If there are parties seriously interested in these items, we will schedule a one-time viewing, say in the 1st week of September. So if you are seriously (really - seriously) interested in these items, please contact me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or the phone number below by the end of next week, Friday, Aug. 22. I've pretty much spilled my guts about this stuff herein, so there's not much more info I can provide. Bill Tetzlaff MCDA 612-673-5168 TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
