New federal building may put historic sites at risk
Councilman advocates putting new courthouse west of Fourth Street to avoid conflicts
By Peter Ciancone/Tribune-Star
Date: May 12, 2004

Since Uncle Sam plans to build a new federal building in downtown Terre Haute, it makes sense for local residents to have input into the process.

That's the message behind a forum organized by city councilman Todd Nation, D-4th, on Tuesday night in the Coffee Grounds in downtown Terre Haute.

"This could either be very good for the neighborhood, or very bad for the neighborhood, depending on where they land," Nation told about 25 people who attended. "Our challenge is to figure out where this can land where we all can win."

The General Services Administration posted a notice in mid-February that it is seeking a site in the area bounded by Cherry, Walnut, First and Ninth streets for the new federal courthouse. The proposed building must comply with new federal security standards, which would mean at least 50 feet of setback from any street, and landscaping to prevent vehicles from nearing.

Those requirements mean that GSA needs one city block, Nation said, and the agency already has gathered five or six possible locations, some that include historic structures, and some that do not. Nation advocates using locations west of Fourth Street.

Nation said the GSA will be conducting meetings in the next month to narrow down the possible sites to one or two. Tommy Kleckner, director of the western regional office of Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, then explained the federal process involved with building on sites already occupied by historic buildings, called Section 106.

"Listing on the [National Register of Historic Places] does not restrict property rights," Kleckner said, but the process is designed to ease impacts on historic buildings. "This process is nothing new to [GSA]. I'd like to be optimistic that if there's an alternative to tearing down historic buildings, GSA will seriously consider that."

As is always the case with any discussion of downtown Terre Haute, the case of the Terre Haute House arose. Downtown developer Ben Orman asked if the land the Terre Haute House occupies was on GSA's list of possibilities. When Nation said it was, Orman said in opposition, "If the [Terre Haute House] makes the short list, this group needs to meet again, with each of us bringing three friends."

Tom Lorey, a Terre Haute resident who said he had never attended meetings like this one before, said he couldn't see why people would oppose the use of the Terre Haute House land if it means it could be put back into public use.

Nation said he believes that an entire block used for one building with about a dozen employees is better suited to the fringes of the downtown than in the middle of it, and nobody wants the hotel to remain unused.

"Nobody wants to fight for the status quo," Nation said. Steering the project to the western part of the district would help keep development options open for it.

Nation said the new federal building, if guided by local residents, could enhance the western gateway to downtown and perhaps land federal help to build a more attractive pedestrian crossing of Third Street.

Peter Ciancone can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or pete.ciancone@tribstar.com.