Backus/AB roof project: Gettin’ it done

By Ward Merrill, Executive Director

I just completed a fascinating book with some interesting analogies to the Backus/AB complex.
“Conquering Gotham: The Construction of Penn Station and Its Tunnels” by Jill Jonnes was a tremendous “Gilded Age epic” which told of the massive turn of the century project by the Pennsylvania Railroad to build the first “subaqueous” tunnels under the Hudson and East Rivers to reach Manhattan.
The project included the design and construction of the Roman-style Penn Station. The tunnels and station were built at a cost of over $111 million over a seven-year period from 1903 to 1910. The station’s General Waiting Room (designed by Charles McKim) was the largest room in the world — two city blocks wide and 150 feet high. The underwater tunnels provided access into the heart of the nation’s largest city and port via new all-steel Pullman cars and new electric locomotives.
After years of service and millions of passengers, Penn Station was sold to a developer and over a four-year period, the building was systematically demolished. Corinthian columns and statuary ended up as landfill in the swamps of the Meadowlands, N. J. The fourth incarnation of Madison Square Garden was built over the top of train platforms and is described as “a mingy low-ceiling affair little better than a bus depot.”
As the demolition of this magnificent structure began in October 1963, The New York Times lamented, “Any city gets what it admires, will pay for, and ultimately deserves. . . We want and deserve tin-can architecture in a tin-horn culture. And we will probably be judged not by the monuments we build but by those we have destroyed.”
One cannot help but draw comparisons between the fate of Penn Station and what might have happened to the Backus/AB complex. Without a small group of dedicated citizens who rallied, spoke out and organized, these buildings might have ended up as landfill.
With work on the replacement of both the AB and the Backus roofs well underway, it doesn’t appear as if the buildings are headed for the landfill. In the remarkably short time of just six months, over $274,000 was raised in cash, pledges and grants to fund this project.
Almost 900 individuals, businesses and groups donated to this endeavor. Individual donations came from alumni, seniors, families, memorials, honorariums and “seat sales.” Both the city of International Falls and Koochiching County participated along with the United Way, the Evangelical Covenant Church and Thrivent. One donor contributed over $4,000 worth of stock. Several individuals contributed over $3,000 each. Many people made pledges and paid anywhere from $10 per month to $100 per month for 12 months. The most common amount donated was $100. Two major grants were awarded in response to applications. The Minnesota Power Foundation donated $10,000 and the Otto Bremer Foundation made the single largest contribution with a grant of $75,000. The most generous private donation came from Sheri Dilworth in memory of her husband, Dan Dilworth, with a contribution of $25,000!
The Backus Board of Directors wishes to thank all those that made this fundraising campaign such a success. The fundraising committee worked tirelessly contacting individuals by mail, phone and in person. The Backus Friends Network, headed by Lynda Faith, spent many hours tabulating pledges, writing thank you notes and charting the campaign’s progress.
Jim Lucachick, of Lucachick Architecture in Bemidji, wrote the bid specifications, assisted with the bid process and continues as a consultant on the project. The Backus Building and Grounds Committee was delighted to recommend that the board award the project to Dan Herman of Herman Roofing, Inc. During the week of May 19, materials were lifted to the roof of the AB building and the tear-off process began the following week. With the addition of new insulation and a rubber membrane roof, and R value of almost 25 will be achieved resulting in a projected 20 percent savings in heat costs.
Pelland-Swenson & Associates have been hired to restore the interior of the parapet which surrounds the roof. Shannons, Inc. is working on repairs to the roof drainage system and diverter valves. These repairs will allow further interior projects to proceed. Four major capital improvement projects have been identified by our board and include:
• Installation of a commercial kitchen and remodeled dining area in Backus
• Installation of an elevator in Backus
• Renovation of the third floor of Backus and expanded occupancy by tenants
• Renovation and reuse of the AB building (approximately 20 residences and public spaces on the first floor)
The Backus Board of Directors is committed to retaining ownership and management of the entire complex. Redevelopment plans will proceed using as many local contractors and resources as possible. Our hope is to keep local dollars at work for us in our community and to use revenues from rents and leases as a sustainable source of revenue for the Backus Community Center.
Our board, staff and members extend a heartfelt “thank you” to our community, alumni, donors and supporters who have enabled us to raise over a quarter of a million dollars for this much needed project.
The roof renovation will allow us to move forward with plans to restore, remodel and reuse the interior spaces of both buildings. More importantly, this project signals a genuine commitment on the part of our community to the historical, cultural and current significance of these buildings. Both structures have served generations of International Falls youth and adults. They are true landmarks in the fabric of our lives that will stand for generations to come.