Help sought to restore historic nurses' home

CROWN POINT | The concept of saving what architect James D. Smith called an endangered building and "a unique building to the planet" was pitched to area contractors and tradespeople Tuesday at Lucrezia's restaurant.

The luncheon meeting was organized to encourage them to help by donating at least a portion of the work needed for the project. Gloria Tuohy, artistic director of the Indiana Ballet Theatre and the driving force behind the effort to not only save the building but to transform it into a regional cultural arts center, has been working for 10 years on the project.

Tuohy said she has tenants for all the space in the building if it can be completed by the July 2016 deadline set by the Lake County Board of Commissioners, who donated the building to her.

Tuohy plans to operate a store on the first floor, and her ballet theatre would occupy the top floor. The rest of the building would be used by groups like South Shore Arts and a variety of other arts activities, and possibly would house a tearoom.

"For a building its age and for having sat idle for more than 30 years, it's in pretty good shape outside," Smith said. "Inside, a leaky roof and water have done damage. The wind was whistling through the building, and every time I'd go in I'd see another piece of plaster had fallen and see the raccoons scatter. It's moved along to the point where the building is preserved, and there is hope for it."

Built originally as a dormitory for nurses treating patients at the neighboring tuberculosis hospital at a cost of about $70,000, Smith said the cost to restore it and bring it up to current building codes will be about $3 million without some help from the contractors and tradespeople. The outside landscaping, including a tea garden, rose garden, natural playground, trails and other amenities, will be about another $1 million, he said.

Architect Taghi Arshame, who designed the landscaping, said, "This is a facility that could have a regional impact."

Among those at the luncheon was Gary Knesek, of Screen, Storm Window andLamp Repair Service in Crown Point. He has spent five years replacing and restoring all 127 windows, rebuilding the frames, reglazing them and painting the interior. He said all that's left is painting the outside when the weather warms and building storm windows to help preserve them.

James Sadlowski, project manager for Skyline Construction in Griffith, said he was drawn to the luncheon because all his family plays musical instruments and his sisters were in the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra.

"So we are interested in the arts," Sadlowski said. "And we hope to do some of the work inside. I drive by it a lot."

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Help sought to restore historic nurses' home