Facing the prospect of imminent rehabilitation costs in the millions, the city issues a request for proposals for the aging, iconic Hall of Waters
While the public areas of the 77-year-old Hall of Waters are eye-catching, city officials say the building’s mechanical and physical infrastructure are facing repair/replacement costs well above what they can afford. (Photo by David Knopf)
The Hall of Waters isn’t only one of the most historic, beautiful buildings in the area, but likely the single most valuable symbol of Excelsior Springs and its mineral water heritage.
However, now home to city offices, the municipal court and the Downtown Excelsior Partnership, the building is also 77 years old and showing its age.
The Hall’s mechanical infrastructure – heating, cooling, water etc. – are all in need of renovation or replacement, City Councilwoman Sonya Morgan says, to the extent that fitting the building with a new heating-air system would cost between $2 million and $2.6 million.
That cost, Morgan said last Thursday, is beyond the city’s means and doesn’t take into account other first-priority recommendations made in an assessment and feasibility study concluding in November 2014.
While the building’s aged boiler is perhaps the most urgent priority that faces the city, the study also listed structural repairs and shoring to the North Terrace Well Room ($124,729), Hall of Springs Water Bar Fountain structural repairs ($236,461) and rehabilitation of the building’s iconic tower ($276,455) as phase-one priorities.
In addition to noting the need for less immediate work – ranging anywhere from two to 10-plus years from the study’s completion – the report noted that costs for an environmental assessment for possible hazardous-material removal and professional fees for each repair/replacement weren’t included in the totals.
In a discussion Thursday with Excelsior Springs Standard Publisher Brian Rice, Morgan said the city had been approached by two individuals, one representing a non-profit trust and the other a physician interested in forming a partnership to privately rehabilitate the Hall of Waters.
With the building’s reputation and physical beauty, there may be additional interest out there.
To read more, please see the Tuesday, April 12 issue of The Excelsior Springs Standard