State officials,
citizens debate
mansion use
Photos by Miles Theiler
By Susanne Schafer
The great stone walls of the Ferguson mansion
won't come tumbling down if a volunteer committee
of Lincoln architects has anything to say about it.
Robert Hanna, one of five architects in the group,
said Gov. J. James Exon Tuesday requested Hanna's
committee to study thenvirons of the state capitol,
which includes the Ferguson mansion.
The mansion, located at 700 So. 16th St., has been
the center of disagreement among state officials and
private citizens in recent months.
In June, the State Building Commission
questioned whether the building is worth repairing.
The mansion was bought by the state from the
Ferguson family. They built it in 1906. The roof,
exterior wood and front porch reportedly need
repair.
The house, which has a ballroom on the third
floor, is listed in the National Register of Historic
Places. It is said to be one of the few homes west of
the Mississippi River constructed in the Renaissance
Revival style of the late 1800's. It was built by
William Ferguson, a pioneer businessman in Nebraska,
according to Marvin Kivett, director of the Nebraska
State Historical Society.
Kivett said he toured the mansion in the summer
as part of a committee which suggested that an
"adaptive use" be found for the building.
The State Historical Society has not "expressed
involvement" in the matter, Kivett said, "but I would
hate to see the home made into a parking lot." Kivett
said the state has the potential for receiving federal
funds to aid in renovation.
But in the opinion of the State Building
Commission, the building "is not one that we want to
preserve," according to Tom Doyle, secretary to the
commission.
The commission, which includes an architect
among its members, thinks the building is not unique
and has no historical value, Doyle said.
He said the commission estimated it would cost
between $125,000 and $160,000 to repair the house,
excluding renovation costs. "The commission is not
i -lined to spend $160,000," he added.
Doyle said the commission directed that the
home's present condition, repair and renovation costs
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and alternative uses be studied. George Miller, who
now is overseeing the sandblasting of the Statehouse,
will head the study.
The house was not purchased by the state as a
historical landmark, but so the state could control the
immediate vicinity of the Capitol, Doyle said.
Hanna said Tuesday the repair estimates of the
commission are "ficticious and frightfully
exaggerated." He said he has not been able to
conduct a complete study of the house, "but it is the
opinion of my committee that the Ferguson mansion
ought to stay."
Hanna said saving the mansion has architectural,
historical and economic merit.
"The home was built before the Capitol was. We
ought to keep this touch of Nebraska heritage in the
area."
Hanna said he has suggested to the governor that
the mansion be used to house the state Bicentennial
Commission or another state agency.
"We don't want the building to stand empty.
Every dollar spent to repair it would be worth it," he
said.
Although the house, in Hanna's opinion, is not a
good example of the period style, he said such a
building will never be built again.
"If the Building Commission tears the mansion
down, I have no doubt that the area will be used only
for a parking lot," he said.
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Warning removed; library hazard remains
By Dave Madsen
The construction north of Love
Library continues. The temporary
walkway still exists, but the
"Danger Use at Your Own Risk" sign
is gone. However, according to
officials of George Cook Construction
Co., the danger still exists.
The Cook Co. spokesman, who
wished to remain anonymous, said the
sign was taken down because of the
adverse publicity the walkway received
in Friday's Daily Nebraskan.
He said a new sign probably will be
posted with a less severe warning. He
mentioned "Caution Construction
Area" as a possibility. The same
danger still is present, however, he
said.
According to Del Busatker, UNL
Physical Plant construction engineer,
the sign was removed at the suggestion
of the Physical Plant.
"Physical Plant reviewed the
temporary walkway and deemed it to
be safe for temporary use," Busacker
said.
He said the sign was originally put
up by the construction company
"without a lot of thought as to what
may have been the results."
Busacker said that he suggested to
the company that if they had to put
up a sign, for legal or insurance
reasons, the sign should carry only a
miid warning such as "Caution."
Eaile W. Brown, environmental
health engineer for UNL
Environmental Health and Safety said
lie will check the area in question
today.
A state o Nebraska safety official
is also expected to inspect the site.
page 9
Wednesday, September 12, 1973
daily nebraskan