Board awards Read House demo

It appears that time is running out for the Read House.

The Mentor Public Library Board voted Feb. 17 to enter a contract with ProSupply Inc. for the abatement and demolition of the 1868 former residence.

CT Consultants — the architect on the project — recommended ProSupply, pending final contract approval from legal counsel. The contract is for $54,434, including a $5,000 contingency.

“The contract will likely take several weeks to finalize,” library Spokesman Jason Lea said.

“Consequently, no timeline for the building’s demolition is presently available.”

There were nine total bids with the highest coming in at $68,000.

The property is next door to the library’s main branch at 8245 Mentor Ave. Lea noted that the Read House lawn provides a unique opportunity to offer outdoor library programming, and it has been used to host concerts, campfires, community art projects, story times, Summer Reading parties and more.

“More than 11,000 of our patrons have attended programs there,” he said.

However, the building presents numerous challenges. Additions and repairs were made over a decade in attempts to make it more user-friendly for the public, including:

• Making the building’s first floor ADA-compliant and adding an entry ramp

• Adding structural supports to the basement so it could handle the increased foot traffic

• Lead paint and asbestos abatement completed during previous repairs

“Despite these renovations, it was difficult to make a previously private home serve as a public building,” Lea said. “The small rooms on the main floor couldn’t be reconfigured because the walls were loadbearing. And the second floor didn’t have ADA access, nor could it structurally support anything more than light storage.

“As a result, the use of the building was limited, even before the pandemic.”

Book sales were held on the first floor, and the front room was used for a small group weekly children’s story time. Even then, the small rooms and narrow halls presented obstacles to patrons, especially those with mobility issues, he said.

In 2018, the library contracted with a construction company and an architect to assess the potential for upgrades. The company and architect recommended several repairs, including: replacing the front porch, foundation masonry work, repairs to cracking plaster in the walls and ceiling, and replacing siding and windows.

The library then hired a specialist, who confirmed that lead paint was present and asbestos was in the walls. While safe to be inside, any interior structural repair would require costly asbestos and lead paint abatement.

The library conservatively estimated that it would cost more than $200,000 for the building to meet public safety standards.

Officials investigated possible funding sources, including reaching out to the state, but none were found. Ultimately, it was deemed cost-prohibitive to renovate the building.

This left the library with two options: selling the building or demolishing it. It has been on the sales block for 18 months with no offers.

The library also contacted the Lake County History Center and Cleveland Restoration Society. Neither were able to assist with funding or were interested in procuring the building.

The library will continue to use the surrounding property for outdoor programming. Efforts to preserve some furnishings in the building are being investigated.

A local carpenter is interested in repurposing parts of the building to make furniture. The Lake County History Center also has expressed interest in potentially preserving some unique interior furnishings, Lea said.

The library purchased the home from the Reed family for $172,000 in 2009. All Read House activities were moved to the main branch a few years ago.

The house was valued at $49,270 in 2019, and the 1.33-acre land on which it sits is valued at $141,570, according to the Lake County Auditor’s website.

It was named a Heritage Home by the Lake County Historical Society in 1968.