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Town Clock Relocationwww. cb-sisco.cora Assurex Cottingham & Butler C&S Insurance I SI$CO I HealthCorp I Safety Management Established 1887 August 1, 2001 The Honorable Mayor Terrance Duggan and Members of the City Council Dubuque City Hall 50 West 13th St. Dubuque, IA 52001 Dear Mayor Duggan and Members of the City Council, The Town Clock Building Company is the owner of the Town Clock Building at 835 Main Street in Dubuque. We offer the City of Dubuque the Town Clock Building as a pedestal for the "City Clock". 33re City of Dubuque would retain ownership of the City Clock as it has for the past 129 years. In 1872 Emily B. and Geo D. Wood planned to construct a three story building in the 800 Block of Main Street in Dubuque. At the same time the City of Dubuque expressed a desire to locate a "City Clock" on Main Street. On September 16, 1872, the Woods and the City Council entered into an agreement which granted the City the right to erect a tower for the City Clock on the new building. The City Clock was built and placed on the building and remained a Main Street landmark for almost 100 years. The City Clock was relocated to its present location in the early 1970 s as part of the urban renewal project. The Town Clock Building is being completely renovated, in and out, at a cost of over $2,000,000.00. The restoration work to the exterior of the building reveals a lovely historic facade which with the addition of the City Clock must have been the talk of the town in 1873. The renovation work will restore this historic building to its original appearance; the only thing needed to have a complete replica will be the location of the City Clock on top of the building. We bare hired the services of the Durrant Group to inspect the building for structural soundness and expect to receive a report in the near furore which will verify that the structure will support the City Clock. In making the proposal to the City for the location of the City Clock, it was our thought that the City Council would have an interest in locating the City Clock at its original location where it resided for almost 100 years. Ihe placement of the City Clock in its original location would not only serve a historical purpose but also would result in a more efficient use of Main Street and provide a safer ~venue for pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic. The cost to the City to relocate the City Clock probably would be offset by the money saved in the design and construction of a cumbersome :ound-about the Clock in its present location. We vision the relocation of the City Clock as another significant step forward in a revitalized downtown Dubuque. Thus, we will be pleased to work with City officials to develop an agreement for use of the building for location of the City Clock. Sincerely, Town Clock Building Company Jo'~in E. l~ufler, President CC: Michael Van Milligen, Kevin Eipperle, Teny Mozena, John Gronen, Jerry Enzler lEB:jkb Main Strcct and the Town Clock Ausust 1,2001 A letter to the Honorable/Mayor of Dubuque,/Members of City Council, City/Manager, and other Dubuque citizens for whom this may concern: I regret that I am not able to be present for the Coundi meeting i~onday. I would like to express my opinion on this recent matter before you. I am a Dubuque dtizen and an architect. /~y graduate study focus was on urban design and historic preservation. I spent 9 years on the Dubuque Historic Preservation Commission in the 1980's. I have traveled a fair bit and have studied in Europe. I have no stake in this matter except a going concern about the future of this city architecturaity. /~y opinions in this matter are strictly limited to the urban design and architectural aspects. I present them this way so you may realize the purely technical urban design points without any social or pe[itica[ overtones. I hope this helps you in coming to the right decision. The decision to open the plaza to vehicular traffic was the right one for the sake of urban design today and for the future in Dubuque. The pedestrian mat[ came with urban renewal and a planning trends common in the sixties brought over from Europe. Ironically, most of the pedestrian streets developed in Europe were, and stilt are, very successful The reason ties in certain technicalities and application. For exampte, one of the first ones, in Copenhagen, has worked because they converted a obscure, narrow, winding, side street that [ends itseff ideally to pedestrian traffic. Dubuque's primary problem was the app[icatinn of a "main" street within a tight grid. Consequent[y, it grid[ocked the very commercial core of the city. This is a core that needs both vehicles and pedestrians accessing it freely to keep it vita[. I betieve many peol~e today realize this and that is why the decision was made to open it back up. This is happening att across America. We are not atone. The grid plan was used in America because it provided an efficient and strate~.ic way to accommodate rapid growth. It allowed commerce to develop quickty. Cities were [aid out by peopte who had never even set foot in the territory. In Dubuque, the grid was modified to the terrain and the setttement, and as we att know, with various odd connections in severa[ places. /~ain Street, however, was very dearty intended to be the centra[ core of the city. For most of its history, it was an incredibte street. It connected everything involved in a city. The commercial/retail core in the center, industria[ in the tower end, and residential including some of the finest homes in Dubuque on the upper end. It was a straight shot through, visual[y, on foot, by horse and buggy, by car, by truck, and it worked tike crazy for many many years. The street needs that opportunity to work Eke that again and I am happy that we have started the process. The question on the Town Clock is dear to me. From an urban design perspective the dock should be moved because it wi[[ be in the middle of our new revitalized street. Some have su~ested that we create a round-about. Physicatiy, this may he possible (bare[y), but it would be a gross technical mistake architecturally. There are many cities in the world that have systems designed on a radia[ street axiat type plan with roundabouts surrounding monuments. ~'~ny were reshaped after the original grid was in place, lndianapoUs is one example and there are many others. The amount of space required to do this correctly and successfu[ty woutd technically invotve many city blocks. It woutd be radicatty impractical for a smart city buitt on a tight grid such as Dubuque. Att we need is a vita[core and the application of a round-about in this case would counter-act the overall effect of what is needed. A simple two way through street unobstructed, with parking and sidewalks. /~ain Street and the Town Clock, Page 2 August 1,2001 I could go further with more points why and give more examples but please trust me on this. The decision on whether or not to move the clock is really the easy part in terms of design. It should be moved. The street needs to have the least interruption possibte. The question of what to do with it once its moved, would normally be the really tough part of the design problem. This ts why the proposal offered by Cottingham and Butler is almost amazingly fortunate. I am not writing this on behalf of anyone but myseff and on the basis of my own training and experience. I support good design decisions and that is the extent of it. This is an opportunity. I hope you realize how difficult it would be to find an appropriate iocation for the clock. The location they have presented ts ideal. It ts where it once stood. It fits architecturally with the street, the space and the facade. We have a willing party, it will have a great story, and htstoricat meaning. It could not be better historically and architecturally ali around. I have a few thoughts on A~ain Street development for you to keep in mind. Good urban design in this case calls for an open street. Ideally one unrestricted by jut-ins and jut-outs, special parking lanes, or special vehicles. The street should dominate and create the energy for the space. Pb~za or parkway type effects shoutd be kept to a minimum. This will a~so save costs and upkeep. Two way access, side street flow and parking should exist on both sides. The commercial establishments on the street level should be those having a walk-in or commercial trade with storefront needs, shops, selling goods primarily or high turn over services. Offices without a lot of walk-in trade are nat ideal at the street level. Thank you for you attention on this. I am always available for questions and further discussion at any time. Sincerely, Chalie Glab Architect DON'T MOVE THE CLOCK Clock's unique contribution to the identity of downtown would be compromised by David Wm. Rusk A proposal to move our community's beloved Town Clock from its current location to the roof of the privately owned building on which it once stood appears to be fast tracking its way toward consideration by the city com~cil. While I'm always one for expeditious decision ma3:ing, I do hope that the significant implications of moving the clock are fully digested prior to any decision. I wish to strongly advocate that our Town Clock remain where it is. Only in its current location will the clock continue to give the heart of our downtown its unique identity. Since 1970, our Town Clock has occupied its current position atop a specially constructed arched platform in the center of what has consequently been known as Town Clock Plaza. The configuration offers a unique marriage of historic and contemporary design that reflects well on a city that is always moving forward but with a respect for its past. While the pedestrian plaza in which it stands has for over thirty years been a distinguishing characteristic of this area of our downtown, it is the clock itself that has played the most significant role in defining the area. It is our Town Clock, only when kept in its current location, that offers the best hope for retaining the distinctive flavor and sense of place that gives the downtown its unique identity once the planned opening of Main Street is completed, eliminating the linear pedestrian plaza. It is our Town Clock, only when positioned where it is, that will spare the area from evolving into just another downtown main street. Our Town Clock is prominent in our cityscape when viewed from most any direction today. It marks our city centre like no other landmark. One need only stand at either end of Main Street, or at any of an innumerable collection of vantage points from surrounding streets, the bluffs, the riverfront or elsewhere, to see that this is tree. Though the building to which it is proposed the clock be moved is little more than a block away from where the clock now stands, because of the positioning of other large structures that loom around the building, together with the fact that the building is at the side of the street rather than at the center, the relocation of our Town Clock to the building would significantly impact the visibility the clock enjoys and therefore its defining role in lending the area its unique identity. While it is apparently the case that the clock itself would remain publicly owned under the proposal to move it, and that the city would be allowed access to it for maintenance, that fact that it would stand on private property and access to it would be essentially controlled by a private party, is in itself an assault to civic sensibilities. The city moved our Town Clock from its perch on the privately owned building and mounted it atop its platform to create a wholly public monument in a grand gesture toward the public good thirty years ago. It would seem inappropriate to reverse that today. I'm told that the return of the clock to the building at 835 Main might qualify it for historic landmark status. While that would indeed be a wonderful consequence, the allure of establishing such an honor for a privately held building pales in the loss of the public landmark that would result. Our community has collectively suffered an interminable ambivalence over the fate of the area of Main Street known as To~vn Clock Plaza and particularly, the question of whether to open it to vehicular traffic or keep it closed for the exclusive use of pedestrians. Ail of us know friends and neighbors, business contacts and others who stand intractably on one side or the other as to that question. Personally, I have remained publicly neutral to the issue though I have always questioned in private whether we'll really gain anything by opening up the street. I know we'll lose something. I also know that part of what helped me accept the decision to open Main Street was the companion expectation that the clock would remain where it is. I believe that this is the case for many others as well. To deny this risks fracturing a public acceptance of the plan to open the street that is tenuous at best. Assuming that we continue on the path toward opening Main Street as the city council has most recently decided, the roundabout design proposed to accommodate the clock where it stands offers consolation to those who have opposed the opening. Not only will the design reflect an appealing and unique European style streetscape feature in the roundabout, it will go a long way toward retaining the sense of the pedestrian and festival friendly atmosphere that those parties are most fearful of losing. Plans call for the area to be closed to vehicular traffic at certain times and the prominent positioning of the clock in what would be the middle of the street will be a strong deterrence to "dragging the gut" at any time. As to a claim I've heard that using a roundabout design within our traditional "grid pattern" street layout is incongruous, so what? Our Dubuque on the Mississippi is certainly already resplendent with unique and unusual street patterns. This is simply a facet of the special character of our city. The fact is that a roundabout around our magnificent Town Clock will only enhance the distinctive landmark as the centerpiece of this area of our downtown and will encourage people to visit it. As each of the historic districts of our downto~vn enjoys something unique and distinguishing, so will the heart of our downtown continue to enjoy our Town Clock as its focal point. Thirty years ago, our city gave to its citizens a wonderful and defining public landmark in the relocation of our magnificent Town Clock to its current site. Let's not diminish that gesture by returning it to a lesser role. [Editor's Note: The author is the longest serving member of the City of Dubuque Long Range Planning Advisory Commission. He serves as chair of the Downtown Planning Committee.]