Historic Properties Reuse Study of the Anderson ... - City of Wabasha

ISSUES ANALYSIS
Condition/Design Issues
The Anderson House is generally in very good physical condition. A great deal of
substantial rehabilitation work has been completed during the past twenty years,
including a full window replacement, extensive repair of the exterior brick veneer,
rebuilding the cupola atop the building’s corner turret, installation of a sprinkler system
and replacement of an aging boiler. A summer storm during the reuse study damaged the
upper portion of the chimney and caused minor damage to the roof. This damage has
been repaired. The building has been heated and remains connected to water and electric
lines since the hotel/restaurant operation was closed in 2009.
As might be expected of a building its age, the Anderson House has experienced
numerous alterations over its long lifetime. In its original incarnation as the Hurd House,
the building was essentially a two-story timber framed residence with a hipped roof
surmounted by a small square cupola. The building was significantly expanded into a
true hotel building in the mid-1880s when a three-story brick-veneered addition was
appended to the original building. A second addition was built a few years later, bringing
the building to essentially its present form. Other changes have included the construction
and subsequent alteration of a two-story porch on the south end, numerous small
additions and subtractions on the back of the building, a change in the roofline of the
original building, reconfiguration of interior spaces, many maintenance and restoration
activities, and construction and demolition of a succession of outbuildings.
Interior finishes are worn and shabby. Bathrooms are cramped and improvised.
The basement bar is damp, musty, and accessible from inside the building only via a
circular iron stairway. Both the health and building inspector have indicated that they
would object to operating a bar in this area in the future.
The main kitchen and the bakery are separated by the lobby and the front desk. The main
kitchen has an unusually low ceiling. Floor, ceiling, wall, and shelf surfaces do not
conform to current health codes. Much of the equipment in the main kitchen is outdated
and need of replacement. The layout is inefficient.
The main dining rooms are located on the north end of the building, but there is also a
dining area on the south end that could accommodate meetings or large groups of diners.
This dining room opens into an enclosed porch.
Five original doorways provide access to the main level of the building from Main Street.
These doors would make it possible to subdivide the interior into individual retail or
office spaces without compromising the historic character of the exterior.
A complete photographic tour of the building, a detailed description of existing
conditions, and a full analysis of building, life safety, and health code issues and
accessibility concerns are appended to the report narrative.
Anderson House Reuse Study 6