Posted on April 9th, 2013 4:04 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Advisory
Contact: Tricia Sandahl, Planning & Zoning Mgr/Project Mgr.; City Hall, 10 First St. NW, Mason City; 641-421-3626; tsandahl@masoncity.net
RFP for Egloff House Relocation Released
City seeks new owner and location for the William and Margaret Egloff House
Mason City, IA – April 8, 2013: On Monday, April 8, 2013, the City of Mason City’s Development Services Department released the first of two Requests for Proposals (RFP) to relocate historic structures acquired as part of the City’s flood buyout project. Today’s RFP deals exclusively with the William and Margaret Egloff House, 655 7th St. NE. The RFP, Move Feasibility Study and the Iowa Site Inventory Form for the house can be downloaded from the City’s web site at http://tinyurl.com/EgloffHouse.
The property is located at 655 7th Street NE. The house was completed in 1939 and remains largely intact. Designed by Earle Richard Cone and built by local builder Arne Holvik, the house is built in the Art Moderne style. The main level of the house includes a living room with a fireplace, office, eat-in kitchen, dining room, laundry room and half bath. The upper level contains 5 bedrooms, 2 ½ bathrooms, a family room and two outdoor decks. The house sits on a partial basement. When relocated, the substantial footprint of the house will offer the new owner the opportunity to establish a modern finished basement area for use as a mother-in-law suite, accessory apartment or man-cave. While constructed as a single-family residence, the house is also well suited to adaptive re-use as a professional office or a bed and breakfast. The house has been determined to eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Acquisition of the Egloff House was funded by FEMA and the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
The house and two small accessory structures that are also original to the site are to be moved off of the site by December 31, 2013. Proposals will be scored to determine how close they come to achieving the goals set by the Mason City Historic Preservation Commission. FEMA rules require that the City use price as one of the evaluation criteria for the proposals, but price will play a very small part in the overall scoring of the proposals. The City will execute a
relocation agreement with the proposer committing to relocation and rehabilitation strategies that most closely compliments the goals set by the Commission.
The Commission hopes that the house is relocated within Mason City, rehabilitated and listed on the National Register. Ideally, the house will be used as a single-family residence but a proposal for adaptive re-use will be considered. FEMA has committed to provide funds to offset a portion of the cost of the move if the new owner commits to maintaining the house’s eligibility for the NRHP. In addition, federal and state historic preservation tax credits may be available and the City of Mason City may be able to provide 100% tax abatement for five years if the house is kept in Mason City and reused as a single-family or two-family residence. Proposers are encouraged to be creative and innovative when looking at reuse options for the house.
Open houses are scheduled at the Egloff House on Saturday, April 27 and June 15, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. City staff will be available to discuss the RFP packet and application process at each Open House as well as at two assistance and information sessions on May 2 and June 6. Both sessions are being held in conjunction with a Historic Preservation Commission meeting and will run from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM in the 2nd floor conference room at City Hall. Proposals for relocation are due June 28, 2013 by 4:00pm at City Hall.
A second request will be released next week and includes 10 additional properties in the Oak Park neighborhood. The City’s website also has information on all these houses, exterior building photos and the Iowa Site Inventory Forms noting the historic value of the individual properties.
The Egloff House Relocation is part of the historical mitigation work associated with the City’s flood buyout project. The project is funded, in part, by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
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To find out more, go to: tinyurl.com
