By Tim Arnett
WABASH,Indiana – Indiana Landmarks may try and save the historic building located at 45 East Sinclair Street in Wabash. At the City of Wabash Board of Public Works meeting Thursday afternoon, Paul Hayden, Community Preservation Specialist for Indiana Landmarks, asked the board for 90 days for the non-profit organization to determine whether to take on the building’s exterior renovation. If it does, Hayden said he expects work on the exterior alone to cost $30,000 to $40,000. When asked by board member Todd Titus where that money would come from, Hayden responded by saying it will come through grants and fundraising efforts.
The house at 45 East Sinclair Street first came up at the February 17th Board of Public Works meeting. Interestingly, the apparent owner, Kenny Crace, told MiBash News the next day that he did not in fact own the building. He pointed to Claude Ferguson who received Crace’s quit claim deed in May 2015 which, by all accounts, was never recorded. What made things confusing to city officials is that they say Crace offered to donate the land to the city just last month. City Attorney Randi Zimmerman-Irgang told MiBash News that a non-owner obviously cannot promise to give the city land he does not own and they also point to the fact that Crace is the current owner because they cannot find Ferguson’s deed.
Hayden told MiBash News that Ferguson does not want the historic property either. Hayden admitted that in its current state it is a liability to whomever owns it. Indiana Landmarks deals with hundreds of historic building every year around the state, and Hayden explains whether it is unusual to have two potential owners relinquish claims on such a historic property.
The structure at 45 East Sinclair Street dates from 1840 and the cottage was built in a federal raised-foundation style. Hayden said that the design of the house is extremely unusual in this part of the county, saying that a structure with a six-foot-tall foundation topped with brick is usually found in the south. He also believes the building had something to do with the railroad tracks that runs along the building’s south side. Hayden said that he heard that at one time it was used as a boarding house with a pub in the basement.
If Indiana Landmarks take on the house, they will try and stabilize the exterior before the coming winter hits. The non-profit would not work on the interior at all, instead leaving that to an owner who would later buy the property. The building has many issues, including two large cracks in the masonry, settling of the rear of the structure which would likely require some demolition and an interior that is taking on water and is in extremely poor shape. Crace apparently bought the house in 1997, but it has been vacant since 2010. Crace told MiBash News in February that he simply wants the property saved.