|
Title:
|
Partial Conservation Easement Release for Temple Beth Israel - 122 E. Culver St. (Ordinance S-46698)
|
Title
Partial Conservation Easement Release for Temple Beth Israel - 122 E. Culver St. (Ordinance S-46698)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to enter into necessary agreements and conveyances related to the conservation easement for Temple Beth Israel, located at 122 E. Culver St., to allow a 1957 addition to the historic temple building and a detached 1920s bungalow to be released from the City's conservation easement to eventually allow their demolition.
Report
Summary
Temple Beth Israel is located at the northwest corner of 2nd and Culver streets, adjacent to the Burton Barr Library. The parcel includes the temple building itself, a Bungalow-style house (historically unrelated to the synagogue) and site features such as parking and outdoor use areas. The Temple consists of the original 1921 synagogue and two additions, built in 1936 and 1957. The 1936 addition is a front classroom wing, which includes a hallway linking it to the original building; it is designed in the same style as the main building and utilizes the same brick and stucco construction and large wood windows. The 1957 addition is at the rear of the property and consists of a concrete block Fellowship Hall (with a semi-detached restroom building). Temple Beth Israel is architecturally significant as one of the few religious buildings--and the only synagogue--designed by the prolific Arizona architectural firm of Lescher & Mahoney. The property is also an excellent local example and late survivor of the Romanesque Revival style. See Attachment A.
In 2002, the Arizona Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) purchased the property to convert it to a Jewish Heritage Center and give it historic recognition. It was subsequently listed on the Phoenix Historic Property Register in 2006 and the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. The AJHS also received an Arizona Heritage Fund grant in 2007 and City of Phoenix Historic Preservation (HP) Bond Funds in 2008 to rehabilitate the property. In exchange for the grant funds, both the Arizona State HP Office and the City of Phoenix HP Office received conservation easements on the property, which remain in effect today. In April 2010, the rehabilitation project was completed, and the Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center officially opened to the public as a museum, educational center and event venue.
On April 6, 2020, staff received a request from Robert Graham of Motley Design Group, LLC, on behalf of the AJHS, requesting a partial release of the conversation easement that was recorded on the property in conjunction with the City’s grant project (Attachment B). The purpose of the partial release would be to allow the demolition of the 1957 addition and the noncontributing bungalow. The letter states that the AJHS is currently in the planning stages of a major expansion project that would replace these features with approximately 16,000 square feet of new museum space for the “Center for Hope, Humanity, and Holocaust Education.” The letter notes that the Arizona State HP Office has already concurred that removal of the 1957 addition and bungalow would have no adverse effect on the historic property and will be permissible under their easement.
Staff does not object to the removal of the 1957 addition (and, in fact, had already approved its demolition in 2007, prior to the recordation of the conservation easement), as it lacks the architectural character of the original building and 1936 addition. Staff also does not object to the removal of the bungalow, due to its lack of historical association with the synagogue.
Financial Impact
Payment records from the 2008 grant show that $40,785 of the $200,000 in grant funds were specifically used to rehabilitate the bungalow. This amount should be repaid to the City before the partial release is granted.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that the partial release of the conservation easement (Attachment C) on the historic Temple Beth Israel property, located at 122 E. Culver St., be approved subject to the following stipulations: (1) that the applicant repay the City the amount of $40,785, which, based on payment records, is the minimum amount of grant funds expended on the bungalow; and (2) that the Deed of Conservation Easement be amended to extend the term of the easement an additional 20 years to further protect the property and to recover the cost of any additional unidentified expenses from the 2008 grant.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Historic Preservation Commission recommended approval, subject to modified stipulations on April 20, 2020, by a vote of 8-0. The modifications are as follows:
That the applicant repay the City the amount of $40,785 for the amount of grant funds expended on the bungalow with the flexibility to allow repayment in multiple installments as long as payment is made in full prior to issuance of a demolition permit for the bungalow; and
That the Deed of Conservation Easement be amended to extend the term of the easement an additional 50 years; and
That no demolition permit be issued until a building permit has been issued for the new construction.
The City Council Land Use and Livability Subcommittee heard the item on May 20, 2020 and recommended approval of the Historic Preservation Commission recommendation, by a vote of 3-0.
Location
122 E. Culver St.
Council District: 7
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Planning and Development Department.