v-lucretia-mott-school by Oakland Planning and Development Corporation

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

Introduction RATIO Architects, Inc. was retained by Englewood Community Development Corporation (CDC) to evaluate the former Lucretia Mott School (Indianapolis Public School No. 3) at 23 N. Rural Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Lucretia Mott School, Indianapolis Public Schools No. 3, 1906 (Indiana Historical Society, Bass Photo Collection).

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1913

The Lucretia Mott School was built in 1905 and opened in September of that year. The William P. Jungclaus Co. was the contractor, and the building cost nearly $43,000. The school was named for Lucretia Mott (1793-1880), an American abolitionist, social reformer, feminist, and Quaker minister. The original building seems to have contained eight classrooms. A three-story wing was added to the northeast corner of the building during 1912-1913, at a cost of over $31,000. The addition was designed by Indianapolis architect Clarence Martindale. The third floor of this wing features two classrooms which housed the first open-air school in Indiana. This program, introduced at Lucretia Mott School in 1913, was intended to help students who were anemic, undernourished, or who had been exposed to tuberculosis. The open-air classrooms were referred to as a “roof garden” by newspapers of the period. During 1915-1916, a two-story wing was added to the southeast corner of the building, matching the earlier addition and creating a U-shaped building. This addition cost over $24,000. The school contained twenty-two classrooms after the 1915-1916 addition. A gymnasium/auditorium was added to the west end of the southwest wing c.1955. The school closed in 1980 and was acquired by Wheeler Mission Ministries for use as a women’s and children’s shelter, now known as the Care Center. The Care Center intends to build a new facility in the near future and would be donating the building to the Englewood CDC. The Lucretia Mott School building has been evaluated for its potential reuse as a charter school, affordable housing complex, or mixed-use facility. This re-use study includes two sections: 1) Existing Conditions and 2) Rehabilitation and Reuse Recommendations. This study was funded in part by a Marion County Historic Preservation Fund grant from the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana (HLFI).

View in open-air classroom in winter, c.1913

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

Existing Conditions This phase includes field observations of the Lucretia Mott School No. 3 building, both architectural and structural; evaluation of the existing features, materials and systems; evaluation of building and accessibility code implications.

Rehabilitation and Reuse Recommendations

Lucretia Mott School students in the wool “Eskimo suits” worn in the open-air classrooms during winter.

This phase includes the development of conceptual floor plans depicting the recommended rehabilitation and reuse for the proposed use. A conceptual cost magnitude forecast for the work associated with the rehabilitation and reuse recommendations has also been developed. The proposed rehabilitation and reuse recommendations for the building have been designed to comply with the Secretary of Interior’s “Standards for Rehabilitation” for the purposes of obtaining state and/or federal financial assistance. RATIO has also consulted with the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology regarding the historic significance of the building, its potential for listing on the state and national registers of historic places and potential issues that may impact the rehabilitation and its eligibility to obtain the rehabilitation tax credits.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1940

Lucretia Mott School, c.1950.

Representatives of the team completed three site visits; an initial meeting with Englewood CDC on August 15, 2008, a second, more thorough visit on September 16, 2008 to complete detailed observations, and a third visit on November 5, 2008 to walk through the building with a contractor and Englewood CDC. Basic overall measurements of both the exterior and the interior of the building were obtained and the building was photographically documented. Base floor plans were developed in AutoCAD (.dwg) format, based on drawings provided by Englewood CDC. These drawings were utilized to facilitate square footage calculations and the development of diagrammatic unit layouts within the building.

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

Building Description The former Lucretia Mott School No. 3 is a masonry bearing-wall structure with wood-framed interior floor systems. The 1912-1913 northeast wing has a cast-inplace concrete roof deck with integral concrete beams. The c.1955 auditorium/ gymnasium wing is a CMU bearing-wall building with a metal joist roof structure. The roof deck appears to be a cast-in-place concrete slab over metal decking.

Former Lucretia Mott School, Indianapolis Public Schools No. 3, 2008.

Name plaque over front entrance.

View of northeast wing with open-air classrooms on third floor level.

The main entrance is located in the center of the west façade, facing Rural Street. A wide flight of stairs leads up to the main hall on the first floor. The entrance staircase is flanked by two offices, likely the principal’s and nurse’s offices. At the top of the entrance staircase is a glass-fronted room. A U-shaped hallway connects all the classrooms on each floor. Staircases are located at the center of the north and south sides of the building. The north staircase extends to the third floor of the northeast wing. The second floor follows the general plan of the first, although the central space was originally open and served as the auditorium. This space was later enclosed to create two classrooms (now the large shower rooms). The third floor contained the two open-air classrooms, with large banks of windows. Small restrooms were also located on this floor. The basement originally contained the boiler and fan rooms, service spaces, the mechanical training classrooms, restrooms, and one classroom. The basement also contained two locker rooms with terrazzo-floored showers, apparently added in the 1950s. The hallways have pressed metal ceilings and the first floor retains its built-in tambour-door lockers. Classroom doors were originally half-glazed with privacy glass and had large pivoting transoms above. Most of these entrances remain intact. Many first-floor transoms retain their painted room numbers. The classrooms had hardwood floors, plaster walls, pressed metal ceilings and built-in cabinets. Some of the original slate chalkboards remain in place on the classroom walls.

Most of the classrooms now have suspended ceilings concealing the pressed metal ceilings and the transom level of the windows. The hardwood floors remain exposed in the first floor hall. Most of the classrooms are now carpeted and the shower and toilet room floors are covered in vinyl tile. The staircases have

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

been enclosed with partition walls at the first and second floor levels. Most of the second floor classrooms have been divided by partial-height partitions to create dormitory spaces.

Damage to ceiling over main entrance.

Main entrance off Rural Street.

Historic photographs of the building show banks of wood double-hung windows. The central part of the front façade featured pairs of 1-over-1 double-hung sashes, each topped by a tall transom. Most classroom windows consisted of banks of three windows, with a wider 2-over-2 double-hung window flanked by two narrower 1-over-1 double-hung sashes, each topped by a transom. The windows of the two rear wings, except for the open-air classrooms, matched those of the original building. The open-air classrooms were fitted with 2-over-4 sashes which pivoted horizontally on the center of each sash. The windows of the east façade have been replaced with inoperable metal windows. Most of the classroom windows on the other facades have been infilled with metal siding and small, horizontal sliding casement windows. The original windows remain in place in the staircases, two classrooms, the first floor hallways, and the third floor hall. The exterior of the building is clad in red brick with brick quoins at the corners. The front entrance features a neoclassical limestone door surround. The window sills and water-table are of limestone. The basement level features rusticated brickwork. There was originally a sheet-metal neoclassical cornice which wrapped around the original 1906 building and the southeast wing. The existing basement mechanical room contains a boiler system which does not appear to be in service. The equipment is very old, some of it possibly dating to 1906. Each former classroom is presently conditioned by a separate residential HVAC system located in a mechanical closet within each space.

View in south staircase.

Site The space between the Lucretia Mott School building and Rural Street consists of a lawn with a retaining wall at the sidewalk. The area to the south of the building is presently a fenced playground and was formerly the main entrance of the auditorium/ gymnasium. Just south of the playground, and several feet lower in elevation, is an alley running east-west through the block. Just across this alley is the East Washington Street Branch of the Indianpolis-Marion County Public Library, a Carnegie library building

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

built in 1911. To the north is a parking lot, which wraps around the east side of the building. This parking lot is surrounded by a tall chain-link fence. North of the school is the Englewood Christian Church. At the rear is an alley running north-south. The internal courtyard is partly paved with concrete pavers and partly lawn. To the east and west are primarily residential streets.

View of interior courtyard, showing original wood windows, filled openings with vinyl sash, and metal sash windows in Auditorium wing.

Tar applied over scar where cornice was removed. Spalled brick over window.

Aerial view of site with approximate property boundary shown in red. ÂŠ2008 RATIO Architects, Inc.

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

Deterioration and mortar loss on main chimney.

Building Condition The exterior brick masonry is in good condition overall, but requires tuckpointing in several areas. Several areas of the parapet have spalled brick, which should be replaced. After the removal of the sheetmetal cornice, part of the front faĂ§ade was coated in what appears to be tar from the cornice level to the top of the parapet. The brick veneer of the c.1955 gymnasium/auditorium wing is in very good condition. The main chimney, located on the north side of the building, appears to be in poor condition, with extensive mortar loss, spalled brick and visible cracks. The exteriors of the brick chimneys of the west and southeast wings appear to be in good condition. The wooden cornice and metal gutters of the northeast wing appear to be in good condition, with only one leak visible on the south side. The steel fire escape on the northeast wing appears to be in fair condition and should be inspected to determine its safety. The existing windows appear to be in fair condition overall. The existing exterior doors have suffered heavy use and many are in poor condition.

Water damage in southeast wing, first floor.

Overall, the building appears to be structurally sound, with no significant bowing of masonry walls or sagging wood floors. While the building has not suffered extensive water damage, some areas do show evidence of water infiltration. The gymnasium/auditorium space appears to have had several roof leaks. The northeast corner of the southeast wing has suffered from leaks which have led to plaster and wood trim deterioration from the roof to the basement. Further investigation of the wall and floor structure in this area should be undertaken in the future. The interior of the building appears to be in good condition, although many of the existing finishes are in fair to poor condition. The existing suspended ceilings vary in condition from fair to poor. Some panels have sustained water damage or are missing, while others have bowed or discolored with age. The pressed metal ceilings appear to be in good condition in the areas where they are visible. Some minor water damage is visible near the former radiator pipe penetrations. A portion of the metal ceiling over the main entrance stair has apparently bowed down and been covered with plywood. This may be the result of a water leak at some point.

View in first floor hall.

ÂŠ2008 RATIO Architects, Inc.

The original hardwood flooring is covered in most spaces. In the first floor hall, the hardwood flooring

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

has been refinished and appears to be in good condition. Most of the original flooring is covered with commercial carpet or vinyl composite tile. These later floor finishes have suffered from years of heavy use and are in poor condition overall. The condition of the hardwood floors below is not known, but exposed portions appear to be in good condition. The concrete floors of the basement and northeast wing appear to be in good condition in areas where they are not covered with carpet or vinyl tile. Many of these concrete floors have been painted. Roof of southeast wing.

Cornice of northeast wing in good condition.

The age of the existing asphalt roll roofing is not known. The northeast corner of the southeast wing appears to be the only area that has suffered from major leaks. The roofing does not overlap the interior of the parapets, leaving the potential for future leaks. The condition of existing mechanical and electrical systems is questionable and it is assumed these systems will require total replacement to accommodate the building’s new use. At present, each former classroom is conditioned by a separate residential HVAC unit. Older steam or hot water pipes are covered in pipe wrap which may contain asbestos. It is not known if the building has been inspected for asbestoscontaining materials or other hazardous materials. Such an inspection is not within the scope of this report, but should be conducted in the near future. The existing plumbing system appears to be in fair to good condition but would likely be replaced to accommodate the building’s new use. Originally the restrooms were located in the basement and on the third floor. Combined shower and toilet rooms were added in former classrooms and hallways after the building became a shelter. These facilities would require total replacement to accommodate the building’s new use. The fire alarm system appears to date from the period when the school was still in use (pre-1980). It is not known if the system is still functional. Some alarm stations with “break glass in case of fire” alarm boxes remain, while others have been replaced with more modern alarm pulls.

Fire alarm box, first floor hall.

Accessibility Issues The Lucretia Mott School building contains three floors and a basement level. The school building has one grade-level entry which leads directly to stairs. Other entrances have one or more exterior steps. The

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

building does not presently contain an elevator. The east and west auditorium/gymnasium entrances are at grade but access from this wing to the school building is only via stairs. The grade-level entrances are accessed from the sidewalk by a concrete staircase.

Clerestory windows above north staircase.

The building currently does not have an elevator. An elevator may not be required by code but may be desirable. However, please note that certain HUDfunding sources may require an elevator as part of a rehabilitation project. Further, we assume that the “Compliance Alternatives” per Section 3410 of the Indiana Building Code will be utilized for this project due to the historic nature of the building and potential deficiencies that can only be corrected by affecting historic fabric. Residential apartment units located on accessible floor levels must be made adaptable to comply with the requirements of Chapter 11 of the Indiana Building Code. This would include providing required turn radii, clear floor spaces and door widths. The apartment units should also be constructed with blocking installed in the walls to allow for mounting of accessories and other items per the code requirements. These units could then be converted to be fully accessible on an as needed basis. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program may mandate a certain percentage of the apartment units on the accessible floors be fully accessible at project certification. These units would be designed and constructed to meet the requirements of Chapter 11.

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

Rehabilitation Recommendations Englewood CDC proposes to redevelop the former Lucretia Mott School No. 3 as either a charter school, apartment building, or as a combination of nonprofit offices and apartments. Historic school buildings throughout Indiana and across the country have been successfully renovated to create unique housing units and to house modern schools. Many have also been renovated to accommodate public, private, and charter schools.

Entrance at south staircase.

Pressed-metal ceiling in south staircase.

To complete the renovation of the former Lucretia Mott School No. 3, we propose the following work scope recommendations: 1.

Roofing – Replace the existing asphalt roll roofing with a new membrane roof system, such as a TPO membrane. A TPO roof is white in color and helps to minimize heat gain and reduce cooling costs. As part of the roof installation, any damaged or suspect decking and roof structural elements would also be repaired or replaced. New tapered rigid foam insulation would be added to the roof deck under the membrane to increase the R-value of the building envelope. New perimeter and penetration flashing and a new roof hatch would also be provided.

Masonry Restoration – spot tuck-pointing should be undertaken as needed on all exterior elevations. Provide sealant in lieu of mortar at all sky-facing joints. Damaged brick or stone should be replaced or repaired. Corroded steel lintels should be removed and replaced with new-galvanized steel lintels. Create new rough openings as required for new doors and windows.

3. Gutters and Downspouts – Provide new gutters and downspouts along the north, east and south elevations to collect storm water and direct it to grade or to a storm water system as required.

4. Windows – Retain and restore surviving Exposed concrete beams and roof slab, third floor hall.

historic wood sash windows. Remove other existing windows along with infill construction within window openings and install either new vinyl or aluminum-clad wood windows at all existing window openings. New window units should follow

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

the appearance of the original windows and fill the entire opening. Any new window openings should receive the same treatments as the historic openings. 5.

Exterior Doors – Remove existing exterior doors and install new doors at each existing or new opening. Historic interior doors should be reused if possible. Door hardware should be appropriate to the use and should provide security and controlled egress as desired.

Site – Remove all existing site asphalt and regrade the site as required to provide for proper drainage. Develop new parking along the east and south sides of the building. Maintain the green space at the west and south sides of the site.

Area Wells – Recreate area wells as required to accommodate use of basement rooms if desired.

Interior Floors – Remove all carpet and other flooring down to the hardwood flooring on the first and second floor levels. Repair and refinish wood floors in the classroom spaces, corridors and staircases. Remove all carpet and other flooring down to the finished concrete floors at the basement and third floor levels.

Interior Walls – Provide new metal or wood wall framing to create new interior partitions as desired. All framing to be sheathed in gypsum wallboard and finish painted.

View of north staircase from third floor.

Staircase between school and auditorium / gymnasium.

10. Insulation – Provide thermal insulation at exterior walls and sound batt-insulation at framed demising walls between units and between rooms within units. Provide soundbatt insulation at floor / ceiling systems where possible to minimize noise transfer. 11. Plumbing System – Provide new plumbing systems in their entirety from the incoming service at the foundation wall to new venting through the roof to meet current codes. All new waste lines should be cast-iron or PVC within insulated chases to minimize noise transfer. New supply lines should be copper or PEX tubing.

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

12. HVAC System – Provide new mechanical systems as needed for new use, to meet current codes. Locate the condensing units on the roof or at grade adjacent to the building. Provide common area heating / cooling and fresh air as required by code. 13. Electrical System – Provide new electrical system for the building in its entirety to meet current code. Provide all new distribution wiring devices and light fixtures.

Interior of auditorium/ gymnasium.

Stage in auditorium/ gymnasium.

14. Life Safety Systems – Provide new fire protection (sprinkler systems) throughout the building. Provide a smoke detection and fire alarm system as required by code. Provide fire extinguishers as required by code.

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

Conceptual Cost Magnitude Based on the existing conditions of the Lucretia Mott School building and the proposed rehabilitation recommendations, the following conceptual cost magnitude of potential construction costs has been generated. This cost magnitude was developed by Brandt Construction, Inc., general contractor familiar with and experienced in historic rehabilitation projects. Please note that this conceptual cost magnitude does not include site work / landscaping that would be required as part of the rehabilitation. Interior Demolition Re-roofing Existing Building Gutters and Downspouts Cornice Restoration Masonry Restoration Exterior Doors Restore Existing Windows (25%) Replace Windows (75%) New Area Wells New Elevator Site Work Allowance Subtotal General Conditions 6% Subtotal Overhead and Profit 8% Total Budget

$120,000 $121,000 $13,000 $80,000 $105,000 $30,000 $75,000 $180,000 $40,000 $140,000 $100,000 $1,004,000 $60,000 $1,064,000 $85,000 $1,149,000

This budget represents the cost to prepare the shell of the building for any of the three reuse options. Due to the unknown nature of the level of finish and build-out, it is not possible to determine the actual cost of each option. However, the amounts listed below give an approximate range of the square foot cost for each option. NOTE: These costs would be in addition to the conceptual cost magnitude budget estimate listed above. Option A: Charter School

Option B: Apartments

Option C: Offices & Apartments

ÂŠ2008 RATIO Architects, Inc.

$55 - $175/square foot $2,459,325 - $7,825,125 $60 - $100/square foot $2,682,900 - $4,471,500 $50 - $120/square foot $2,235,750 - $5,365,800

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

Historic Preservation Paul Diebold, Team Leader of Survey & Registration at the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA), recently toured the property to determine if the building might be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. He suggested that the social significance of the open-air school could make the building eligible for listing in the National Register and the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures. These listings could provide valuable economic incentives for the rehabilitation of the building. While none of the comments are binding or guarantee future certifications or approvals, they do provide guidance towards achieving certification and approval. 1.

It was the opinion of the DHPA staff that the property is eligible for listing on the Indiana State Register of Historic Sites and Structures and the National Register of Historic Places.

The property still contains character defining features such as the tambour lockers, classroom cabinets, pressed-metal ceilings, original staircases and historic windows, as well as the arrangement of circulation corridors and classrooms on the interior. Such features should be retained as part of the rehabilitation.

Most of the existing windows are not original and therefore could be replaced with new window units of a more appropriate double hung appearance, based on historic photographs. The remaining original windows could likely be restored and fitted with appropriate storm windows to bring them in line with contemporary standards of energy-efficiency.

Original classroom cabinets.

Original storage lockers with tambour doors.

ÂŠ2008 RATIO Architects, Inc.

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

Option A: Charter School This option examines the potential for using the Lucretia Mott School as a charter school. According to the Indiana Department of Education: A charter school is a public school that is nonsectarian and nonreligious and operates under a contract or charter. Under Indiana Code, charter schools are established to serve the different learning styles and needs of public school students, to offer public school students appropriate and innovative choices, to afford varied opportunities for professional educators, to allow freedom and flexibility in exchange for exceptional levels of accountability, and to provide parents, students, community members, and local entities with an expanded opportunity for involvement in the public school system.

The historic Lydia Middleton School in Madison, Indiana, recently renovated and still in use as an elementary school.

Charter schools got their name from the charter, or contract, the organizers of the school sign with an authorizer, also known as a sponsor. The sponsors are designated by state law and are responsible for school oversight and ensuring that the charter school complies with applicable state and federal laws and the terms of the charter.

The former John Herron School of Art has been renovated as the Herron High School charter school.

Like traditional public schools, charter public schools must have open enrollment policies and cannot discriminate based on disability, race, color, gender, national origin, religion, or ancestry.1

The classrooms of the Lucretia Mott School feature large windows and ample daylight—design features from 1905 which are once again considered desirable for schools. Several studies have shown strong links between daylit classrooms and improved student performance. According to one study:

An ample and pleasant view out of a window, that includes vegetation or human activity and objects in the far distance, supports better outcomes of student learning. Sources of glare negatively impact student learning. Direct sun penetration into classrooms, especially through unshaded east or south facing windows, is associated with negative student performance, likely causing both glare and thermal discomfort. Blinds or curtains allow teachers to control the intermittent sources of glare or visual

http://www.doe.state.in.us/charterschools/faq.html

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

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distraction through their windows. When teachers do not have control of their windows, student performance is negatively affected. Physical characteristics of classrooms are just as likely to affect student learning as many other factors commonly given much more public policy attention. Variables describing the physical conditions of classrooms, most notably the window characteristics, were as significant and of equal or greater magnitude as teacher characteristics, number of computers, or attendance rates in predicting student performance. 2

Careful treatment of the windows, with appropriate shading provided for southfacing windows, would provide for optimum daylight control in the classrooms. Option A: Charter School

$55 - $175/square foot $2,459,325 - $7,825,125

Heschong Mahone Group, Daylighting in Schools. An investigation into the relationship between daylight and human performance (Fair Oaks, CA, 1999).; Heschong Mahone Group Re-Analysis Report, Daylighting in Schools, for the California Energy Commission (New Buildings Institute, 2001).

ÂŠ2008 RATIO Architects, Inc.

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

Option B: Apartments This option examines the potential for adaptively reusing the Lucretia Mott School as an apartment building. An elevator is proposed for the north entrance, providing access to all three floors and the basement. Twenty-six apartments are proposed, with the following break-down of unit types: One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom

18 2 6

It is assumed that each apartment unit will have a separate mechanical system to provide heating and cooling. These split systems can either be gas-fired or electric with the air handling equipment located within a small mechanical closet. The condensing units could be located on the roof or at grade adjacent to the building. A central laundry room would be located on the first floor, near the leasing office. A computer lab could be accommodated in the staircase hall which presently connects the Auditorium/Gymnasium with the school. The basement would contain a community room. The Auditorium/Gymnasium could remain a public community space separate from the apartment building, with the potential for one or two offices in the stage space.

Option B: Apartments

ÂŠ2008 RATIO Architects, Inc.

$60 - $100/square foot $2,682,900 - $4,471,500

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

Option C: Offices and Apartments This option examines the potential for adaptively reusing the Lucretia Mott School as an apartment building with offices for nonprofit organizations housed in the basement level. This option is very similar to Option B. An elevator is proposed for the north entrance, providing access to all three floors and the basement. Nineteen apartments are proposed, with the following break-down of unit types: One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom

14 2 3

A central laundry room would be located on the first floor, near the leasing office. A computer lab could be accommodated in the staircase hall which presently connects the Auditorium/Gymnasium with the school. The Auditorium/Gymnasium could remain a community space, with the potential for one or two offices in the stage space. 6,609 square feet of office space would be created in the basement. Option C: Offices & Apartments

ÂŠ2008 RATIO Architects, Inc.

$50 - $120/square foot $2,235,750 - $5,365,800

Lucretia Mott School No. 3 Reuse Study

Appendix: Conceptual Cost Magnitude

ÂŠ2008 RATIO Architects, Inc.