The fate of Pershing Auditorium was discussed during the Lincoln Historic Preservation Commission meeting this past Thursday. The Preservation Association of Lincoln (PAL) was among nearly a dozen individuals who attended the meeting in person. At the opening of the Pershing discussion, Paul Barnes with the Lincoln Planning Department advised the public and the commission that the review was only advisory and a decision regarding demolition would not be made at this meeting. The first step of the decision making process would be made at the Capitol Environs Commission meeting on September 24th. Barnes also stated that the Planning Department had received several calls on the subject of Pershing Auditorium. At the beginning of the meeting, commission members Melissa Gengler and Dan Worth recused themselves from the discussion and potential vote due to their associations with the developer of the Pershing site.

The meeting began with a presentation by Dan Marvin and Dallas McGee, Director and Assistant Director, respectively, of the City’s Urban Development Department. Marvin and McGee described the redevelopment project that is being proposed by the project’s designated developer, White Lotus Group. They also discussed the long history of Pershing Auditorium. Their discussion included detailed explanations of the various published master plans for downtown Lincoln, the Pershing Auditorium Reuse Survey, and the current state of the building and grounds. Marvin and McGee also discussed the proposed redevelopment of the site for mixed commercial and residential use and a possible location of the downtown library. Pat Leach, Director of Lincoln City Libraries, was asked by Marvin to discuss moving the Bennett Martin Library location to the new Pershing development.

Once Marvin, McGee and Leach completed their presentation of the development of the Pershing site, the commission asked questions to the presenters. The first question regarded ownership of the Pershing block. The block will be replatted for both public and private ownership. The area that will be potentially occupied by the library will be public, while the remainder owned by White Lotus, the developer of the site, would be private. This was followed up by a discussion of the ownership of the proposed wellness center. According to Marvin, this would be privately owned by White Lotus but would be opened to the public for a fee.

Another lengthy discussion centered on the proposed bond issue for a new library at the Pershing site, which voters will decide on in 2022. The commission asked what would happen if the bond issue did not pass. Would this risk the future development of the site? Marvin stated he did not have an answer for that. He further stated that this was just the start of a public discussion and the developer would like for the library to be part of that development. The developer will be pursuing Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (NIFA) credits, a development tool for affordable housing, and Tax Increment Finance (TIF) funding since the Pershing block was determined to be blighted.

Lastly, the reuse of materials and retention of the large mosaic was discussed by the commission. Previously, during the presentation by Marvin, McGee and Leach, Marvin gave details on the physical nature of the mosaic. The over 700,000 tiles are set within concrete panels which are physically attached to the building and was not designed to be movable. Estimates to keep and repair the mural were $1.5 to $2 million, though it was not explained how these estimates were obtained. However, Marvin stated that Mayor Gaylor Baird was a proponent for conservation and it is a goal to limit the amount of materials to end up in a landfill. The commission referenced the letter submitted by PAL on the reuse of materials throughout Pershing Auditorium in the new development.

The meeting ended without action being taken by the commission. Barnes stated the comments and questions by the commission would be part of the official record submitted to the Capitol Environs Commission meeting. The commission did ask that the letter submitted by PAL also be forwarded to Capitol Environs.

The next step in the issuance of the demolition permit for Pershing Auditorium is a review by the Capitol Environs Commission. This meeting will be held at 8:30am on Friday, September 24th at County-City Building, 555 S. 10th Street, in the City Council Chambers on the 1st Floor. If you have questions or an opinion on the subject of the Pershing demolition, please contact the Capitol Environs Commission at 402-441-7491 or via email at plan@lincoln.ne.gov.