"Trolleys, Tales & Talk" August 11, 2009

A demolition reprieve is running out for the 110-year-old Henry Jayne house acquired last fall by the Muscatine Art Center. The center's trustees say they need the land at 1402 Mulberry Ave. for "future expansion" and insist that letting the house remain at its historic location is out of the question. However, after objections by the city's Historic Preservation Commission and the nonprofit Friends of Muscatine Historic Preservation, they voted in February to allow the commission 180 days to find a way to remove the house for preservation elsewhere. Several hundred people have gone on record expressing opposition to demolition since then, and commission volunteers have used the time to study and document the home's historic significance. Now only a few days remain, but nobody has stepped forward with the dollars needed to save the house. The Art Center building and grounds committee has decided to proceed with "general bid letting" for removal by any buyer who might come forward (probably during September). If there's no buyer, demolition could come next. Official action is on the agenda for the next trustees meeting on August 20. BACKGROUND: Architectural conservator's report: http://muscatinepreservation.org/1402mulberry/JayneHouseReport.pdf • Henry Jayne biography: http://iagenweb.org/muscatine/biographies1911/jayne.htm • "Save 1402 Mulberry" created by a former owner: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/300153 • Jayne House in THIS PLACE MATTERS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/preservationnation/3426185127 • Photos and more: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51187&id=802136391&l=f8b48710f0 • Muscatine Historic Preservation ordinance: http://muscatinepreservation.org/mhpc-ordinance.pdf.