Mayor Williams: Any Solid Plan to Save Bresee Tower Would be Needed ASAP

After his touring of the insides of Bresee Tower for the first time in a while, Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr says it certainly was a more hopeless situation compared to the last time he was inside those doors.

AUDIO: Probably six or seven years ago, it looked like if you cleaned the downstairs and such that you would easily be able to use it.  Now that’s not the case.  It’s just filled with junk.  (It) really scared me on some of those upper stories.  The floors are buckling.  For example, we could not walk out and look at the view headed south on the 12th floor, because the floors were buckled up so bad I was literally afraid that we could fall through them.

The city took over the building after last week’s granting of a judicial deed took control away from owner Chris Collins.  Mayor Williams says the city will be proceeding towards planned demolition, so any effort to save Bresee Tower similar to what was done for the Fischer Theatre needs to be presented now, and needs to have solid financial backing.

AUDIO: Unless they can show me immediately, and show the City Council immediately, that they have the financial means to accomplish this, no.  Short of that, short of proof of financial capacity to spend 11 to 15 million dollars to restore it; no, we could not.

Williams added that yes, there are some wonderful historic and beautiful things inside Bresee, starting with the chandeliers.  Some people have even put in requests for what they’d like.  But the mayor says bringing in local entities like the Vermilion County Museum may be needed to preserve things properly.

AUDIO: You know the smaller stuff we might sell at an auction or something like that.  But the bigger things we will probably work with someone, like the museum or like the Fischer Theatre, so that those things are used in a public way where everyone can enjoy them and not just a collector.

For now, the legal battle continues, with Collins planning to appeal the judicial deed.

pictures from tour of Bresee Tower taken by Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr