Milan moves forward with Jenkins Warehouse restoration

MILAN — The village of Milan now owns the historic Jenkins Warehouse. Meanwhile a village commission is moving forward with plans to restore the relic of Milan's early days. The previous owner, Erie MetroParks, handed the property over to Milan in August. The building is located on the north end of the village and dates back to 1840, the era of canals, when Milan was a port city connected to Lake Erie. The Jenkins Warehouse commission has pledged to restore the building for public use without spending taxpayer dollars. The commission banked about $26,000 but is spending $20,000 to hire Cornerstone Masonry to stabilize part of the foundation. The company is supposed to begin work in November and finish by the end of the year, village administrator Brian Rospert said. "It's just a section of the foundation that has rotted away, that needs to be a little more stable," Rospert said. The Jenkins Warehouse is stuffed full of junk, so volunteers will be recruited to clear it out. Milan Mayor Pamela Crosby, a warehouse commission member, said the building's contents include a couple of church pews, an old school desk and lots of old doors and windows. Some items might be sold to raise money for the restoration. But Crosby, who owns an antique shop, said she's seen nothing so far that appears to be really valuable. She said no one will know for certain until everything is cleaned out. Ron Cull, the commission's chairman, is sending out requests for proposals to architects who are willing to take on planning the restoration of the building. Last week, Cull said he was planning to send out the requests for proposals and would ask for responses in about three weeks. About 30 architectural firms are being contacted with an emphasis on trying to reach firms with experience in dealing with historic buildings, Cull said. He hopes a decision on choosing an architect can be made in about a month. While the commission wants to have public access and a public use for the building, an architect can help the group figure out what makes the most sense, Cull said. The construction codes could vary, depending on whether the structure became a museum or an event center which is rented out, he said. "We're really looking for the architect to give us a sense of different uses," Cull said. Working with the architect also could help clarify fundraising needs, helping the commission figure out how much money it needs to try to bring in, Crosby said. It's likely the commission will pursue grants and donations. "We need to see what really needs to be done," the mayor said. The members of the warehouse commission are Cull, Crosby, Judi Horchler, Sparky Weilnau and Amy Bowman-Moore. The group has a couple of vacancies that it is attempting to fill. Erie MetroParks' board originally planned to demolish the warehouse but then agreed to work with the village after historic preservationists objected and asked for a chance to save the building.