[Imc-radio] hiring an architect - your input requested by this Tuesday

[Danielle Chynoweth]

IMCistas -

Here is a DRAFT request for proposal from architecture firms for a plan to
divide off the post office and help us develop a comprehensive plan for
the building.  It attempts to encapsulate our current needs and
conversations so far about future possibilities.  It has been revised by
the space group so far.

This document is *not* the final word about what the IMC is going to do.  
Our membership and the community has not yet gotten a chance to brainstorm
at length in the space.  It is supposed to be a guiding description of
ideas so far so that architects can estimate the work.  Part of what they
may do (if we can afford it) is help us create a longer term plan.

Space group would like to send this to architecture firms by Tuesday, June
21th and request proposals back by July 1st.  Send us your feedback and/or
proposed revisions to space at ucimc.org BY TUESDAY.

We have been researching firms with green building and historic
preservation backgrounds.  If there are any architectural firms you
recommend sending this to, let us know.

peace,
IMC Space Group

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Introduction

The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center, a 501c3 not-for-profit 
organization, seeks to develop a long term relationship with a qualified 
architectural firm for incremental, ongoing renovations to the historic 
downtown Urbana post office building at 202 S. Broadway.  Our goal is to 
turn this building into a community media and arts center open to the 
public.  Future activities will include: performances, workshops, a radio 
station, art gallery and studio spaces, community audio and video studios, 
lending library, and public internet access.  We are considering 
compatible retail uses.  Parts of the building are being rented as office 
space.  The postal services will remain in the building.   

We are requesting proposals in two parts:
- plans for an immediate division of the postal operations from the rest 
  of the building.
- a comprehensive plan for the first floor.

We seek guidance from an architectural firm on the best way to balance 
immediate needs with the need for long term planning.

Please submit proposals by July 1st to space at ucimc.org or UC-IMC PO Box 
953, Urbana, IL 61803.  You may send questions to this e-mail as well.


Building Summary

The downtown post office building is about 30,000 S/F of space across 
three levels.  The original building, built in 1914, was added onto three 
times in subsequent years.  

First floor features:
The front of the building is occupied by the postal services and post 
boxes.  The center of the building boasts two-story ceilings.  A large, 
well lit 2500 S/F room is attached on the south east corner.  Attached to 
this room is a separate dock area with 4 garage-style doors.  A wheelchair 
access ramp was added to the south side.  There are no bathrooms on the 
first floor.  

Our intention is to separate off the postal operations and use at least 
2500 S/F in the center of the building as a place of assembly for 
performances, workshops, and a lending library.  We are seeking a 
compatible retail use for the south east room.  These two spaces - 
performance and retail - may operate as one without the need for 
additional exits.

Second floor features:
The second floor is made up of two suites of rooms - west and east - 
connected by a hallway that sits a half flight of stairs lower than the 
floor.  These are all currently rented to tenants for office use.

Lower level features:
The lower level is a mostly a catacomb of finished rooms, some with full 
sized windows opening to sunken window wells, some with no windows.  The 
first floor 2500 S/F room on the south east is repeated in the lower level 
with a large conveyor belt joining it to the dock.  The lower level has 
three bathrooms with multiple stalls each.

Historic Covenants:
The building was purchased with a historic covenant attached which 
requires state historic review of interior and exterior renovations.  
Since the entire building is not historic, we are pursuing a memorandum of 
understanding about what specific parts of the building fall under this 
covenant and which are exempt.


Building Plans

The UC-IMC has not yet undertaken a full visioning process with its 
membership or the community.  It is our intention to do so.  In the 
meantime, there is consensus about our immediate need to establish a 
public gathering space for performances.

Immediate (this year)
The immediate work at hand is to design a simple, affordable way to divide 
the current postal operations from the rest of the building while 
improving or creating an entryway to the space for public assembly.  The 
post office has a ten-year lease to rent 3,000 S/F from the UC-IMC and 
intends to remain indefinitely. 

The post office space must include:
- its current retail space in the SW corner of the first floor.
- a place for 24/7 public access of 100 postal boxes (not necessarily at 
  their current location).
- access to one door of the loading dock and space for a semi-truck to 
  back to this dock.
- locked space to store mail loaded from the dock.
- access to shared bathrooms (not necessarily the first floor)
- an employee break room (most likely in the lower level)

Once divided, we intend to use the center part of the building as a place 
of public assembly. Currently the front entrance opens into the post 
office retail and post box space and a visitor must move through a 
labyrinth of doors to access the back.  We would like to reconfigure the 
front or add a new entrance to the community space.

In addition, we need to establish signage for the UC-IMC and building 
tenants. 

Medium Term (Within 1-3 years)

Our medium terms plans include:

- adding accessible bathrooms to the first floor.
- developing a compatible, revenue generating use out of the south east 
first floor room.  This may require building a fully certified kitchen for 
restaurant, cafe, and event use.

Long Term Ideas (3-7 years)

- a garden courtyard for public gatherings on the south side of the 
building (between the post office and Lincoln Square).


Challenges

Our challenge is how to divide off the postal operations in such a way 
that we do not inhibit other future plans. The best way to ensure this is 
with a comprehensive planning process.  At the same time, we are greatly 
inhibited in a comprehensive planning process as well as our ability to 
fundraise, without a place to assemble to view and discuss the space.  
Additionally, what makes our process challenging is that we plan to 
undertake renovations in an incremental way, fundraising for each stage.