The Daily News

Nods of approval and concerns of costs were a few of the reactions by city leaders and Twin Town business owners Wednesday to the unveiling of a design guideline manual presented by Thomas Zahn at Breckenridge City Hall.

Zahn is a historical design, research and preservation consultant from St. Paul, Minn., who has been working with the Property Improvement Committee since December 2006 on improving the historic integrity of downtown Wahpeton and Breckenridge.

The intent of the design manual is to give the cities and property owners ideas and a direction to go in restoring downtown when they choose.

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"There's nothing etched in stone here," Zahn said. "It's just good to understand the nature of your project."

Through the design manual, Zahn recommends to those considering the rehabilitation project to take it in phases.

The first of those phases is to clean up the front of the building, which can make an immediate difference on appearance, as well as opening up the windows without downsizing them.

"The idea was to create transparency," Zahn said about the historic window styles. "You could see right in the store."

The second of the recommended phases is to choose appropriate signage that will draw residents and visitors to the business.

Zahn discouraged back lit, plastic signs or canopies that hang over the streets. That is not the way signage was designed on historic downtown, he said.

He recommends instead to incorporate the name of the business on the awning or on the main glass window.

Dropping into place an awning and renovating the storefront, if needed, is the third and final phase.

"If at all possible we do encourage the retractable awnings because that's they way it was originally," Zahn said.

Zahn referenced what information he could through historical books and historical photographs to pinpoint what historical downtown Breckenridge and Wahpeton was like.

He found the buildings in Breckenridge to be more complex than the smaller buildings on Dakota Avenue in Wahpeton. Zahn said he also found more visual documentation on the buildings in Breckenridge at the Wilkin County Historical Society.

Zahn applied his suggestions to 20 buildings throughout the Twin Towns, but presented to the group 10 examples.

In Wahpeton, he previewed what the Firehouse Pub, Dakota Chiropractic Clinic, JCPenney and several others could look like restored to their original appearance. For the Firehouse Pub he drew the signage down on the awning, opened up windows and restored it to its original storefront.

For the clinic, Zahn drew off the current front, added appealing colors and a recessed door.

"I personally like that sort of draw, its visually appealing," said Economic Development Director Jane Priebe.

With the JCPenney building, Zahn had pictured the front with the stone cleaned up and filled in windows without downsizing them. Also, he again moved the signage to the middle of an awning, which would allow the store to market what they offer on both sides of the JCPenney title.

He also featured the Wahpeton Opera House, and the Masonic Temple Building on Dakota Avenue.

In Breckenridge, Zahn focused on both Snyder Drug and Breckenridge Drug.

For Breckenridge Drug, he discouraged one awning, pointing out if the shorter building were allowed to stand alone it would be a lot more appealing and match up with historic downtown Breckenridge.

Much like the JCPenney building in Wahpeton, Zahn shrank the Snyder Drug signage to go onto an awning with an appealing color.

If business owners decide at some point to include awnings in their renovations, Zahn recommended to keep a palette of colors that are compatible.

While many enjoyed Zahn's vision for the Twin Towns, costs were an issue for some of the business owners present.

Zahn recommended getting buildings that qualify on the national register. Both Minnesota and North Dakota offer 20 percent tax credit for any investment done in historic buildings or property. In Minnesota, he said they're attempting to add an additional 25 percent onto the tax credit.

"The idea is to encourage communities to put their buildings in a historic district," Zahn said.

Overall, those present expressed interest in improving downtown Wahpeton and Breckenridge. Forming financing and meeting with contractors to develop more ideas and get moving on the project, however, is a necessary next step according to many present at the meeting.

Comments

Roberta Schreiber wrote on Aug 8, 2008 1:01 PM:

" I think this is a GREAT idea. The F&M building in Breckenridge looks great with the "facelift" it received a few years ago. However, the Martial arts building on the opposite corner is in severe need of a makeover. What an eyesore at such a visible intersection. "




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