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Council gets behind Tallman House

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Lincoln Tallman House in need of repairs

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JANESVILLE — City council members on Thursday pledged during a study session to put every effort into preserving the historical Tallman House, but there are a few conditions attached to that promise.

The physical structure of the building has numerous problems ranging in severity, but council members also were advised to be more proactive about programming at the house.

City Manager Eric Levitt suggested the council form a committee similar to the neighborhood action team that allows officials from the Rock County Historical Society to discuss operations with council members and citizens.

"In my experience, you have to create partnerships via a committee or you have a situation where the council feels they're wasting money and the historical society feels underappreciated," Levitt said.

New programming is essential to making sure the city and the Tallman House aren't back in the same situation 10 years from now, said Kevin Donahue, a senior associate at Engberg Anderson, the firm hired by the city to review the house. The company's findings were released in an April 2009 report estimating $2.5 million in repairs.

Donahue showed the council members photos that trace the damage water and other elements have wrought on the house since William Tallman built it in 1857. The Tallman family donated the house to the city in the 1950s with the requirement that it be operated as a museum. The Rock County Historical Society runs the facility at the city's expense.

Among the major problems is a roof badly in need of replacement, mortar worn away by decades of rain and snow and intricate woodwork rotted away.

One of the projects deemed an immediate priority has already been repaired. The city paid $9,000 to stabilize and repair the house's privy wall foundation. The project was estimated to cost $32,000 in the original report.

The repairs need to move from "anything on top of the roof, down," Donahue said. That includes the distinct chimneys and cupola that stand above the 150-year-old copper roof.

The roof was part of the original house and has lasted a remarkably long time, but Donahue recommended a complete replacement.

"You can certainly do your best and maintain it vigilantly, but if you want it to last five years without any work, you're nuts. And I'm sorry if that's blunt," he said.

The study's cost estimates are for the highest level of craftsmanship and historical value, but Donahue said it is likely individual projects could cost less than the projected amounts.

Several members, including council President Bill Truman, advocated for an immediate plan to repair the roof, but the council also agreed a business plan for the house is a necessary tool going forward.

House museums across the country are struggling financially, council member Tom McDonald said.

"Before we go putting in $2.4 million, we need to know what we can do with this," he said. "Right here, tonight, I just can't justify spending millions of taxpayer dollars on something that's bound to fail again if it doesn't have a business plan."

Donahue recommended events that take the "white gloves" off and allow history to "come alive," pointing to candlelit tours, musical performances and sleepovers that other historical sites have used to encourage business.

Council member Russ Steeber said he felt the city has a responsibility to the house, one that has been neglected in recent years.

"The house was given to the city with the intention we would be caretakers … now we're faced with a dilemma that's going to cost the city some money because of our past failures," Steeber said.