Hamtramck's City Hall is Not in Good Health

A lung disease specialist recently diagnosed it as suffering from "sick building syndrome." And a building analysis by the Albert Kahn Collaborative Inc. concluded in 1998 that there are "constraints to the extended use or adaptive reuse" of the landmark. The building was constructed as Hamtramck Municipal Hospital in 1926-27. An addition was built in 1937, but the building got little maintenance after 1969, when it was converted into a city hall and space for the 31st District Court.

The roof over the 1937 addition leaked, the Kahn study determined. The roof, damaged further by the July 1997 tornado, was repaired the next year. Steam from leaking pipes caused destructive heat and humidity in the basement, the analysis found.

Result: Mold and mildew is growing between some walls.

"Yes, it's dangerous," said Dr. Ralph DiLisio, a pulmonary specialist at St. John Hospital in Detroit and William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. "We call it 'sick building syndrome.' It represents an aerosolization of organic debris. Mold and fungus can result in bronchitis and even pneumonia when debris is dispersed into the air and inhaled. The only thing you can do is to avoid the building." One way to fix the problem could be to tear down an entire wall and use chlorine bleach to kill as much fungus as can be reached, DiLisio said. "There's different things that can happen," said Dr. Edward Zoratti, director of allergies at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. "Mold can release mold spores that can affect people who are sensitive. Often bacteria and mold can coexist." Zoratti's prescription was to "dry things out as best you can."

What to do with the structure was broached recently by the city's emergency financial manager, Louis H. Schimmel Jr., who asked for public comment on saving money and becoming more efficient by moving city services to the 37,600-square-foot Public Works Administration Building, constructed in 1965. Council President Phillip J. Kwik handed Schimmel his personal copy of the Kahn analysis. "The reason I was citing the Kahn study is because we've already done it and it needs to be consulted," Kwik explained. "There's intangibles that are why historic buildings are preserved. There's the history and what it means to people. It would be a project that would rally the city. Money isn't the only question. We could get grant money and donations."

The Kahn Collaborative study also found:

Only one building entrance and none of the rest rooms comply with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations. Interior finishes are dated, dirty and/or are in need of replacement. Protections against asbestos risks probably are needed before any work. Significant air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation upgrades are required.

Last year, the city purchased more than 20 room air conditioners that were installed in City Hall. The city several years ago paid $500,000 for Honeywell brand insulated windows, but only half were installed. Seventy of the insulated windows still are stored in the basement. Kahn's consultants concluded there are some possibilities for reuse that are "indeed, more suitable than current uses." They suggested residential lofts or sites where artists, craft makers or entrepreneurs could live and work.