54 WYOMING ARCHITECTURE .22 | aia-wyoming.org It isn’t just new building costs that have escalated these days. Demolition costs have likely skyrocketed also. Shingles have already blown off the exterior, presenting a dilapidated appearance to the neighborhood which borders a public park. Something must be done soon, minor dismantling on the Hoover building interior has already begun by volunteers. The unique shape of the Hoover building is inspiring to Ellen Martin, who as a new graduate in architecture is now interning with a Laramie firm. “The hyperbolic paraboloid is such a unique concept in design,” she says, “I had never heard of it until I came to Laramie. It would be a shame for such a unique structure to end up in the Laramie city landfill, rose window and all.” “The rose window won’t end up in the dump,” firmly avows one person who joined the Laramie Methodist congregation after the Hoover building was in use. “If it can’t be used in the new sanctuary building, surely a buyer could be found.” “I think it is an iconic architectural design with great historical significance,” says Ellen Martin’s employer, Chet Lockard, principal architect of the Laramie firm that bears his name. He says: “It could be dismantled, and the parts reassembled somewhere else. The many laminated beams beg to be reused somehow.” Lockard and Martin have visited with the governing body of the church which has given them some time to come up with solutions. “Our goal is to get the word out to people in Wyoming and the wider region about this dilemma and to see what ideas can be generated for solutions,” says Lockard. “No one should want to see all these fantastic building components end up in the Laramie landfill,” he adds. b Contact Chet Lockard at: Chet Lockard Associates - Architecture 1938 Harney St. Laramie, WY 82072 Phone: (307) 760-7948 chet.lockard@claarchitecture.com The church can be seen at: 1215 E. Gibbon St. Laramie, WY 82072 Phone: (307) 742-8121 Eric Feuerstein, Pastor CONTINUED FROM PAGE 53
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