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Opinion by Ernesto Portillo Jr.: Downtown Adobe Needs Lifesavers By Ernesto Portillo Jr. Arizona Daily Star [Tucson AZ] February 2, 2007 http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/167271 Every day when I go Downtown, I see a decaying building and lament its slow, public death. It is the three-story, 92-year-old Marist College, which anchors the northwest corner of the St. Augustine Cathedral square. It is probably the only multi-story adobe building in Arizona, and it's eroding at South Church Avenue and West Ochoa Street, behind the cathedral, across from the Tucson Convention Center. A gray tarp covers the gaping wound like a cheap bandage. But there is no bandage to help heal the wound in Tucson's soul if the building is lost. "It's history," said Rosie Garcia of the Friends of St. Augustine Historic Preservation Project. She's referring to the building's significant past. But she might as well be predicting its possible future. Marist housed a Catholic school from 1915 to 1968. The diocese had its administrative offices in the building from 1983 to 2002 and it has been vacant since. In 2005, during an August chubasco, a pelting rain ripped open a corner of the building. The diocese, using an emergency state grant and local contributions, covered the rupture with heavy plastic sheets and placed braces. Garcia and a small group of Tucsonans have tried to generate public support. But so far, little has come of their efforts. And it's not for the lack of trying. The Tucson Roman Catholic Diocese, which owned the Marist College for most of its history, is coming out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The diocese paid more than $22 million to settle claims of child sexual abuse by priests. The diocese's priorities are buildings and churches in use, like the 88-year-old Santa Cruz Church on South Sixth Avenue, which requires a new ceiling and supporting trusses. The cathedral, which now owns the Marist building, does not have enough money to refurbish the cathedral, which is approaching the 40th anniversary of its 1968 restoration. The city, which is considering the idea of taking public ownership of the building, may not have enough Rio Nuevo dollars to overhaul the Marist College. And Tucsonans have not responded to the building's deterioration and Garcia's appeal for help. She said the near-universal response has been indifference. "People see no value in saving the Marist College," she said. It's not surprising. Tucson, being Tucson, doesn't like its humble past. We natives and newcomers often wax on about what a lovely town we live in. But when the last adobe building from our Indian-Mexican heritage crumbles into dust, what will we say then? "We have pictures!" "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Isn't it a shame Tucson didn't preserve these unique buildings?" "They were only mud buildings. Good riddance." John Shaheen, the diocese's property and insurance manager, said there's hope for the building. A city-sponsored engineering report, due Feb. 14, will show how much stabilizing the building will cost, he said. The diocese, the cathedral and the city will decide the next step, Shaheen said. He said the building is not in danger of collapsing. The diocese is exploring the possibility of placing the Marist College on the National Register of Historic Places, which could qualify it for state and federal preservation funds, he said. It's believed the building can be saved. It's worth a try. Church buildings across the country often were the first structures erected by settlers. They are part of our shared heritage. We can share in Marist College's preservation.
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