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Remodeling work on the historic Carnegie Cultural Center continues into spring, and Luverne City Council members toured the building last week to check progress.
Luverne Building Inspector Chad McClure has been overseeing the project and answered questions during the May 17 tour.
He said he’s learned a few things about historic preservation along the way. For example, he anticipated matching the new woodwork with the existing 1902 trim, but that won’t happen.
“They want the old to look old and the new to look new,” McClure said.
In February the City Council approved a 10-year agreement with Luverne Street Music to lease the city-owned Carnegie Cultural Center.
The non-profit music agency that connects private music instructors with interested students took over the Carnegie building on North Freeman Avenue March 1.
The Council for Arts and Humanities in Rock County was the previous building tenant, using the Carnegie for art shows and classes.
CAHRC terminated its lease of the Carnegie in December based on decreasing artists’ needs for the building and decreasing public attendance at displays.
Now Luverne Street Music directors say they’re dedicated to continuing the building’s cultural purpose.
“We are looking forward to promoting all the arts in the community,” Janine Papik said at the Feb. 23 council meeting.
In line with that vision, the Carnegie’s main floor has essentially been left in its open format accented by arched windows and heavy wood trim.
The bulk of the construction work has centered on the basement where walls for five rooms have been reinforced with soundproofing layers and insulation for individual, simultaneous music lessons.
There will also be a central room with a small kitchenette, the restrooms are being redone, and an area of the basement has been finished with a future elevator in mind.
The renovations are being done by Tom Nergaard, Luverne, and are estimated to cost $91,000.
Among the improvements are plumbing and electrical updates that would have been necessary regardless of who’s leasing the building.
The new lease agreement of $300 per month rent will generate $3,600 per year for the city. This compares with $900 per year generated by the previous CAHRC lease.
The city is responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the historic building, and these costs amounted to more than $30,000 in the past two years.
The city will also provide snow removal and mowing, in addition to utilities, at no added expense to LSM.
LSM will keep the building neat and clean and will carry general liability and personal property insurance.
They said the LSM program has grown from 30 students and four teachers in 2013 to 100 students and 16 teachers today.
The curriculum includes summer music camp, a children's choir, a pre-school string program and a chamber orchestra, with a puppet theater camp on the horizon.