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Show ZCMI's iron facelift stirs history buffs 1 " j i is . ; j ; i I 1 ' i .-- . .... ,. . , " .;"- i i Hi I i j M i i s . .- tf , i ' I -11 By RAY TREADWAY Chronicle Staff The ZCMI building will soon be razed and concern is rising over the fate of the cast iron store front of the department store. At present the issue of whether to demolish the front or dismantle and reconstruct it on the new building is being debated. The cast iron front was cited in the book "19th and 20th Century Architecture by Henry Russel Hitchcock as a prime example of cast iron architecture. "ZCMI has an obligation to themselves and the city," siad Prof. Bliss of the Department of Architecture, "to do everything they can to preserve the structure." struc-ture." The cast iron material was invented in-vented by James Bogardes in 1840 as a fireproof substance superior to wood, and before steel. Factories were soon established in the Eastern states and the iron went into production. Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institute was incorporated in 1868 by Brigham Young and the building was erected in 1876. The cast iron was ordered from a catalogue and shipped west to the building site. Only the central portion of the structure is made of cast iron. The additional units added later were made of pressed metal. According to Prof. Bliss, the building plan now being considered con-sidered for the new store is an unattractive facade, a "travesty to historic preservation. It will do nothing to improve the appearance ap-pearance of Main Street." The plan includes a mold of the cast iron, out of proportion and made of fiberglass, to cover a small portion of the building strictly as a decorative piece, with no function, contrary to the original structure which held the building together. Gary Forbush of the Utah Historical Society said that their organization, along with the Utah Heritage Foundation and the Friends of Cast Iron are doing everything they can to promote preservation of the structure. There will be a meeting for all interested parties concerned, but they have yet to be informed where it is. The owners of the building, Zion Securities Corp., have hired an architect to study the possibility of retaining the cast iron. The feasibility of restoring the present relic or using it as a mold to cast a copy is being considered, said Howard Dunn of the Zion II I I HI III I Security Corp. "The cast iron is considered a trademark of ZCMI, and it it is at all possible, it will be utilized." Mr. Dunn added that the restoration wouldn't cost that much more because the cast iron encompasses only a small amount of the total building cost. Also, there is a cash allowance on the building that could be used for the iron if it did surpass expenses. ex-penses. The cast iron won't be coming down for 16 or 18 months yet so the preservation has time to plead it's case. Prof. Bliss said, "ZCMI has every right to demand of its architects to do a better job." . i |