Without a solid plan emerging within two weeks to move Perry Snell Hall from Western Kentucky University’s campus, the historic building will probably be demolished in September, according to a letter from Western President Gary Ransdell.

The Landmark Association of Bowling Green sent him a letter July 27 urging that the building be preserved. Ransdell replied Aug. 2, saying he supports an Ogden faculty recommendation that the building be demolished.

He also refuted claims that renovation would only cost $2 million, that Western wouldn’t have to abide by state prevailing-wage laws for renovation work, and that any federal funds were going into the new science building.

Ransdell, who could not be reached for comment today, reiterated his offer to delay demolition until January if the Landmark Association says in writing by Sept. 1 that it wants to move the building.

“Otherwise, the current demolition schedule of September 2005 remains in place,” he wrote. In that case, preservationists would be free to salvage the building, according to his letter.

Local architect David Bryant, former president of the Landmark Association and now chairman of the Historic Preservation Board, said since news came out that Snell is slated for demolition, a few wealthy individuals have contacted him and said they might contribute to its restoration. But whether that would be enough to cover the cost is unknown.

“I would be cautiously optimistic,” Bryant said.

Ransdell hints in his letter that the new science building might preserve some indication of what was there before.

“Regarding the suggestions that WKU might forsake the benevolence of Perry Snell, I suggest that the memory of Perry Snell will be long remembered in the naming of the new replacement building,” he wrote.

The committee’s undated recommendation, “Position of Ogden College Regarding Snell Hall,” cites a seven-year delay in state funding for not leaving enough available to renovate the building.

“Ogden College recognizes the emotional, historical and architectural significance of Snell Hall,” it says. “We had tried to find a way to save the building, but the economics and the architect’s recommendations have forced us to conclude that renovation of these buildings is no longer a viable option.

“In fact, in the case of Snell Hall, the net square foot cost for renovation is nearly three times the cost for new space. This is because the building would require extensive code upgrades as well as structural repairs and system replacements.”

Architect John Whitney sent an e-mail to Western administrators June 7 after his university-sponsored review of the building.

“Snell Hall is both very expensive to renovate and a very small and inefficient building,” he wrote.

A new building would cost about $323 per usable square foot, while meeting historic-preservation standards and modern accessibility laws would drive renovation costs up to $661 per square foot of usable space, according to Whitney.

“This could be thought of as seriously excessive in a project where we are frantically trimming and cutting to get the required program to fit the budget,” he wrote. “In essence, for the money projected to be spent on Snell Hall, we could build twice as much usable square footage in a new building.”

The final cost of such renovation would probably be a minimum of $4 million, Whitney concluded.

Ransdell announced in late July that the 81-year-old building will be torn down to make room for a $33 million renovation and expansion of Thompson Complex, Western’s main science building. He said then that he was inclined to give preservationists a few months to move the building to another site.

Snell Hall is the last remaining building of historic Ogden College, and would go to expand a complex used by its namesake.

Ogden College opened free to young men in Warren County in 1877, the result of a bequest by local farmer and businessman Robert Ogden. Perry Snell, an Ogden graduate who became a wealthy Florida land developer, paid for Snell Hall’s 1924 construction.

Four years later, Ogden merged with Western Kentucky State Teachers College – which became Western Kentucky University in 1966 – but its name is preserved in Western’s modern Ogden College of Science, Technology and Health.

Snell Hall, designed by noted Louisville architect Brinton B. Davis, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Western does not own the building. It’s still the property of the Ogden College foundation, controlled by a trustee. But Western occupies it under a lease that runs until May 31, 2059.

The current lease, signed in 1960, does provide for demolition of Ogden’s buildings – but with the approval of Western’s board of regents.

“It is recognized that some or all of the buildings at present located on Ogden Campus may, through age and deterioration, require reconstruction or demolition during the term of this lease, and accordingly Western Kentucky State College … shall be given the right and privilege of remodeling, demolishing, removing or reconstructing such buildings as may in the discretion of its board of regents be best and proper during the term of this lease,” the document says.

It also obligates Western to “maintain and keep in repair the improvements on said property.”

“That authority to demolish is subsequent to maintaining (the building), and they haven’t done that,” Bryant said.

Herb Smith Sr. was Ogden’s trustee when the lease was signed. This morning, he backed Bryant’s interpretation.

The original 10-year lease was extended when Thompson Complex was planned, Smith said.

The demolition clause was meant to apply to Ogden’s main building, which was torn down to make room for Thompson, while Snell was to be maintained – as the university did until about nine years ago, he said.

Darryl Greattinger, a Monticello CPA and current Ogden foundation trustee, said he received notice about two weeks ago.

“We are willing to do whatever is best for the students in the long run, which is what we’ve always tried to do,” he said.

The Ogden foundation board hasn’t had any direct involvement with the building for years, and given the wording of the lease, isn’t sure it has any say in the building’s fate now, Greattinger said.

“The board members know about it, but we didn’t take any firm stance one way or the other,” he said. “We would like to see it stay if, again, that’s the best use of the space over there. But if there’s other things that need to go there that the university will benefit from, that Ogden College will benefit from … we pretty much felt like the way the thing is worded, our hands are tied.”