historic preservation

A petition to designate the Green Acres neighborhood a conservation district will go to the Bloomington City Council.

A city commission will meet Aug. 12 to consider a proposed district that would grant historic protections to the city’s Green Acres neighborhood.

Residents of Bloomington’s Green Acres are seeking historic protections for the neighborhood in response to a threat of five homes being demolished.

The Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission says the city council should approve a local historic designation for Lower Cascades Park.

The city's Historic Preservation Commission could proceed with a nomination in November.

The annual list includes buildings of historical significance under threat of decay or demolition. To make the final cut, the structures must have a chance at revitalization, even if that chance is slim.

The entire 144-foot-tall stack cannot be saved, but establishing a historic district allows the city to maintain at least 60 feet.

During city council’s committee Wednesday, it considered the historic preservation commission’s recommended district boundary.

Based on an engineering assessment released in March, the smokestack cannot be repaired fully while remaining intact.

The area around the 140-foot tall smokestack is closed including a portion of the B-Line Trail.