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Call the remodeling experts at “This Old House” and beg them to travel to Wilkes-Barre.
Contact leaders at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Send emails to Shriners International, U.S. architect trade groups and renowned photographers who document endangered buildings.
In the race to save the Irem Temple – a striking Moorish Revival structure that has added a distinctive look to Wilkes-Barre’s skyline for more than a century – reach out to anyone who might have the expertise, capability, inclination or heart to keep the place standing.
Members of a grassroots group led by 36-year-old Christian Wielage, of Dallas and White Plains, New York, announced earlier this month they hope to raise money so that crews can evaluate the Irem’s condition, stabilize it and propose a potential reuse for it. They established a Facebook page and a fund at The Luzerne Foundation.
Wielage’s planning group reportedly includes Wilkes-Barre City Councilman Tony Brooks and area businessman Joe Nardone Jr. Their fundraising initiative also has the support of officials with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, which owns the long-vacant structure.
These would-be rescuers are expected on Thursday to issue a request for proposals, seeking companies’ blueprints and cost estimates for securing the North Franklin Street site. Can the temple’s four minarets, which call attention to the former auditorium like floating exclamation points, remain structurally sound? The local preservationists should have a better idea after the proposals are due, in 45 days.
Meanwhile, advocates for the Irem’s revival can begin to rally support and to seek experienced and powerful allies. For a project of this scope, we urge them to aim high.
• The National Park Service, keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, maintains a website with links to preservation offices. The Irem Temple already falls within the city’s River Street Historic District, which is listed on the register, potentially smoothing the way to receive restoration-related tax credits.
• The nonprofit Preservation Pennsylvania offers technical assistance to people hoping to protect places. Might its members be wooed to Wilkes-Barre for a future annual meeting? If so, they could tour the downtown and get an up-close view of the Irem.
• The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Pennsylvania’s Bureau for Historic Preservation can provide support of all sorts.
• The federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation connects people to a range of cultural and historic preservation organizations.
• Leaders at the philanthropic Shriners International might have a soft spot for an Irem Temple rebirth. The structure was built by the Wilkes-Barre Shriners, a Masonic organization. It ultimately served as one of this area’s major entertainment venues.
Admittedly, luring a “This Old House” crew here is a long shot. But if the Irem stands a chance, it’ll need to beat the odds more than once in the coming months.