EVANSTON — In an ongoing effort to save several historic, yet crumbling buildings that make up the old Wyoming State Hospital campus, the city of Evanston and the Uinta Economic Development Council recently penned letters asking state officials to postpone razing the buildings for one year.
Evanston Mayor Kent Williams broke with the City Council when he voted against sending the letter, while all the council members present voted in support of the measure.
The old Wyoming State Hospital sits on the hill above Evanston and is made up of 27 buildings, some of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and predate stgatehood.
A demolition date of August 2024 is scheduled. About $15 million was appropriated by the Legislature earlier this year to take the buildings down and haul the debris away. A contract for completion of the work has not yet been awarded. And the estimate for the entire demolition project is $53 million.
Proponents of saving the old buildings say they could be repurposed to benefit the community and that the $53 million would be better spent trying to save them than tear them down.
Debate Has Gone On Long Enough
Williams told Cowboy State Daily he doesn’t have strong feelings about whether the buildings should be saved or not. His concern lies in the fact that state officials have already decided to tear them down and the effort to save them delays, but won’t actually prevent, their destruction.
“We’ve been having this discussion for the last eight years and in my mind the decision has already been made,” he said. “I’m supportive of the (state’s) decision and if that’s what they are going to do then let’s get on with it.”
Williams said he believes the buildings could be used to benefit Evanston residents and economic development in the area, but it would take a lot of money to make the buildings work for things that have been proposed such as a culinary school or affordable housing.
However, the city could also benefit if the buildings are torn down and the property is used for new development or industry, Williams said, adding that many proponents of saving the buildings are late to the party.
The 27 buildings on the old state hospital campus in Evanston are connected by a series of tunnels. Locals believe the buildings are unique, valuable and deserve to be preserved. (John Thompson, Cowboy State Daily) 
The campus of the Wyoming State Hospital in Evanston has 27 buildings that are slated for demolition. (John Thompson, Cowboy State Daily) 
Local officials are attempting to save at least some of the buildings located at the old state hospital in Evanston. But state officials are planning to start knocking the buildings down next summer. (John Thompson, Cowboy State Daily)
Late To The Party
State Rep. John Conrad, R-Mountain View, is admittedly one of those late-comers. He told Cowboy State Daily there is at least one developer who has expressed interest in repurposing the buildings.
Conrad proposed the one-year stay of demolition to the Evanston City Council and the Uinta Economic Development Council.
“In the past month or two it has come to my attention that we have a private investor who wants to repurpose and restore the buildings,” Conrad said. “Our goal is to ask the state building commission to extend the deadline for one year and provide time for any investor who demonstrates the financial backing and a plan.”
Conrad said that if the state agrees to wait and a credible private investor steps up, it would result in saving the $15 million already set aside for demolition.
They’re How Old?
The first buildings on the campus of the old State Hospital were built in 1887, three years before Wyoming became a state. Over the next 40 years, several more buildings were added, including a cafeteria, a staff apartment complex, two staff houses and others. Some of the buildings were in use as recently as two years ago, but the condition of many of them is deteriorating.
Conrad said the old hospital was designed by William Dubois, the same architect who designed the House and Senate wings of the Wyoming Capitol and the Wyoming Supreme Court building.
“We owe it to our predecessors to do our due diligence on this because once those buildings are gone there is no turning back,” Conrad said.
The Uinta County Economic Development Commission recently sent its own letter to Gov. Mark Gordon requesting he step in to delay the destruction of the buildings.
Gary Welling, director of the economic development commission, said the letter is not an endorsement to save the buildings or to tear them down.
“It’s just a plea for the state to consider all of the options before dealing the final stroke,” he said.
They Still Have Life
Meanwhile, a local grassroots effort called Save The Old Wyoming State Hospital has been campaigning for public support to not tear the buildings down, including putting signs in local business storefronts and a recent rally.
Proponents of saving the old hospital say two recent studies show the buildings are structurally sound. The group also is circulating a petition calling on state officials to rethink the decision to turn the historic buildings into rubble.
City Council Member Jen Hegeman, a proponent of saving the buildings, said it will take about a $50 million investment to save the buildings. Hegeman said a developer, Joe Westerman, spent $10,0000 evaluating the buildings and is interested in the project.
The letter from the Evanston City Council to Gordon and the Wyoming State Building Commission states the city does not have the ability to buy or restore the campus. But a postponement of the demolition would allow more time to explore a sale or redevelopment of the property.
