In order to sell alcohol, the Graduate Hotel Bloomington has applied to be designated as a historic building, with the possibility of creating a historic district where the hotel would be located. The attempt was met with skepticism by members of the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission, since the hotel was built only six years ago.
If The Graduate were designated as part of a historic district, it could receive a liquor license, something it has been denied so far due to its proximity to the First United Methodist Church. Indiana law, Indiana Code 7.1-3-21-11, states that an establishment seeking to obtain a liquor license “shall not issue a permit to an establishment if any wall of the establishment is less than two hundred (200) feet from a school or church wall.” The First United Methodist Church was unable to reach consensus that would grant its approval to The Graduate Bloomington.
Although the main goal of the Kirkwood Avenue hotel is to obtain permission to sell alcohol and use alcohol as a selling point for guests and event bookings, the hotel framed its argument as a request that would benefit the other buildings in the area. Representatives of the hotel proposed establishing an entire historic district for other buildings on Kirkwood Avenue, citing the need to protect the street’s history.
The Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission met on July 11 with hotel representatives Alex Intermill of the law firm Bose McKinney & Evans and Pablo David of AJ Capital, the company that owns the Graduate Hotel Bloomington.
According to Bloomington’s Historic Preservation Board of Review, a historic district is one that is at least 50 years old. When reviewing an area for historic designation, the board’s reviewers consider how historically and architecturally valuable a property is. These nine members are appointed by the mayor.
The City of Bloomington accepts applications from citizens interested in serving on various city boards and commissions.
At the meeting, Intermill said the Board of Review’s website says the building “should” be 50 years old, not that it has to be. The Graduate Bloomington is only six years old, but is eligible for historic preservation because of its “commitment to history” and “economic benefit” to the Graduate Hotel, Intermill said.
According to Intermill, the hotel loses an average of 25 event bookings a year because it cannot serve alcohol. He said this not only affects The Graduate’s revenue, but also that of the city.
Graduate officials also argued that the hotel deserves historic designation because the hotel’s interior design preserves history. Some examples of the hotel’s homages to Bloomington and Indiana University history include design choices such as restored bleachers from local high schools in the lobby, displays by Hoagy Carmichael, a Bloomington native and IU graduate, sheet music and a mural of the 1952-53 IU men’s basketball team.
During the meeting, a commission member said he was “kind of on board” with the idea of making Kirkwood a historic district.
“I like the idea that maybe some of the other property owners could be persuaded to help protect Kirkwood,” said Commissioner Daniel Schlegel.
None of the other commission members were in favor of recognizing “The Graduate” as a historical work.
“As far as the streetscape goes, I think it would be a significant burden on a lot of other people along the street because once it gets classified as a historic building, their costs to maintain those buildings would probably go up significantly,” said Commissioner William Fulk. “So I don’t think that’s a viable option either.”
After The Graduate presented its historic preservation application, Commissioner Reynard Cross asked David if he “justifiably” believed that The Graduate Hotel deserved a place in a historic district on its own merits or if it was just a “back door” to obtaining a liquor license. David said it was both, describing the hotel as a museum of sorts.
“My view is that our goal is to protect the building for its own sake,” Cross said. “I don’t necessarily see that we have any obligation to consider other aspects.”
He recommended using The Graduate’s economic concerns as a reason to request a derogation from the ordinance prohibiting them from selling alcohol.
“I think the kindest thing I can do is to call this disingenuous and that your attempt to gain the approval of this organization is insulting and abusive,” Cross said. “Let’s leave it at that. Second, I still don’t see in your presentation any justification for protecting this building as a historic building.”
Commission member Sam DeSollar said he liked the building itself, but he found the arguments of the hotel representatives “dishonest, even flimsy” and thought “we would all like to have that hour back.”
“We cannot consider a liquor license, that is not within our jurisdiction,” said Jeremy Hackerd, an advisory member of the commission.
The commission is now waiting for The Graduate to set a date for the vote. The next date is August 22. The commission meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.
