Collier House closes after mold infests attic, cellar

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Collier House closes after mold infests attic, cellar

Faculty and classes have been relocated around campus while the

historic building is repaired

By Matt Chaban

Freelance Reporter

UO Oregon Daily Emerald - Erb Memorial Union,OR

http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/03/03/440811b3e9

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March 03, 2006

A historic building in the heart of campus was evacuated last week

after being overrun by mold, displacing the four professors who make

up the University's music history department.

The mold grew after a basement heating valve broke and released hot

steam into the building. The building could be closed into the

summer.

Although the Penicillium and Aspergillus molds found in Collier

House are common and often harmless in daily life, the high

concentration in Collier House posed a threat.

" It's one thing if you drink a cup of cold water, " director of

Campus Operations Hecht said. " It's another to drink 10

gallons. "

Facility Services took no chances with the mold and decided to

quarantine Collier House until it could be properly cleaned, even

though no one reported any reactions to the mold. In addition to the

relocation of faculty, all classes in the building's one classroom

have been moved.

Facility Services contracted Kathy Ellis, an industrial hygienist

with Step Wise Inc. of Salem, to visit Collier House on Feb. 12 and

survey the mold infestation.

" The damage was severe, " she said. " When you have hardwood floors

buckle, that's severe. When you have 95 percent of the attic covered

in mold, that's severe. "

She said it was fortunate the major damage is in the unoccupied

areas of the attic and basement.

Courtesy

A mold infestation in the Collier House attic prompted Facility

Services to close the house.

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Built in 1886 by physics professor Collier, the house was

bought by the University when he retired 10 years later. It was

turned into the library and later served as home to University

presidents and state chancellors before the music history department

took over in fall 2004. Because Collier House is on the Eugene

Historical Record, cleanup of the second oldest building on campus

is a delicate matter. " We respect this house and its historic

background, and we don't want to do anything to hurt it, " Hecht said.

Hecht assigned Facilities Services Construction Project Manager

Bleekman to restore Collier House, which is insured, because

Bleekman graduated from the University with a degree in historical

preservation.

" Until we hear from the mold people, we really don't know what we're

going to do, " Bleekman said.

Hecht expects a report from Ellison today.

The building's occupants first complained to Facility Services in

late January that the walls were wet, but with campus inundated with

flooding as a result of record rains, Hecht said, the inspector

assumed the problem was little more than a broken gutter. When the

rain subsided in February, Hecht and others decided to explore the

basement and attic and discovered the true extent of the damage.

Ellis said the steam first hit the basement ceiling, circulated to

the chase — a one-foot-square shaft running the height of the

building — where it then traveled to the attic.

In the attic, Hecht said, the steam should have escaped through a

vent, causing minimal damage, but when the roof was refurbished by a

contractor in 2003, the vent was installed but never connected.

Hecht said the mistake was undetectable unless a person stood

directly below the vent.

" It was an error on our part, " he said.

Ellis said some steam even burst out of the house and down its sides

because of the pressure in the sealed attic.

Janet , facilities manager for the School of Music and Dance,

said she could not be more sad to have lost the use of Collier House

for the spring and maybe even all

of summer, when the school had planned to host part of a special

conference on medieval music there.

" It would be like your house burning down, " she said.

The department is now scattered around campus, and one of the

classes changes locations each week, said.

She explained that Collier House perfectly fits the school's needs.

It relieved some stress from the school's currently overflowing

building, gave the school a presence in the center of campus and

provided a perfect venue for concerts.

" We're right back to where we were two years ago, " said. " It

will be a very tightly knit community. "

Anne McLucas, head of the music history department, was caught in

the middle of a busy term and preparing to finish and deliver a

paper when the house closed. She was given less than a week to

relocate.

" We were led to believe we would be back by spring break, " McLucas

said from her new office in Hall. The beige room is

bare by professorial standards because McLucas thought she only

needed to finish out the term.

Now she worries about gathering materials in time for next term. A

mountain of empty cardboard boxes are stacked in the corner.

" At least it's not Katrina, " McLucas said. " We can go home to our

houses at night. "