The Lumberjack

Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: Campus

Media Credit: Stephanie Haller

Media Credit: Stephanie Haller

The University Annex has been on the real estate market for two weeks and Greg Anderson said he already has two potential buyers. Anderson is a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Sellers Realty in Arcata and he is the listing agent for the Annex property. The list price for the building and property is $2 million.

The Annex was originally built as a hospital in 1944 and operated as such until 1969. "It is a unique piece of property, no question," Anderson said. "It is a historical structure."

In 1973, the hospital business moved to the current location of Mad River Community Hospital and Humboldt State began leasing the building from the Arcata Hospital Corporation for classrooms, offices and labs.

Humboldt State vacated the building in September and now uses the new Behavioral and Social Sciences building instead. The only remaining Humboldt State programs in the building are the Schatz Energy Research Center and Veterans Upward Bound.

Cai Williams is the Upward Bound program director and she is extremely appreciative to the Arcata Hospital Corporation for allowing the Upward Bound program to remain in the building at no cost. The Department of Education recently denied grant funding for the Upward Bound program that has been operating at the university for thirty years.

Vicky Sleight is the Arcata Hospital Corporation office administrator and property manager. "Upward Bound has no funding," Sleight said, "so we're letting them stay rent free. The Schatz lab is renting."

Paul Mann, Humboldt State's public information officer, said that Schatz Energy Research Center has a lease until 2010. "It isn't strictly the university, but rather the [Humboldt State] Sponsored Programs Foundation, that has the lease agreement to keep the Schatz in the Annex for three years," Mann said by e-mail.

But once the Annex is sold, there is still no guarantee Schatz will be able to stay. Charles Chamberlin, Co-director of Schatz Energy Research Center, doesn't seem to be worried. "If new owners decide they need our space we'll be looking to move very quickly," Chamberlin said. Chamberlin is co-director of the Schatz Center.

However, both programs may get to remain in the building even if the property sells. "It depends on who we sell it to," Sleight said, "it could be rent money for the new owners."

Sleight doubts that the Annex could be torn down to make way for new development because of the building's historical nature. "There would be one heck of a fight to take it down," she said. "Our goal is not to have that happen."

Sleight said that Humboldt State had shown some interest in purchasing the building with the idea of tearing it down and utilizing more of the land. After the building was appraised the University's interest in the property fell. "In a way we're glad [Humboldt State] didn't buy it," Sleight said.


Natalie Landreneaux can be reached at nml20@humboldt.edu

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