NEED FOR UNIVERSITY BUILDING OUTWEIGHS PRESERVATION

There is just one thing wrong with a proposal to save a 58-year-old house on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University: It came about five years too late.

Here is the situation:-- The home at 814 N. Henderson is the former home of the schools oldest living alumnus, Rush H. Limbaugh Sr., who is 102.-- The Limbaugh family is well-known throughout the state and nation. One of Limbaughs sons is a federal judge. A grandson is a Missouri Supreme Court judge. Another grandson is Rush Limbaugh of conservative radio and television talk show fame.-- Where the house, currently used by the Air Force ROTC unit, is located is the planned site for the schools new building to house the business program. This was one of the projects included in the statewide bond issues approved by voters earlier this month.-- Southeast Missouri State University is one of the few schools in the nation that offers a degree in historic preservation.-- One of the schools historic preservation majors, who also is president of the universitys Historic Preservation Association, has sent a letter to the schools president asking that the Limbaugh home be saved from the bulldozer.

At first blush, it might seem logical that a school offering a degree in historic preservation would be more than willing to consider such a request. But Jon Colburn, the student, hasnt learned some compelling lessons about historic preservation: One is that buildings to be considered for special status should truly be historic. Another is that preservation must be weighed against other, perhaps greater, needs.

Planning for the new business building began about five years ago. That would have been a good time to bring up concerns about saving the house. It would be unreasonable and impractical to find a new location for the business building at this late date. Surely any historic significance of the Limbaugh home was considered during the planning process.

It was, no doubt, a courtesy for university president Kala Stroup to respond to Colburns suggestion by saying the idea would be reviewed. Why? The decision to tear down the house and two other nearby houses already had been made. What significant new information warrants reconsideration.

One idea of Colburns does sound worthy of consideration. That is to document the historic significance of all university buildings that are more than 50 years old. Had this been done five years ago, any reasons for preserving the Limbaugh home would have been obvious. If there had been enough historic signficance, the university might have chosen another site for the business building.

The documentation process is one that still can be pursued. But it need not stand in the way of constructing the new business building, which is sorely needed.