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<p>Call the remodeling experts at &#8220;This Old House&#8221; and beg them to travel to Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Contact leaders at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.</p><p>Send emails to Shriners International, U.S. architect trade groups and renowned photographers who document endangered buildings.</p><p>In the race to save the Irem Temple &#8211; a striking Moorish Revival structure that has added a distinctive look to Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s skyline for more than a century &#8211; reach out to anyone who might have the expertise, capability, inclination or heart to keep the place standing.</p><p>Members of a grassroots group led by 36-year-old Christian Wielage, of Dallas and White Plains, New York, announced earlier this month they hope to raise money so that crews can evaluate the Irem&#8217;s condition, stabilize it and propose a potential reuse for it. They established a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IremTempleRestoration/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> and <a href="http://luzfdn.org/funds/irem-temple-restoration-preservation-fund/" target="_blank">a fund at The Luzerne Foundation</a>.</p><p>Wielage&#8217;s planning group reportedly includes Wilkes-Barre City Councilman Tony Brooks and area businessman Joe Nardone Jr. Their fundraising initiative also has the support of officials with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, which owns the long-vacant structure.</p><p>These would-be rescuers are expected on Thursday to issue a request for proposals, seeking companies&#8217; blueprints and cost estimates for securing the North Franklin Street site. Can the temple&#8217;s four minarets, which call attention to the former auditorium like floating exclamation points, remain structurally sound? The local preservationists should have a better idea after the proposals are due, in 45 days.</p><p>Meanwhile, advocates for the Irem&#8217;s revival can begin to rally support and to seek experienced and powerful allies. For a project of this scope, we urge them to aim high.</p><p>&#8226; The National Park Service, keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, maintains a website with <a href="https://www.nps.gov/nr/preservation_links.htm" target="_blank">links to preservation offices</a>. The Irem Temple already falls within the city&#8217;s River Street Historic District, which is listed on the register, potentially smoothing the way to receive restoration-related tax credits.</p><p>&#8226; The nonprofit Preservation Pennsylvania offers <a href="http://www.preservationpa.org/page.asp?id=23" target="_blank">technical assistance</a> to people hoping to protect places. Might its members be wooed to Wilkes-Barre for a future annual meeting? If so, they could tour the downtown and get an up-close view of the Irem.</p><p>&#8226; <a href="http://www.preservationnation.org/" target="_blank">The National Trust for Historic Preservation</a> and <a href="http://www.phmc.pa.gov/Preservation/Pages/default.aspx#.VztnQeRLPYo" target="_blank">Pennsylvania&#8217;s Bureau for Historic Preservation</a> can provide support of all sorts.</p><p>&#8226; The federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation connects people to a range of <a href="http://www.achp.gov/hpo.html" target="_blank">cultural and historic preservation organizations</a>.</p><p>&#8226; Leaders at the philanthropic Shriners International might have a soft spot for an Irem Temple rebirth. The structure was built by the Wilkes-Barre Shriners, a Masonic organization. It ultimately served as one of this area&#8217;s major entertainment venues.</p><p>Admittedly, luring a &#8220;This Old House&#8221; crew here is a long shot. But if the Irem stands a chance, it&#8217;ll need to beat the odds more than once in the coming months.</p><style>
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Our Opinion: Send an SOS to rally rescuers around endangered Irem Temple building in Wilkes-Barre