The Ames electric power plant may be renovated to become a local landmark that city employees say could be akin to Paris’ Eiffel Tower or Seattle’s Space Needle.

Some people considered it in need of renovation; others called it an eyesore. The plant has provided electricity for Ames from its location at the end of Main Street since the 1940s.

“People talked about how this huge, ugly power plant needed a massive face-lift,” said Clare Bills, public relations officer for the City of Ames. “They said we needed something more visually pleasing, which is what began the process of looking for ways to transform [the plant].”

The Ames City Council decided to respond to these complaints by seeking ideas that would turn the power plant into a local attraction. They offered the challenge to architecture and art circles around the world in the spring of 2002, calling the international competition, “The Landmark Challenge.”

The goal of renovating the power plant is to provide Ames with a unique landmark, like the Space Needle, Bills said.

“We’re hoping as people drive into Ames, they’ll recognize their home when they see the power plant,” she said. “When you approach the Arch in St. Louis, you know you’re home, and we want to turn the power plant into a similar icon.”

Contest entries have come from top architecture firms, college students and Ames citizens. Entries were received from Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Australia, Japan, Russia and Kuwait.

Judges will meet in mid-February to determine which buildings meet the design parameters. The entries will be narrowed down to five finalists in March and the final choice will be submitted for City Council approval by July 1.

Ideas for the power plant’s re-design have ranged from the mild to the totally bizarre, Bills said.

“Some people simply wanted to paint the plant a different color,” she said. “Others wanted to incorporate laser lights into their design. There was even someone who wanted to incorporate multimedia to show movies on the side of the plant.”

Bills said the strangest idea was putting plants on the plant.

“Three of the designs envisioned covering the power plants with foliage. I don’t think the architects realized that foliage typically doesn’t grow on an electrical plant,” she said.

Architect Brian Duster, an Ames resident, submitted a design that would add neon lighting and an observation tower around the plant.

“The scenic tower would be built next to the plant to give the viewer a panoramic view of Ames,” he said. “I’d also add lights, probably a soft blue or red, which would change color. The lighting would bounce off the steam emitted from the plant.”

The project isn’t budgeted, which frustrated some architects who wanted to know what kind of money constraints they would be operating under. The city will fund the project through private sources, primarily donations and grants, Bills said.

“This isn’t a simple remodeling job. A simple remodel would mean scraping the outside and bringing [the building] back up to code. We’re desiring to transform the building from a simple power plant into something wonderful,” she said.