At its meeting last Friday, June 12, the Historic Preservation Commission formally voted on the certificate of appropriateness to demolish the carriage house/garage behind 30 Union Street and replace it with a new building which lacks the character of the original structure.
At that same meeting, the HPC heard a proposal to demolish a garage on Prison Alley, behind 222-224 Warren Street, to provide parking spaces for the tenants of the building in front.
The owner of the building maintained the building was "ready to fall apart" and he had been advised by his insurance agent to demolish it. Nick Fox, code enforcement officer, said he had inspected the building and expressed the opinion that the building was not deteriorated beyond repair. After reviewing photographs provided by Fox, John Schobel, who as vice chair of the HPC was chairing the meeting, told the applicant, "It doesn't look as bad as you say it is."
It was suggested that the opinion of a structural engineer was needed. When the building's owner said that he was an engineer, HPC member Miranda Barry had to inform him, gently, that an opinion was needed from an unbiased engineer.
The issue will be taken up again at the next meeting of the HPC, which is scheduled for Friday, June 26. That meeting may or may not include a public hearing on the demolition. Before Friday, Gossips will confirm if there is to be a public hearing or not.
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UPDATE: At the Historic Preservation Commission meeting on June 26, it was reported that the application to demolish the garage behind 222-224 Warren Street has been withdrawn.
A structure in Prison Alley's 500 block was removed yesterday, a few properties east of City Hall.
ReplyDeleteplease, they are garages on alleys and it wouldn't be fair to deny future owners after so many have been torn down. In lots of cases they also provide neede housing,
ReplyDeleteWhy is this an HPC issue ... they have no enforcement power. Telling a property owner what they can and cannot do with there property is a waste of time. Code adherence should be the only criteria ... Most of these existing structures have outlived their life cycle and are basically useless to the owner as they are. This is a 'public shamming process' at best ...
ReplyDelete