1647 Pearl St: It's Coming Down

[sheclown]

Time to change the system huh? Be vocal, show at meetings, whatever it takes. Business as  usual, screw that.

chain ourselves to balustrades?  I'm in.

[Timkin]

I cannot even fathom banks preferring a vacant lot, to a lot with a house in bad shape on it. The lot is worth little... no offense to Springfield or any other area.. but the building , even a condemned one has value.  If its a vacant lot, there is automatically an impact fee to build a structure.. so even that scenario makes little sense.

[Springfielder]

Actually, it's much easier for the banks to sell an empty lot than it is to sell a structure that needs lots of help to restore. However, this is a historic district and these structures need to be saved

[Timkin]

What is the average price range on these?  (the ones with lots)   Seems there should be people out there who are handy.

I would think the banks would take a beating on selling just a lot.. But then, I am not a bank .

[avs]

The argument that the HPC makes - the city isn't in the business of repairing buildings that is the property owner's responsibility - is ridiculous! 

REPAIR VS DEMO: If the city has the authority to TEAR DOWN a PRIVATE property owner's building, then they CERTAINLY can instead REPAIR the roof and save some of our tax money on top of that! 

How do we get these people removed from the HPC???

[Timkin]

By Removing the People who manage the City.  HPC (someone correct me if I am wrong) is a city-run agency.

[Debbie Thompson]

I'd love to go to HPC meetings and speak on behalf of these houses. However, I don't get off work until 5:30. 

BTW...I believe the City has the legal authority, right now, utilizing ordinances already on the books, to repair and stabilize these homes, and place a lien for that instead of a lien for demo. They just won't do it.  What we need to do is insist they follow their own historic preservation ordinance, which holds preservation to be a priority.

I don't know how much good it would do, but here's several other agencies from the COJ website. I can tell you I wrote to the last one, SE office of the National Trust, several years ago about this very issue and didn't even get the courtesy of a response from them.  But, why not give it a shot?

Division of Historical Resources
Florida Department of State
R.A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250
(850) 245-6300


Florida Trust for Historic Preservation
Post Office Box 11206
Tallahassee, Florida 32302
(904) 224-8128


National Trust for Historic Preservation
1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 673-4000


National Trust for Historic Preservation
Southeast Regional Office
456 King Street
Charleston, South Carolina 29403
(803) 722-8552

[KuroiKetsunoHana]

chain ourselves to balustrades?  I'm in.

sheclown, i love you.  and i might be able to help contruct lockboxes...i've never done it, but i know how...

[sheclown]

chain ourselves to balustrades?  I'm in.

sheclown, i love you.  and i might be able to help contruct lockboxes...i've never done it, but i know how...

thanks!

[sheclown]

I'd love to go to HPC meetings and speak on behalf of these houses. However, I don't get off work until 5:30. 

BTW...I believe the City has the legal authority, right now, utilizing ordinances already on the books, to repair and stabilize these homes, and place a lien for that instead of a lien for demo. They just won't do it.  What we need to do is insist they follow their own historic preservation ordinance, which holds preservation to be a priority.

I don't know how much good it would do, but here's several other agencies from the COJ website. I can tell you I wrote to the last one, SE office of the National Trust, several years ago about this very issue and didn't even get the courtesy of a response from them.  But, why not give it a shot?

Division of Historical Resources
Florida Department of State
R.A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250
(850) 245-6300


Florida Trust for Historic Preservation
Post Office Box 11206
Tallahassee, Florida 32302
(904) 224-8128


National Trust for Historic Preservation
1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 673-4000


National Trust for Historic Preservation
Southeast Regional Office
456 King Street
Charleston, South Carolina 29403
(803) 722-8552

Debbie, if you email Joel or Lisa at the Historic Planning Department, on behalf of a house, it goes into the HPC minutes. 

[sheclown]

I believe if we express our desire to keep our historic homes to the HPC, they will be responsive.  They have only heard one neighborhood voice.  Let's give them a chance and maybe they can help us get a moratorium on these demo's while we hunt for a political solution.

They are the first stop.

[sheclown]

SAY!  Isn't this house on an ash site? I wonder if it has been tested.  Surely COJ would have this place tested to determine the potential threat of heavy equipment knocking down and disturbing highly dangerous ash material.

[Ethylene]

SAY!  Isn't this house on an ash site? I wonder if it has been tested.  Surely COJ would have this place tested to determine the potential threat of heavy equipment knocking down and disturbing highly dangerous ash material.

Excellent question! I intend to be at tomorrow's HPC meeting! Is it still held on the 8th floor of the Ed Ball building? They may need to move this session elsewhere to accommodate the crowd!

[Debbie Thompson]

I can't make the meeting, but I did write to Lisa Sheppard.

"Lisa, I know I'm preaching to the choir, but all these demolitions in Springfield have to stop. 

Houses are coming down far too often.  Ionia has lost 30% of it's homes, not all from demolition, but a significant number from demo.  Clark Street has lost 46%...13 of 28 homes.  Two homes on Pearl at 7th are engangered. Several on Laura.   Homes are going down in twos and threes....homes that don't have to...homes that are structurally sound.  We are a National Register Historic District, and we need protection. It's so very sad that we need to beg for that protection from our own city government, But beg we will.

Many of these homes are structurally sound.  April's HPC minutes reflect requests to place a house on the track for a metal roof that is lifting in the breeze in places.  Really?  A few nails would take care of that.  Another is requested because of a hole in a roof.  That can be repaired very easily.  Another incredible home is being requested because there was a sewer back up.  Elaine Lancaster even admits it's in good shape.  And it's an absolutely incredible house. The sewer back up can be repaired and the home sanitized.

We have to change the process.  I am asking for a moratorium on all demolitions in Springfield while we work on this.  We simply cannot afford to lose more homes while we work to change the short-sighted process of demolishing historic housing stock due to non-structural repairs, simply because they haven't been made in a certain number of months, or allowing owners to ask for demolition of homes simply because they don't want the bother of repairing them.

I am involved with a group of very concerned, committed Springfield residents, and you will be hearing more from us as we work to save our historic homes, beautify Springfield, and find buyers for our neglected homes that need someone to love them.  We are very serious about this.  We want to save our remaining historic housing stock.

Thank you for your efforts.  Debbie Thompson"

[sheclown]

Good letter, Debbie.