There has to be a limit as to when a location is to be deemed historical. I mean, wasn't it historical last year, or 5 years ago?? There should be an item added to this checklist of requirements the HDRC must meet to deem a place historical to include "in good shape" or in good enough shape to be redone. If they stop every building from being demo'd either by a bulldozer or time, then they have failed as a "conservation" society. Part of their agenda should be maintainence and conserving a building, before it gets to the point of no return. Once they are found historical, there should be guidelines for the owner to maintain the structure. If they don't want to maintain it, sell it to someone who will so that they can maintain it while it is still in good shape and not cost a fortune to rehab, which is the case with the Fish Market, the fossil on St. Marys and the old Dodge dealership on Broadway.
For example, just an example:
Automobile Row on Broadway. These structures have been there for many years and the owners should have been told that those structures were historical and held accountable for their upkeep. If they don't hold them accountable; come time to sell, nobody wants to buy because they have to rehab the fossil, which isn't worth much to a developer, so the owner remains stuck with the structure which they stopped caring about many years ago. So nothing gets done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kornbread
I thought the same thing. Look at it this way; the more they make these kinds of decisions, the better chance there is that their role or the members will have to change.
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Are you guys taking notes??? Someone should put together a presentation for the Mayor and Council to look at to show that sometimes the HDRC does more harm than good.
I say some good, because there are some things that need to be saved. However, the Icehouse on Fred. rd. is not one of them. Sometimes you just need to let go.
Just demo it, put a plaque on it telling the story; just like the Gibbs building on Soledad/Houston, that has this plaque up:
