Historians Upset Over Staircase Renovation on Dexter Ave.
By Heather VacLav
Apr 20, 2012
In effort to renovate one of downtown Montgomery's main thoroughfares, the city purchased then sold buildings on Dexter Avenue. But as the first building renovation nears its completion, many people are unhappy about its new design.
"Dexter Avenue is one of the most important streets in Montgomery, if not Alabama and in the Southeast," said Montgomery deputy mayor Jeff Downes. “There is a tenant lined up to move into the building to bring life to a building that has not seen life in years, and can really serve as a catalyst for the rest of Dexter Avenue.”
The building in question, 78 Dexter Ave., added stairs and a second floor balcony to the existing building, but local historians and architects say the design takes away from the history of the building and is steering the renovations in the wrong direction.
"The straw that breaks the camel's back is on the front [of the building],” said Jeff Benton, the author of A Sense of Place: Montgomery's Architectural Heritage. “They added an enormous balcony to make more square footage… but the staircase they decided to put on the outside, and you can see by looking at it, its an abomination, it is really very ugly."
The city of Montgomery says the building may potentially bring in a big name restaurant from Atlanta to rent the space. While the Capitol City agrees the stairs are not appealing to look at, building them into the sidewalk was the only option to keep the building operable and within safety codes.
“Sometimes the question is, do you kill a project for a slightly undesirable set of stairs, or do you keep it alive and keep it to where soon, very soon, we'll be able to be proud that there is life in lower Dexter Avenue?” Downes said.
But historians and people like Benton says the city’s long-term goal could be short lived if the work on the buildings, like 78 Dexter Ave., is not done to the correct standards.
“We're worried about what's going to be happening to the rest of it,” Benton said. “Are people going to be saying if it makes money then its ok? Because I can think of a lot of businesses that will make money but I certainly wouldn't want them here.”
Deputy Mayor Jeff Downes said he understands preservationists’ concerns, like Benton’s, but he says, despite caring “about what they think” sometimes it’s about the practical outcomes.
As for the business to fill the building in question, the city could not confirm the name of the interested tenant, but they did say it was an Atlanta based restaurant. According to Downes, the business could sign onto the lease for the space as early as Friday.
Prev
Linear Mode
