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Show II l- 1 1 iwir'-- " - Tfi j ! V V ' H " mfnii I i I 1 Main Furniture and Hardware Will Art's fall to historic reproduction? by Itick Bi-ough Architect John Carbine said he has a simple reason for not wanting to restore the former Main Flirniture and Hardware Building. It's ugly. Carbine told the Historic District Commission on Dec. 5 that the building, at 551 Main St., did not contribute to the Main Street Historic District. He suggested instead building an "immaculate" reproduction of a Main Street building. Main Furniture and Hardware, better known to locals simply as Art's Hardware, closed its doors Nov. 30 after 50 years of operation. Commission members said Carbine Car-bine should study restoration possibilities possi-bilities before talking about a reproduction. Said member Allen Roberts, "We ought to exhaust all the present possibilities before we're teased and tempted with a second solution." Carbine argued a restoration would make a commercial project more difficult to finance. The restored building would have 40 to 50 percent less footage than a new project, he said. The commission asked to see more exact figures. The restoration issue arose after the city's planning staff denied a demolition permit for two connected buildings Art's Hardware and an occupied residence at 556 Park Ave. The two buildings sit on six lots owned by Jody Bernolfo. Carbine has been appealing the staff decision to the Historic Commission panel. The individual building does not have historic status, but is part of a Main Street Historic Area certified by the National Trust of Historic Places. Carbine's case apparently was bolstered after chief building inspector Ron Ivie said the building was in poor shape. Following an inspection, Ivie gave the building a T-fp'iift "f ""fl'SfalffltatiweaThi'i means restoration is "questionable," "question-able," according to the City's drafted preservation ordinance. Ivie reported the building has no foundation, the walls and floor are rotted and the glassed portion of the building does not meet safety requirements. He said there is "no way to reasonably . save most of the building's structural system." Said Carbine, "Our attitude is that it is truly garbage. It doesn't contribute anything." Carbine did not name a specific building he would reproduce, but said he would provide historic . documentation when one was chosen. Although the National Register doesn't applaud replicas, it will accept them if they are accurate," he added. But Roberts said tearing down the building could lead to an erosion that would result in Main Street losing its official historic status. "The bulk of the facade is intact. The store is as contributory as most old buildings in the area. "There are lots of buildings with no foundation and structural problems pro-blems that have been restored." Commissioner Paul DeGroot said he was anxious to retain the scale of the building. He suggested the building could be renovated, with a sympathetic new structure around it. Ivie made a separate inspection report on the Park Avenue residential residen-tial building, giving it a rating of two or "fair condition." The house had no foundation beyond some rubble on the west side, he reported., Ivie also said the house needed electrical and plumbing work and the roof, if insulated, should be structurally updated for snow. Carbine said he could save the upper floor of the house if its exterior was modified. The second floor could become one living space in a multi-unit project. The commission asked its staff to gather information on how the parcel could be developed under various options. Two possibilities are a Planned Unit Development and an Historic Transition Zone combining residential and commercial use |