Blink and Youll Miss It
Scott Zoback left the following comment on my Wormttowntaxi post "Mini-Demolition":
We ran an article on this last year. Here it is:
Blink and you'll miss it; a dull, faded wooden structure at the corner of Temple and Harding streets, overwhelmed by the Heywood Building and other nearby old brick factories that are now gentrified into lofts, condos and restaurants.
Once, the Buckley Store was something special: A historical marker on the site details the structure's history as a convenience store of sorts. It's a rare example of wooden buildings from that time period, and a representation of the neighborhood's immigrant legacy when the Blackstone Canal ran where Harding Street is now.
But now the building, once a potential target for historic restoration, is slated for demolition.
"At this point, it looks like the building will come down," says Preservation Worcester's Deborah Packard.
The building dates to about 1870, when Irish immigrant Cornelius Buckley built a grocery store on the ground floor and a house upstairs for his family. The building survived in that form until the 1920s. The historic marker details occupants during the 19th and early 20th century of "Jewish, French Canadian, and Lithuanian [descent] that reflect the changing ethnic make-up of the city during that period."
The building's owner, John Giangregorio, purchased the building in 2004, with the plan of historically renovating the property. Giangregorio and Packard say that funding options for historic renovations were looked at, but as there were no tenants in the building, the options (such as TIF and faaade renovation funding) are "not really applicable," says Giangregorio.
It's obvious the building is in need of a drastic makeover to be reusable. The structure is sagging a little, and it obviously hasn't been used as anything commercial in ages. Add to that the car that crashed through a wall several months ago, and it is clear a lot of work is needed.
And now, city officials say that the building has code violations, and have ordered that the building be demolished.
City Director of Code Enforcement Joseph Mikielian says that once he gets an application for demolition from Giangregorio, he will move to have the building taken down as soon as possible.
Still, Giangregorio sounds like a landlord who would like to have done something more than a demolition.
"The city must reconcile a policy of historic renovation with code requirements," he says. "I don't think it's a secret that older properties would be in need of repairs."
Preservationist Packard seems resigned to the building's fate.
"It's a charming building we'd love to see stay in that neighborhood, but that doesn't seem possible considering the [condition] and the order to take the building down," she says.
"It hasn't been properly taken care of [over time]. It's almost beyond saving."
Giangregorio is clear that he wishes he had more options to restore the building before it was cited for code violations. "I'd like to see the city be more sensitive to historic structures."
We ran an article on this last year. Here it is:
Blink and you'll miss it; a dull, faded wooden structure at the corner of Temple and Harding streets, overwhelmed by the Heywood Building and other nearby old brick factories that are now gentrified into lofts, condos and restaurants.
Once, the Buckley Store was something special: A historical marker on the site details the structure's history as a convenience store of sorts. It's a rare example of wooden buildings from that time period, and a representation of the neighborhood's immigrant legacy when the Blackstone Canal ran where Harding Street is now.
But now the building, once a potential target for historic restoration, is slated for demolition.
"At this point, it looks like the building will come down," says Preservation Worcester's Deborah Packard.
The building dates to about 1870, when Irish immigrant Cornelius Buckley built a grocery store on the ground floor and a house upstairs for his family. The building survived in that form until the 1920s. The historic marker details occupants during the 19th and early 20th century of "Jewish, French Canadian, and Lithuanian [descent] that reflect the changing ethnic make-up of the city during that period."
The building's owner, John Giangregorio, purchased the building in 2004, with the plan of historically renovating the property. Giangregorio and Packard say that funding options for historic renovations were looked at, but as there were no tenants in the building, the options (such as TIF and faaade renovation funding) are "not really applicable," says Giangregorio.
It's obvious the building is in need of a drastic makeover to be reusable. The structure is sagging a little, and it obviously hasn't been used as anything commercial in ages. Add to that the car that crashed through a wall several months ago, and it is clear a lot of work is needed.
And now, city officials say that the building has code violations, and have ordered that the building be demolished.
City Director of Code Enforcement Joseph Mikielian says that once he gets an application for demolition from Giangregorio, he will move to have the building taken down as soon as possible.
Still, Giangregorio sounds like a landlord who would like to have done something more than a demolition.
"The city must reconcile a policy of historic renovation with code requirements," he says. "I don't think it's a secret that older properties would be in need of repairs."
Preservationist Packard seems resigned to the building's fate.
"It's a charming building we'd love to see stay in that neighborhood, but that doesn't seem possible considering the [condition] and the order to take the building down," she says.
"It hasn't been properly taken care of [over time]. It's almost beyond saving."
Giangregorio is clear that he wishes he had more options to restore the building before it was cited for code violations. "I'd like to see the city be more sensitive to historic structures."
posted by Jeff Barnard at 6:31 AM
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