The Mount Vernon Historical Commission has decided against approving a certificate of appropriateness to demolish structures north of City Hall. The commission expressed the need for more information regarding preservation estimates and the decision to construct a justice center at the proposed location.
"As you may know, we're currently working to move City Hall functions out of this building to a new building down on South Main. At that point, this will be occupied temporarily by the courts and court-related functions," said Don Wheat of Pizzuti Solutions, who serves as the city's owner representative on municipal facility projects. "And the plan is then to be able to use the space north of this building to create a modern court space that we can't create inside existing structures."
According to a YouTube video of the October 9 meeting of the Historical Review Commission, Wheat said that the conditions of buildings at 10 through 18 North Main St., and 6 East Chestnut St. do not permit the city to create the necessary space for a Municipal Court Justice Center. He noted that the wood framing in the floor systems is inadequate for courtroom widths and described these buildings as functionally obsolete and deteriorating.
Wheat further mentioned plans to salvage historic components from the building facades for potential reuse in Mount Vernon, although no designs have been finalized for the new justice center.
Commission member Todd Hawkins inquired whether a cost-benefit analysis had been conducted comparing complete rehabilitation with demolition and rebuilding. Wheat responded that such an analysis had not been performed but suggested that rehabilitation would increase financial burdens on the city's project budget.
Law Director Rob Broeren added that buildings on both North Main and East Chestnut are significantly dilapidated, citing instances where pieces of facade from the Curtis building regularly fall onto sidewalks. Broeren explained efforts have been made to stabilize these structures but described it as an ongoing challenge when considering facade preservation. Despite these issues, commissioners voted against granting permission to demolish, seeking further information including clarity on engineering aspects related to maintaining existing buildings or their facades.
