The Mount Vernon Board of Property Maintenance Appeals voted unanimously on March 24 to condemn three city-owned properties including the Curtis Building after structural issues caused windows to fall out and left its front facade ready to collapse.
The decision follows concerns about public safety and the deteriorating condition of the buildings. The board's action means that all three structures are slated for demolition due to their unsafe state.
According to draft minutes of the meeting, High Street resident Vicki Fitzgerald wrote in a letter submitted to the board, "It appears that the City has failed to do maintenance on these buildings in the last 4 years since they took ownership and that they are using the windstorm damage to excuse their neglect so that they can take all three buildings down. Did the City intentionally allow the buildings to deteriorate so that the outcome was demolition? This further complicates the issue of conflict of interest."
Assistant City Inspector Brian Marvin said when the city bought the three parcels in 2022, they were already in poor condition due to lack of proper maintenance. The city intended to tear them down and replace them with a municipal building, though those plans changed. Brickwork, masonry, and facade have been knocked out by windstorms. Water has flowed into the basement and the ground beneath the foundation is eroding. Exposed and substandard wiring that Marvin called ancient is used in the buildings. He called it as dangerous as any building he's ever been in. As the buildings are built into each other or lean against each other, if one comes down all must be demolished.
Fire Chief Chad Christopher said once the current resident is relocated out of the building, he will mark it with a double "X" that will mean firefighters will not go into the building. City Engineer Brian Ball said the city has previous testimony from a restoration company that restoring the buildings would cost twice what it would to tear it down and replace them. City Inspector Scott Zimmerman said repairs were made to mitigate water flowing into the building. Law Director Rob Broeren said work was done on the roof to prevent water from coming in.
Residents Stacey Varner and Marcia Adams said they were upset that more numbers and recommendations from a structural engineer had not been obtained before deciding on demolition. Adams asked why Mount Vernon does not have more historic preservation guidelines for downtown or more routine inspections of historic buildings for structural soundness. Varner wanted to know if any grant requests had been made for these buildings; Ball responded yes, but local foundations declined.
Mayor Matt Starr said historic preservation matters but noted these buildings have deteriorated over decades and now present public safety issues due to structural problems. "The time to restore these buildings was decades ago. We can preserve the spirit of Mayor Curtis in multiple creative ways. Blight must be addressed," Starr said. He added he would need input from other officials before determining what might be built in place of these structures.
