Preservation Board Preliminary Agenda for March 22nd has the triangular building at 5200 Cates up for an appeal of the denial of a demolition permit by Cultural Resources Office Staff. With everything going on just a few blocks East, South, and West, I'm surprised this building hasn't been picked up by someone willing to renovate it and preserve it. After all, it is a little piece of history as the building once bordered the Hodiamont Line and is triangular as a result.

Building permit records show that a demolition permit was applied for, and issued, on August 21st 2020. Unfortunately, I fear this building is a goner unless the Preservation Board lays into the applicant hard and prevents demolition. Perhaps the City should aid the owner in trying to find a developer within a certain time frame window. The potential is there for something nice and it could be a nice anchor in the immediate area.

I saw that yesterday. Not good.

Here's another view of it. 

Pretty sure I've seen a very cool old painting of the back side of this building with the streetcar going past. Don't know the artist, though, and I can't find it on Google. 

This could be an awesome building for Academy and the potential greenway

Nextstl - Demo Alert: 5200 Cates

https://nextstl.com/2021/03/demo-alert-5200-cates/

^ good. now cue the owner-orchestrated arson.

Here's the discussion at the Pres Bd meeting. The owner doesn't want to sell it for $15k, but does want to demo it for $17k, but wants to stabilize it with a portion from funds raised from a GoFundMe, but wants to demo it and build a new building.

^ yeah, she wants to speculate like every other absentee owner in hopes that she or her kids will some day get a windfall, meanwhile making the city unlivable for its actual residents.

^The thing that got me is she sounded interesting in selling until she found out the new owner (the neighborhood association) would put their name on the building instead of hers. The first fellow asking for an appeal of denial did a perfect job of explaining his predicament and position clearly, but she was just all over the place. And when there's a potential buyer there with a viable plan that seems well thought out . . .

Just a dang shame the board can't force them to sit down in a room until they can resolve their differences.

I was confused about the name on the building bit. Did she mean literally a sign on the building or in the sense of not owning the building anymore?

^ Not much of a "foundation." What's their mission? Is this just a way to set up a non-profit to get other people to pay for the rehab tax-free while retaining ownership?

If so, that's fine as long as people who donate understand that to be the case. but they provide zero information about their "foundation" on the website.

They're off to a slow start. Raised $330 of their $500,000 goal. The last donation was for $100 12 days ago.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/Thepetersona ... ndationinc

According to this, the plan for the building is...

The plan for the building is to use the space to bring back give formerly incarcerated men and women and place to transition into self sufficiency. One of the main reasons men and women return to prison and jail is due to the lack of employability. We want to bring that back to this community, with a transitional space, as well as a training center and small dining room on the lower level. 

On the GoFundMe-

The plan for the building is to use the space to bring back give formerly incarcerated men and women and place to transition into self sufficiency. One of the main reasons men and women return to prison and jail is due to the lack of employability. We want to bring that back to this community, with a transitional space, as well as a training center and small dining room on the lower level.

I guess this is a new idea since it wasn't mentioned in the PB meeting.

They'll need to get 501c3 status as well in order to make donations tax deductable.

Also not-for-profits can't get historic tax credits.

^They are going to literally sit on the building until it falls down rather than let anyone else do anything with it. Wonderful.

^ that's my take as well.

quincunx wrote: ↑

Jul 13, 2021

The owners have started The Peterson & Peterson Foundation Inc.

https://www.thepetersonandpetersonfoundation.org/

The website expired, surprise, surprise.

No. Fence is up around the property. Large hole in the sidewalk on Clarendon. 

On a side note, the Prop NS homes at 5243 Cates are in full swing rehab now. Looks like they were picked up for some $5k from Prop NS.