BETHLEHEM, Pa. — While the dilapidated home at 1304 Spring St. is uninhabitable, the circa-1885 structure still tells a story of the city’s people and doesn't deserve the wrecking ball, the city Historic Conservation Commission said Monday.
The panel voted to deny approval for the structure’s demolition. The HCC's recommendation will be passed along to City Council, which is set to meet next Feb. 4, for an official vote.
The home sits on the south end of what once was the estate of Bethlehem Steel President Eugene Grace. At one point, Grace’s head gardener lived in the home.
“It’s not really just about the house or just about what happened there,” HCC Chairman Gary Lader said. “Really, what we’re trying to do here is preserve the feel of neighborhoods.”
“It’s not really just about the house or just about what happened there. Really, what we’re trying to do here is preserve the feel of neighborhoods.”Historic Conservation Commission Chairman Gary Lader
Officials on Monday only voted against the structure’s demolition. Any further development would get its own application, discussion and vote.
The Diocese of Allentown — also the owner of Holy Family Senior Living nearby — envisioned razing the 2 ½-story Queen Anne-style home to construct a four-unit, 4,100-square-foot senior living complex.
Historic Officer Jeffrey Long said, “According to the relevant ordinance and the associated design guidelines, the HCC does not recommend approval for demolition of contributing structures.
“Rather, an evaluation of the building’s significance within the district is encouraged, and confirmation is needed that all attempts to reuse the historic building have been exhausted prior to considering demolition.”
Its loss to demolition would be “significant to the existing streetscape and also to the overall district,” Long said.
Part of the city’s ordinance defining contributing structures within the Mount Airy Historic District describes such buildings being built between 1880 to 1950.
'Last resort for us'
Making the call to demolish a structure, a historic one at that, is a "last resort for us,” said project architect and applicant Salvatore Verrastro of Spillman Farmer Architects.
His team insisted the home was a non-contributing structure within the Mount Airy Historic District, and tearing down and starting over would be the best move financially.
An initial cost estimate for such a project was $2 million. Fixing up the home to meet city code would run about $300,000, while just tearing it down would cost about $35,000, according to project estimates.
“Regardless of what this board says, we look at all the possible avenues to save it, reuse and repurpose it, renovate it, whatever it takes,” Verrastro said.
“But we’ve exhausted all those economic options because it’s just not usable to Holy Family Senior Living as is, and the funding would be an economic hardship.”
In the case of 1304 Spring, the home needs to be “gutted right down to the bare studs,” Verrastro said, and the exterior wood siding needs lead-paint abatement or a complete replacement, among other measures around the home.
“We’ve exhausted all those economic options because it’s just not usable to Holy Family Senior Living as is, and the funding would be an economic hardship.”Project architect and applicant Salvatore Verrastro, of Spillman Farmer Architects
The applicant described the home to be in stable condition but uninhabitable, with a layout “not sufficient to be used as a residence.”
Panel member Todd Chambers said he found the provided cost analysis for repairs showed a potential economic hardship, and with the proper design considerations brought forward, he could potentially approve a project that also includes demolition.
But in the meantime, Chambers said he was “torn.”
“Who lived in it is kind of immaterial; I know it bears local significance,” Chambers said. “To me, the fact that it’s not a model Queen Anne doesn’t have a lot of significance.
“Just the fact that it’s within the district and we’re charged with protecting the district is all I need to hear.”
'A record of its time and place'
Board member Craig Evans said he felt the structure contributed to the character of the area, and the concept design for its replacement “doesn’t really fit the ambiance of the neighborhood.”
“I would love to see it brought to life again, and having people live in it again — that would be my goal,” said panel member Desiree Strasser.
Strasser said the home provides a snapshot of history in the neighborhood, even considering the condition it’s in.
“A record of its time and place,” the home must live on in some way or another, said resident Marsha Fritz, who once led the city’s Historical Architectural Review Board.
Fritz said 1304 Spring “gives historical context to the West Side of Bethlehem that we know now and value.”
"Just the fact that it’s within the district and we’re charged with protecting the district is all I need to hear.”Bethlehem Historic Conservation Commission member Todd Chambers
An application to demolish the existing home and replace it with an open lawn first was presented to the commission in 2012.
HCC then recommending denying the application because of concerns of demolition by neglect and lack of proper maintenance. City Council later denied it, too.
The applicant was back before the panel again in 2019, that time with a request to replace the home’s roof. This motion got support from both HCC and City Council.
The most recent certificate of appropriateness regarding demolition went before HCC in July before being tabled to give the applicant more time to explore further options.
Focused on modifications to the exterior of buildings within the Historic Conservation District in South Bethlehem and West Bethlehem's Mount Airy Historic District, the Historic Conservation Commission is a recommending body made up of volunteers.
The group sends its votes to City Council for review. Only if city officials sign off on the proposal does the applicant get a permit for their respective project.
