In the latest development on the ongoing drama surrounding the fate of the Dennison Hotel, which will be decided during a meeting on Monday afternoon, the city's urban conservator today sided with preservationists in recommending the Historic Conservation Board not allow the historical structure to be torn down.
The city staff report, written by Urban Conservator Beth Johnson, refutes Dennison owners the Joseph family of the Joseph Auto Group's claim that they cannot reuse the building and that restoring or preserving the building with result in a negative financial return.
Some of the evidence the report cites is a lack of attempt by the owner to sell or lease the building to another buyer who might be able to restore or use the property; documents from the Joseph family that indicate it bought the property with the intention of demolishing it for redevelopment; and a structural engineering report that found the building could still be used for residential purposes after minor structural updates.
The family purchased the building located at 716-718 Main Street in 2013 in part to block plans to turn the building into affordable housing, according to documents the family's legal team submitted to the Historic Conservation Board.
The Historical Conservation Board is set to review the group's application for a certificate of appropriateness on April 18 at 4 p.m. The Joseph family says it would like to build an office complex for a Fortune 500 company where the building currently sits and on surrounding property it owns, though there is no agreement in place for any company to move there at this point.
