Finding serious deficiencies in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the proposed demolition of the Winans-Crippen House at 66 Franklin Street, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation (SSPF) has filed for a temporary restraining order to block the demolition should the City of Saratoga Springs Design Review Commission (DRC) approve the action at its special meeting Monday, December 10th at 7:00 p.m.
The DRC is required by the City’s Historic Review Ordinance to follow a clear process when considering an application to demolish a historic structure. SSPF asserts that the DRC has failed in several ways to follow this process and asks the New York State Supreme Court to review the DRC’s actions.
For example, the ordinance stipulates that any application to demolish a historic building must include plans for development of the site following demolition, an acceptable timetable, guarantees which may include performance bonds/letters of credit for demolition and completion of the project, and the time between demolition and commencement of new construction should generally not exceed six months. The FEIS issued by the DRC on Nov. 14 offers no such plan.
“The owner has provided no indication of what he intends to build in place of the structure at 66 Franklin Street,” said Samantha Bosshart, SSPF executive director. “He has told the DRC that he will simply raze this historic building and leave in its place a vacant lot.”
A replacement building is mitigation for the loss of the historic structure. It needs to be assessed to make sure that it maintains the integrity of the historic district and the streetscape. Without information on the replacement, the DRC may approve a vacant lot in perpetuity.
“The Winans/Crippen House is exactly the kind of structure that the Historic Review Ordinance is designed to save,” she continued. “We are advocating not only to preserve this important historic building, but also to preserve the integrity of the ordinance. No owner should be allowed to demolish a historic building without complying with its essential requirements.”
Franklin Square was one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods at the time local merchant David Winans commissioned noted architect J.D. Stevens, architect of the United States and Grand Union Hotels on Broadway, to design his new home he would build in 1871 at 66 Franklin Street.
Today, the Winans-Crippens House is a “contributing structure” of the Franklin Square/West Side Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation that means it is representative of the district’s key architectural, cultural and historic features.
The ordinance has played a vital role in the city’s economic revitalization, Bosshart noted. “This achievement is plainly seen in awards our community has received, including being ranked among the nation’s 100 best places to live by CNNMoney.”