The Landmarks Board Dec. 14 denied a request to demolish two old buildings in the Commercial Street Historic District as some questioned the developer's long-range plans for the many properties he has bought in recent years on and near C-Street.
The city Landmarks Board is advisory and ultimately owner Titus Williams has the authority to tear down the two structures at 540 and 536 E. Commercial St. built in about 1900. They are shoulder-to-shoulder on the south side of Commercial Street at Washington Avenue.
Some board members said they understood the plight of Williams, who was not present at the meeting but was represented by an architect and a lawyer.
Building has been vacant for decades
Board Member John Hawkins, who owns a 132-year-old home on Walnut Street, said the buildings in question on Commercial Street had been vacant not just for years but for decades.
“This is the very definition of demolition by neglect,” Hawkins said.
But that neglect is not the responsibility of just Williams, who bought the buildings in January 2021, but previous owners, too — as well as those who passed on the opportunity for decades to purchase and restore the properties.
“A number of people could have stepped in over the past 30 or 40 years,” Hawkins said.
This happens too often in the city, said Board Member John Sellars.
“He (Williams) just happens to be the last guy,” Sellars said.
Developer can try to speed up demolition
Williams has 15 days from Wednesday to appeal the Landmarks Board's decision to the Board of Adjustment.
If the denial is upheld by the Board of Adjustment, Williams must wait 180 days before he can ask the city for a demolition permit. The clock started running on that 180 days on Oct. 31, the date he filed his demolition request with the Landmarks Board. That means he can ask on April 29, 2023 (a Saturday.)
The Landmarks Board can then ask the City Council to delay demolition another 120 days.
Architect Eric Albers, who works for Williams, said Williams does not plan to have the property remain vacant for long after it is demolished. But he added that Williams does not want to reveal what his plans are after demolition.
Developer says high cost changed his mind
Williams initially presented plans to the Landmarks Board in March 2021 to renovate and restore the buildings.
But then, according to Albers, it became apparent the project was too costly and Williams changed his mind and, instead, wants to knock down the structures and building something new. The properties are not designated as historic, but are within the Historic C-Street District, and are located on the eastern end.
“The cost of renovating this building is just not feasible for the owner,” Albers said Dec. 14.
According to zoning regulations, someone wanting to demolish a building in an historic district must provide the Landmarks Board with plans for what is coming after demolition. Williams did not do that here.
In addition, according to rules, the Landmarks Board must consider the following when considering a request to demolish:
“The degree to which the proposed removal would serve to destroy the integrity and continuity of the historic landmark or historic district of which it is part.”
So while the demolition appears inevitable, the Landmarks Board had cause to deny the demolition request.
The vote on whether to allow demolition was rejected 5-1. Erik Kiser, Jan Preston, Bryan Lenox, Hawkins and Sellars voted No.
Member Adam Letterman voted yes. Three members were absent.
Those in attendance want to know his plans
While some board members were at least sympathetic to the developer, several who live or work on C-Street and spoke Wednesday night were not.
Instead, they were suspicious of Williams, who in recent years has purchased some 20 properties in the area via various limited liability companies without revealing any long-range plans.
During the demolition delay, Mary Collette said, maybe more could be learned about his plans for his other properties on or near Commercial Street.
Collette is a leading figure in preserving, protecting and promoting Historic Commercial Street. She and her husband own Historic Firehouse No. 2, 101 E. Commercial St., an events center and wedding venue. They live nearby on Washington Avenue.
‘I do not trust the man'
Christine Schilling, who owns property on East Commercial Street, wondered this about Williams: “Why buy a building in the historic district if you don't intend to fix it up?”
She questioned if Williams planned all along to demolish the building, despite the presentation of plans to the Landmarks Board in March 2021.
“I do not trust the man to do what he says he is going to do,” Schilling said. “I don't think he is telling me anything that I am willing to believe.”
Shelly Gibson lives near Commercial Street in an old home she has renovated.
She said Williams has no track record in historic preservation with any of his properties, despite the name of one of his companies — Historic Commercial Developments LLC.
That company in 2017 bought the Missouri Hotel, 420 E. Commercial St., from The Kitchen. The former-hotel building shows no signs of renovation.
“Why does he keep buying more buildings?” Gibson asked board members.
Why doesn't he, instead, she asked them, “use his money to fix up the ones he already owns?”
