Tuesday, March 02, 1999
Blighted buildings tear at town
Three down, three others still standing
BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LAWRENCEBURG — In the right light, the abandoned buildings of the downtown historic district become a vision of the past and, to some, the future.
The boarded windows mean little to preservationists, who see restoration as the key to Lawrenceburg's economic and social success. But city officials recently declared six of the properties to be hazardous eyesores. Mayor Melvin Gabbard said the buildings must come down to make room for development.
A judge's decision today in a lawsuit filed against the city over the demolition of three of the historic homes could set a precedent, limiting how Lawrenceburg and Indiana's other riverboat casino host towns can spend millions of gaming tax dollars.
Demolition crews tore down three of the mid-19th century homes Feb. 17 and had plans to clear away the others.
They were stopped by a temporary restraining order from Judge Gary McCarty of Dearborn County Circuit Court, who acted in response to a lawsuit from Lawrenceburg resident Kris Krider and the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.
If Judge McCarty agrees with the preservationists' attorneys, he could rule that casino tax revenue is actually state money allocated to counties and towns. State funds are subject to legislated regulations.
In this case, they would fall under a law that says state money cannot be used to alter or destroy nationally recognized historic buildings without prior review and approval by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
“This hasn't happened before,” said Jon Smith, director of the Indiana DNR's division of historic preservation and archaeology. “This is the first time that gaming money has come into play.”
In an informal opinion, Indiana Attorney General Jeff Modisett said he thinks gaming tax revenue should be classified as state funding.
If the courts agree, Lawrenceburg officials will have to take their case to the DNR.
City officials say the demolition money came from property taxes. But most of Lawrenceburg's downtown renovation plans are to be funded with revenue from Argosy Casino.
Mr. Krider and Historic Landmarks Foundation officials said they would abide by any DNR decision, even if it should favor taking the buildings down. The DNR rarely gives demolition approval, Mr. Smith said.
“We try to come up with the best solution. There can be compromise,” he said. DNR often offers technical and design advice, and sometimes grant money, to help municipalities save their historic structures.
The agency recently awarded a $50,000 grant to the Historic Landmarks Foundation for work on Law renceburg's abandoned and decaying Jesse Hunt Hotel, the oldest three-story brick building in the state.
The former hotel is in a three-block area of High Street that the city recently bought from the Golden Nugget casino company and plans to use for development of a conference center and new hotel. Historic Landmarks offered to buy the land and help developers work around its historic structures, but negotiations with the city faltered.
Lawrenceburg Redevelopment Commission Chairman Tom DeWees said he is in favor of preservation, as long as it doesn't cost the city additional money or stand in the way of economic revitalization.
“We really hope they can be preserved and incorporated into the redevelopment of Lawrenceburg. It's one of the oldest communities in the state,” Mr. Smith said. “I'm sorry (the demolitions) happened. I hope that in the future, we can be brought in early in the planning ... to work with them.”
But not everyone in Lawrenceburg agrees that preservation is a top priority. They want vacant and crumbling buildings torn down.
“I pay too much property tax to live next to this mess,” said Mary Cash, whose Elm Street home sits alongside the three buildings saved from demolition. “It's sad. It's just running everybody else's property value down.”
Those three buildings, and the three that were demolished, had last been used as low-rent apartments. Historic features were de stroyed as rooms were divided and their uses changed, and the buildings as a whole were allowed to deteriorate.
“(Restoration) would be great, if they went ahead and did it,” said Mrs. Cash, who is tired of waiting.
She pointed to a crumbling, vacant historic home across the street that, along with other downtown properties, was bought years ago by preservationists who have not followed through on restoration plans.
Reid Williamson, Historic Landmarks Foundation president, acknowledged that the homes at 129, 131 and 141 Elm St. have problems and have lost their aesthetic appeal. But they are part of the larger, eight-block district on the National Register of Historic Places.
“All of these various buildings taken together, in context, create the historic district,” he said. “These (three) were relatively simple buildings when they were built. We're not talking the Taj Mahal here, but we are talking Lawrenceburg history.”
The city was among the earliest settlements on the Ohio River. It was the end-point of the Whitewater Canal, which drove industry from 1836 to 1847, and which is memorialized with a museum and preserved lock at Metamora, Ind.
It has the largest and best collection of mid-19th century buildings in the state, Mr. Williamson said. Other towns with less impressive resources have used their histories to attract tourism, businesses and residents, and many think Lawrenceburg should do the same.
“This town has so much potential,” said historian Lynn Slayback, who lives on High Street, a block from the demolished homes. “We'd love to see people move in here who would fix the buildings up and appreciate it.”
Mr. Krider said he is trying to stop the city from destroying buildings that can never be replaced.
“Let's look at the big picture,” he said. “Let's see what's going to go in their place before we start swinging the sledgehammer.”
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