The owners of 65 and 69 Phila Street are proposing to demolish the historic buildings and construct new structures.
Click Here to read the Foundation’s comments to the Design Review Commission
These buildings have been listed on the Foundation’s “Ten to Save” List since the endangered list program was created in 1998. The 1851 Italianate style house clad with wood clapboard located at 65 Phila Street was constructed in 1851 by Alexander A. Patterson, an architect and builder. That same year the brick Italianate style house located at 69 Phila Street was constructed by mason Robert Hunter. Both houses are listed as contributing buildings to the East Side Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Despite their poor condition, the buildings still retain their architectural integrity.
The current owners of both properties purchased 69 Phila Street in 1994 for $41,000 and 65 Phila Street for $125,000 in 2002. Since that time, the owners have failed to maintain the structures and removed architectural features and portions of the buildings as they have deteriorated. They have made inappropriate “temporary” repairs that have now been in place for several years. The Foundation has advocated for the preservation of both buildings for more than 20 years.
Unfortunately, the owners have failed to meet the New York State Property Maintenance Code requirements nor provide a plan to rehabilitate and occupy the structures as required by the City of Saratoga Springs’ Vacant Building Register, established in 2013. In 2016, the City of Saratoga Springs hired Chazen Companies to complete a limited emergency structural assessment of the buildings. At that time, the buildings were not determined to be an immediate public safety threat, but recommendations were made to stabilize the structures. The Foundation is unaware that any of the recommendations were implemented.
Since 1998, the Foundation has met with numerous potential buyers who were interested in rehabilitating the structures, but were unsuccessful in negotiating a sale with the owners. In 2017, the Foundation underwrote the cost of a structural assessment by Old Structures Engineering to assist a potential serious buyer who was interested in rehabilitating the structures. The assessments also determined that the main structure of 65 Phila Street was in fair condition and that immediate repairs were needed at 69 Phila Street. Regrettably that potential buyer and others since have been unsuccessful in negotiating a purchase price.
The owners of 65 and 69 Phila Street are requesting demolition due to the condition of the properties. The Foundation strongly opposes this request as this is a self-created hardship that could have been prevented. The owners should not be allowed to be rewarded for demolition-by-neglect!