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DEL.ICIO.USNeighbors oppose razing Midtown buildings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Proposals to demolish four historic buildings in Midtown didn’t fare will at the neighborhood association’s Land Use Committee meeting Tuesday evening.
The proposal that drew the most vocal opposition from the 75 attendees was one by the Georgia Tech Foundation to demolish the Crum and Forster building at Spring and Fourth streets.
I wrote about plans for the buildings and the opposition in a previous post.
The only people who spoke in favor of that demolition were three representatives for the foundation.
Neighbors, Georgia Tech students, architects, local businessmen and historic preservationists describing the foundation’s plan as “unfathomable,” “astonishing,” “arrogant” and “insensitive.”
One community activist even yelled out that the demolition would only go forward “over my dead body.” Someone else in the audience chimed in: “Mine too.”
Tony Rizzuto, chairman of the Land Use Committee, said a website had been created earlier that day to save the Crum and Forster building, and it already had 225 names.
“That to me is another one of these public relations nightmares for the foundation,” Rizzuto said.
But the foundation officials showed no signs of backing away from plans to demolish the building, even though they have no immediate plans for the property.
In the end, the committee voted resoundingly to oppose the demolition. Now it will go before the Midtown Neighbors Association board next week and the Neighborhood Planning Unit next month.
A proposal to demolish three historic homes on Juniper Street to make way for a surface parking lot was presented by the Saint Mark United Methodist Church, located at Peachtree and Fifth streets.
The Land Use Committee asked the church officials if they would be open to exploring possible alternatives. Rizzuto and other committee members made it clear that if a vote were to have been taken Tuesday evening, the proposal would have been denied.
Instead, Rev. Jim Moor agreed to a 30-day deferral of the demolition application to give church officials an opportunity to meet with preservationists and real estate developers to explore creative solutions for the property.
How different the tone was between both proposals.
On the one hand, the Georgia Tech Foundation showed no willingness to consider saving the Crum and Forster building, which made many residents visibly and audibly angry.
And on the other hand, the attitude of Saint Mark church to work with the neighborhood generated feelings of goodwill among the attendees.
There’s a lesson here.
Comments
By Attendee
May 20, 2008 11:11 PM | Link to this
After attending tonight’s meeting with the Midtown Neighbors’ Land Use Committee, I just wanted to take a moment to thank Rev. Moor for his open dialogue with the Midtown community. He was very willing to listen to the concerns of his neighbors while looking out for the needs of his congregation & their ministry. St. Mark should be very proud of their leaders. It is imperative that the Midtown Neighbors Association & Midtown Alliance work diligently & swiftly towards a compromise that fulfills the needs of the church and the community. There was a lot of talk about creative solutions but discovering those solutions takes a lot of effort by the community. We must also work in patience & understanding in realizing that St. Mark’s mission is not urban planning and development. The leaders of the association & alliance must lead that dialogue and take seriously the needs of the church.
On the other hand, the actions of the Georgia Tech Foundation are despicable. It’s in the best interest of Georgia Tech’s reputation of promoting solid planning and urban development to take seriously the damage the Foundation’s arrogance will have on the surrounding community. Claiming that renovating 771 Spring Street is a not viable option is deplorable considering the great strides Midtown has been in restoring architecturally significant buildings. Furthermore, planning to demolish the building with only vague references of future development & no definite plans to an expand Tech Square is unbelievable. It is as if they are admitting to demolishing the building before the city realizes what it lost. The Foundation should heed the calls with the architecture & city planning program of its own university to abandon plans for demolition.
By Winston Johnson
May 21, 2008 12:00 AM | Link to this
The demolition of this building would be the greatest loss in midtown in the 21st century. This at the hands of The Georgia Tech Foundation. Outrageous!
Winston Johnson
By bill
May 21, 2008 7:20 AM | Link to this
for gods sake, u move to midtown, y know it s a changing city now u want to save old houses, are you willing to put your wallet where your mouth is doubtfull from past items if u can not put the monies to buy the properties then move on
By bill
May 21, 2008 7:20 AM | Link to this
for gods sake, u move to midtown, y know it s a changing city now u want to save old houses, are you willing to put your wallet where your mouth is doubtfull from past items if u can not put the monies to buy the properties then move on
By Andrew Kite
May 21, 2008 8:30 AM | Link to this
I am ashamed to be a Georgia Tech alum right now. I cannot believe that the demolition of this building is even being considered in a city that has lost so much of its history and architecture.
By George P. Burdell
May 21, 2008 8:52 AM | Link to this
Georgia Tech should be ashamed of itself, especially for not supporting one of their oown colleges, i.e. the College of Architecture, their reputation is on the line. I signed a petition to help save the building I urge others to do so too:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savecrumforster/
By Jonathan
May 21, 2008 9:06 AM | Link to this
I for one put my money where my mouth is, in the form of donations to my Alma Mater. If this is the type of arrogant proposals the Georgia Tech Foundation, and Georgia Tech want to carry out then I want a refund!
By Brian
May 21, 2008 10:44 AM | Link to this
Hey MARIA…
take the word HISTORIC out of the caption until you have proof that all four of these buildings are truly HISTORIC!!! You may be correct on the Crum-Forster building but, the 3 houses…uh????
By Steve
May 21, 2008 11:50 AM | Link to this
Unfortunately for all of us it is much easier to destroy beauty than to create beauty.
I have heard that the Crum and Forster building has no current official historic status and for this reason it is in jeopardy of being torn down at any time without any legal notice required. This would be a loss to the city and a relations headache for the developer.
It should be noted that other buildings have been demolished in the middle of the night to avoid public interference. As insane as it sounds to us today, the Fox was one of the buildings also threatened in such a manner when the Bell South building was being planned for that location. Concerned citizens became part of a voluntary around-the-clock vigil that took place during the time that the Fox was in jeopardy. These volunteers patrolled the perimeter of the Fox and carried whistles to notify each other of potential trouble.
The Margaret Mitchell house was also such a target, withstanding “accidental” fires and “bumps” by bulldozers during its battle to survive.
By GeecheeBoy
May 21, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this
Please move on with the expansion and build up in Midtown. If all old buildings were saved then we would have no high rise structures in Downtown-Midtown-Lennox. Builders with a vision far overshadow mundane underutilized plots and structures. The tax base of the City of Atlanta is suffering. Folks are moving their businesses outside of the Perimeter. Wise up and continue the progress that General Sherman started with “The Big Fire” and the liberation of Atlanta’s peoples.
By Attendee
May 21, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this
GeecheeBoy, have you looked at the plans by the Georgia Tech Foundation? If so, explain to me how demolishing a sizeable structure to replace it with a plot of grass is moving forward? I think that is a point the Foundation is missing as well. If a true expansion plan was presented, then it maybe possible that the “vision” would “far overshadow mundane…structures.” Then we could debate whether 771 is “mundane” or worth incoporating into the master plan. The Foundation has yet to think about its master plan.
The citizens of Atlanta debating these issues on this blog need to think smarter - it’s not all of nothing. It’s not a 2-sided conversation. Stop thinking that we have to either settle for a Midtown full of parking lots and low-lying structures or a land of high-rises. We need real, intelligent solutions.
And the only way we are going to get there is if we engage in respectful, thought-provoking conversations about the future of our city.
By kat
May 21, 2008 1:35 PM | Link to this
Hey Brian,
Look up the difference between historic and historical. Historical was in the title of Ms. Saporta’s first article. Historical means OLD. Historic means old and significant.
By Bill@St.Mark
May 21, 2008 2:00 PM | Link to this
St.Mark deferred last night to consider other options that Midtown says are available. This places the ball in Midtown’s court to offer workable solutions. Not just ideas, but the names of contacts that can partner with St.Mark to make this happen. The suggestions must be workable — Something other than “take MARTA” or “Move out of Midtown” or “St.Mark, just pay $4million and renovate them.”
I do believe we can work out a creative solution, if we continue to show respect for each other, and offer constructive comments.
St.Mark remains ready to consider other options, with Midtown’s assistance. Who knows? After all, St.Mark does believe in miracles. We even refer to ourselves as “The Miracle on Peachtree”
By Intowner
May 21, 2008 2:14 PM | Link to this
In the late 1920’s they destroyed yet another beautiful Peachtree mansion to build a tacky theatre.
Today, that tacky theatre is known as “The Fox.”
By ViewFromMidtown
May 22, 2008 12:52 AM | Link to this
Attendee, just ignore the factually-challenged and obvioulsly trolling comment from Geecheeboy.
For any Georgia Tech alumni or current students; if you care about protecting the Crum & Forster Building, historic preservation generally, or the urban fabric of Midtown, don’t just sign the website petition, but call, fax, email or write the Georgia Tech Foundation to express your displeasure and especially if you are a regular and/or particularly generous donor, let the Foundation know that your future or continued donations will be reconsidered if they continue with their plans to destroy such a valuable building.
For your convenience:
Georgia Tech Foundation, Inc. 760 Spring Street, NW Suite 400 Atlanta, Georgia 30308
phone: 404.894.5072 fax: 404.894.7232
John B. Carter Jr., President and Chief Operating Officer 404-894-0772 john.carter@gtf.gatech.edu
By DannyO
May 23, 2008 6:47 AM | Link to this
Sign the petition here: (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savecrumforster/index.html)
You can also join a Facebook group in support of 771 Spring Street, which already has over 100 members from Georgia Tech: (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17615851734)
By Chris
May 25, 2008 8:30 AM | Link to this
Get a real cause you crazy midtown hippies. The building is old and isn’t nearly as ‘historic’ as you claim it is. You can’t save every old building by saying its historic. Spending a ton of money to renovate a building when a new greener building can be built more economically just makes sense.
Stupid Midtowners.
By Jesse
May 25, 2008 11:39 AM | Link to this
Parking Lot, it’s a parking lot. So quit saying us “Midtowners” are adaptive to change. We’re just smart.
They wanted to demolish the Fox Theatre in 1974, yeah. That would have been a great idea.
And while we’re at it, let’s build a Super Walmart on Stone Mountain.
By jack
May 30, 2008 9:44 PM | Link to this
Just tear down these stupid old buildings. I am a demolition contractor and I want more work. I’ll turn them into rubble so fast, you won’t know what hit them. They are crummy old buildings. Why so sentimental about them?
By jack
May 30, 2008 9:45 PM | Link to this
Just tear down these stupid old buildings. I am a demolition contractor and I want more work. I’ll turn them into rubble so fast, you won’t know what hit them. They are crummy old buildings. Why so sentimental about them?
By Helen Gordon
June 27, 2008 8:20 AM | Link to this
Please post an article on the results of the DRC meeting held last night, June 26th, concerning the Crum and Forstser Building demolition permit. There were some who wish to save that building but were unable to make that meeting. Thanks!