From Greg Roberts of the East Spring Street Neighborhood Association comes these photos and comments spotlighting yet another example of dereliction in downtown New Albany -- this time in the form of a commercial structure.
This building, which is one of the more peculiar architectural specimens downtown owing to its strange sheet metal front (we are told that it is is not covering an original facade, but in fact is the original facade), recently has deteriorated markedly.
Greg says:
Several people have complained about this property in the 200 Block of Pearl Street. The front door glass is broken out and the building has recently been a haven for stray cats.
Look closely at the photo and you will see cat feces in the display windows of the storefront.
Where is the Health Department?
Where is the Board of Works?
Why isn't the city cleaning this town up?
How can we attractive investors to downtown New Albany, when what you are greeted with are dilapidated buildings, broken windows and cat %^$* for a display!
Good questions, Greg, and even more puzzling given the building's location, with Classic Furniture just a couple of doors down on one side, and the White House Center (home of Develop New Albany) opposite it on the other.
Who owns this building? The public outing of neglectful landlords must at some point begin, so let's start here.
Note: The preceding appeared originally at Clean Up New Albany.
8 comments:
For those who may be curious, the past three comments "removed by administrator" have been a new form of blog spam.
Any info on when it was built or its original purpose?
I might be the only person in New Albany who likes the facade and wants to make sure it remains. I'm especially excited to learn that another facade wasn't hidden or destroyed to create it.
Looks like a trip to the library and the City/County Building may be in order.
Isn't this the same building that used to always have a Fashion Shop display in the window? If so, I thought this was owned by the Benjamin family, unless they have sold it recently. If the Benjamins own it, they certainly have the resources to maintain it. Unless, of course, the city says they don't have too.
Stephen Beardsley can probably say for sure who owns it, as he has several properties in that block.
As for the teeming city of underground, Gollum-like cats, that's the first I've heard of it. There was a guy living about 2 doors down, in the Cohn's Shoe Store building, for awhile, and he had a bunch of cats that he took marginal care of. I suspect he moved on and left the cats behind, as we've pulled several strays out of that area recently. They're pretty territorial and just don't want to leave their turf.
Thanks, Cannonfarms, for the input and background.
DNA - are you reading? Is there anything we can do to assist with this situation?
In the interest of peacemaking, I can see both sides.
I certainly understand Greg's frustration and I do think two years is enough time to at least secure the building and clean up a little. Having busied myself with a lot of downtown wandering lately, though, I think the busted glass (and resulting cat entrance) is a fairly recent problem.
On the other hand, since it is owned by someone who has family history downtown and *may* have some resources to make things happen, I think a good conversation may be the best place to start.
Let's find out what, if any, plans the grandson has for the building. Hell, let's tell him what we'd like to see there. I think at least one younger B family member has some involvement in local concert promotion. That could be a fantastic relationship to develop for a city starved for culture.
To that end, I'm a high school chum of one of the B grandkids. If no one else has contact with the grandson in question, I'd be happy to give it a shot.
BTW, I'm glad CannonFarms gave a description of the Joy shop. I was picturing one of the "health spas" so prevalent on the other side of the river. Or a christian souvenir shop.
Roger wasn't this the place you said a person close to Stephen Beardsley was wanting to open a pub or foodie place, or was that above Cohn's old place?
No, it was the shoe store, but I don't think the retail project is alive -- although I believe there's still work on lodging above street level.
The cats were caught by Deb Duffy, the lady that runs of the office supply store next door. They have been relocated to a farm in the county, mother and kittens are doing well.
The grandson that owns this property also from what I am told is the money behind Pigusus.
The Joy shop was located on the corner of Market and Pearl, now Mr Beardsly's offices. This building is the site of the first Fashion Shop which moved to the corner of Spring and Pearl, when the W.T.Grants went out of business. Both of these stores on Pearl Street are being used to house old fixtures and such from the Benjamin stores.
We have an ordnance on the books that says these stores are not to be used for warehouses, again, how do you enforce such a law.
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