Not Demolished: Richmond Hill Structure May Get Second Life

A Mead Park eyesore long slated for demolition may get a second life because its razing would cost taxpayers far more than dressing it up enough that the building could be left alone without bothering people.

The Town Council more than two years ago decided to demolish the Richmond Hill Storage Building. But the 1911 town-owned structure -- located in the park across from where Grove Street comes into Richmond Hill -- is riddled with asbestos, and remediation costs bring the demolition estimate to $135,000.

Advocates for the building's preservation had acted quickly when the prospect of a wrecking ball materialized, forming the Friend of Mead Park Brick Barn with support from the New Canaan Preservation Alliance, sometimes calling it the "carriage barn" or "brick barn" and getting it registered as an historic structure in Connecticut.

In the end, the building just sat there because the town couldn't find enough money to get rid of it.

At a Board of Selectmen meeting Tuesday, a new option emerged: applying for a grant to restore the structure. According to Robin Beckett of the preservation alliance, a Pre-Development Historic Preservation Technical Assistance Grant would help pay for experts to determine just what's needed for restoration.

"We [the alliance] would like to act as your advisor and help with the financial application and get it through the Connecticut Trust for approval," Beckett said.

The grant is worth $20,000, and it's a 1-to-1 match where the CT Trust would pay for $10,000 and the alliance would contribute $5,000, Beckett said. That would make the town's responsibility $5,000.

First Selectman Rob Mallozzi supported the idea of applying for the grant so that the town has more options in deciding the building's fate.

"I think this is a viable option in terms of committing some funds from the town," Mallozzi said. "This building deserves some options."

Not everyone agrees.

Bob Rodgers, chairman of the Park Commission, requested a three-month delay in pursuing the application as there may be a resident willing to fund the building's demolition privately.

Selectman Beth Jones said that at the time of the Town Council's decision, proponents of demolition raised reasons razing the structure that wouldn't be addresses by any form of preservation, including that it obstructs a view of the pond there.

[Editor's Note: This article has been corrected to identify the Friends of Mead Park Brick Barn as forming in the face of the Richmond Hill Road building's demolition, not the New Canaan Preservation Alliance, which already had formed.]