Another historic class II home in Bryn Mawr to be demolished
LOWER MERION » In Lower Merion, class really matters. And in this case, there are only two classes – I and II.
In trying to preserve its historic buildings, Lower Merion has two categories that are part of its historic inventory listings – class I and class II structures.
Under the township’s code, Lower Merion can prevent class I buildings from being demolished. Or, if the board sees fit, it can allow a property owner to demolish those buildings.
But class II buildings are different. They are still deemed historically important to Lower Merion, but the township has little power in preventing them from being demolished – other than issuing a 90-day delay for the demolition permit.
Now, with plans to demolish yet another historic home, the issue of class is coming to the forefront.
Although the 2009 demolition of the class II La Ronda mansion in Bryn Mawr was notable, it wasn’t the only historic home in the township to face the wrecking ball due to its class II status. A few years earlier, a class II farmhouse on Merion Square Road in Gladwyne that dated back to the late 1700s was demolished.
More recently, in 2018, the board vote of 7 to 7 prevented the historic Clothier mansion in Villanova from being upgraded from class II to class I. Since the school district had already announced plans to demolish the building for its new middle school, it was really a vote on whether the school district should have an obstacle-free path to demolish the class II building. One year ago last month, the demolition of that building was completed.
So whenever a developer brings up a plan to demolish a class II building, the debate is generally the same. There’s a nod to La Ronda’s loss with the expectation that something has to be done with the class II buildings.
Now that there is yet another plan to demolish a class II home, township officials know there is little they can do to prevent it. So instead, they are trying to find justifications to slow the process.
The home sits at 651 Black Rock Road in Bryn Mawr, and the owner plans on demolishing the 1926 Old Colonial-style home to build a new house.
The red brick home was once part of a larger estate that was later parceled out and now sits on a lot slightly over three acres. Besides the house, the property has a formal garden, a garage from 1929, and a mid-1970s pool that would all likely be removed.
“This is a beautiful property,” Commissioner Josh Grimes said at this week’s building and planning committee meeting. “It appears to be extremely well maintained, and in my option, it’s a shame we are here on this, but it is a class II and not a class I property, so our laws do not allow the same protections that they do for class I properties. And I think this property is an example of why in some cases, we should take a look at the properties on our inventory and see whether they are classified the right way because a class II does not, at the end of the day, often accord as many rights to prevent something from happening to the property.”
As is generally done with class II buildings, the Lower Merion Historical Commission recommended that the commissioners enact a 90day delay in issuing a permit for the demolition.
At its building and planning meeting this week, the board recommended the 90day delay and maybe a little more.
Citing comments from the historical commission, Commissioner Scott Zelov said the township had lost historic properties to demolition before permits to redevelop the site have been issued. In some of those cases, the lots went empty for several years.
Zelov proposed the historical commission’s recommendation and then added an amendment to say the township will not issue a demolition permit before the new building project is fully approved.
“That would be consistent with our code and consistent with the respect that our code and this board has for class II structures but recognizing the limits on class II structures,” Zelov said.
Along with the condition to prevent the demolition until the building permit is issued, Zelov offered what he called a carrot in saying if the new building permits were issued before the 90day waiting period expired, then the township could issue the demolition permit at that time.
George Broseman, the attorney representing the home’s owners, said the property was vacant, and his client purchased the it wanting to build a new home in Lower Merion.
“They found this property. They put it under agreement. There were no restrictions sought by the seller limiting demolition. They had a due diligence period. They did their due diligence. Yes, they did learn that it was on the historic resource, but they checked to make sure that they would be able to demolish the structure under the law, and so they moved ahead with the purchase. So they do want to build a new home here on the property. I’m sure it will be a beautiful home. I understand the sensitivity to demolishing class II resources. I know the township and the community feels strongly about that,” Broseman said.
According to Broseman, they followed the procedures and submitted the required historic resource impact study. The purpose of the 90-day delay is to allow the owner to think about the decision to demolish, and the township can provide additional information to the owners, he said.
Broseman said he appreciated Commissioner Zelov’s efforts to provide a carrot and understands the spirit in which the comment was made. But in the end, he doesn’t think it’s possible to get a building permit plus any site permits approved in 90 days.
“So the carrot is appreciated ... I don’t think my clients would benefit from that,” Broseman said. “So the flip side of the coin is if the delay of demolition is extended for a period until they can get a permit, and we don’t know what hurdles will be put in front of us by the township or others, so there’s a concern as the attorney that there would be a requirement behind the 90-day delay. I’m not saying my clients would immediately demolish the structure, but we would like to know the rights have been secured.”
In the end, the board agreed to Zelov’s proposal at the building and planning committee meeting. But it was also decided that the proposal not be placed on the board’s consent calendar, so it will likely be discussed again at the next board meeting.