Here’s a recap of the city of Greenville’s Design Review Board and Historic Review Board meetings held Jan. 15.
Deferred: Historic church parsonage demolition
The Design Review Board evaluated an application to demolish the Allen Temple AME Church’s 102-year-old parsonage at 109 Green Ave. in downtown Greenville. Following a lengthy discussion, the application was ultimately deferred for 180 days to allow the church to explore alternative solutions for the historic building.
The one-story bungalow, constructed in 1924, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the city’s Historic Architectural Inventory. It is also located within the city’s West End Preservation Overlay District.
The historic structure has experienced significant deterioration after sitting abandoned for two decades. A formal evaluation of the building identified multiple structural and code deficiencies. According to the application, the estimated cost to repair the building exceeds $1 million.
Dedrick Williams, a trustee at Allen Temple AME Church, said the church wants to remove the building to reduce the insurance cost on its downtown property. The parsonage was proposed to be replaced with green space.
“We view that building now as a handicap because we’re putting money into it and we’re not getting anything out of it,” Williams said.
The city’s planning staff originally recommended denial of the demolition application due to the building’s historic status and lack of sufficient evidence that rehabilitation would be infeasible.
The board charged the city to work with Allen Temple AME Church to explore solutions that would save the historic structure. Williams said the church would be open to looking at other opportunities for the building with assistance from city staff and the board.
Approved with conditions: Townes Street development
The Historic Review Board approved an application for a proposed townhome development at 504 Townes St. in the Heritage Historic District. The application was submitted by Jamison Hupp with Fathom Firm, a Greenville-based architecture and design firm.
The proposed project would consist of two three-story buildings, each with two townhome units. The townhomes would include approximately four bedrooms, three and a half baths and a garage.
The 4-1 vote overruled the planning staff’s original recommendation to deny the application. As conditions for approval, the board requested the applicant to further review the structure’s north elevation presentation, front porch design, front retaining wall height, vertical siding and the site’s open space.
