The City of Danville’s request for a certificate of appropriateness to allow for the tear down of Bresee Tower has been approved by Danville’s Historic Preservation Commission. Although a motion was made to give the 12-story Bresee Tower one final chance of 90 days to see if someone could produce an adequate plan to save it; it was the motion for demolition that passed 3-2, giving the city permission to acquire a company for Bresee Tower’s demolition.
There was a brief moment of hesitation about whether four votes might be needed, since two of the seven members on the Historic Preservation Commission were absent. But City Corporation Counsel James Simon announced, after Community Development Administrator Logan Cronk had checked city regulations, that the majority of the quorum present at the current meeting was adequate for an official decision.
Deanne Ryan addresses the Danville Historic Preservation Commission about their role in deciding the fate of Bresee Tower, Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr speaks as Corporation Counsel James Simon looks on, Historic Preservation Commission meeting presides in City Council Chambers.
There were members of the public who spoke about Bresee Tower deserving more time. But Commission member Sandra Calhoun, who voted for the demolition along with Roberta Allen and Becky Woodrum, felt that the abandoned building had been in limbo long enough.
AUDIO: I feel like we’ve waited years, more than 20 years even, to do something about this. We can’t wait any more.
Bill Pickett and Marilyn Blanton voted against clearing the way for demolition at this time.
Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr emphasized while speaking for the city during the meeting that the situation was getting even more dangerous, with signs of another piece of terra cotta having recently fallen from the seventh or eighth floor. Williams also said, as he has before, that numerous parties have expressed interest in doing something with the building, but not followed through with adequate proposals. Williams also says, it does not matter to him if the first wrecking ball hits the tower before next spring’s mayoral election. But it does matter to him that the public knows he did what he felt needed to be done.
AUDIO: It doesn’t matter at all. I think what matters is that people see that I’m willing to make tough decisions for the safety and the future of our community.
The issue of ownership of the building is still going through the court system, as the deed to Bresee Tower was granted to the City of Danville in Vermilion County Circuit Court last May. Williams says that while that hopefully winds to a conclusion, the city will be working on a request for proposal for the demolition of Bresee Tower. He hopes for the RFP to be done early in the new year, with the tear down actually beginning next summer or fall.
