Fall River Businessman KARAM out to destroy more history

[nbcatlover]

Tiverton's 1872 Nathanial Church mansion threatened by Demolition

The owers of an iconic Tiverton historic landmark have applied for a demolition permit to raze the 1872 Nathanial Church mansion, a 12-room, Second Empire house, whose distinctive mansard roof and cupola have been part of the Town's cultural landscape for generations. A CRMC permit hearing is scheduled for September on the proposal.

The Holy Union Sisters, of Milton, Massachusetts, have signed a purchase agreement with local developer James J. Karam for the 16-acre Tiverton property that fronts Nanaquaket Road and the Sakonnet and Quaket rivers. Holy Union abandoned the property as a convent in 2005. The Tiverton Open Space and Conservation Commission, the Tiverton Land Trust, and the Nanaquaket neighborhood tried to gather support for buying the historic site for town use. Unfortunately, the coalition could not secure adequate funding and its bid was rejected.

Tiverton has no Historic District zoning protection for the property, and lacks authority to stop the demolition of the structures. All that is now required is approval for demolition from the Coastal Resource Management Council. The Tiverton Conservation Commission has sent a letter of objection to CRMC Executive Director Grover Fugate.

Mr. Karam plans to demolish the Nathanial Church House and its outbuildings, and construct five single family waterfront homes. Anyone interested in trying to save the building should contact Stuart Hardy of the Tiverton Conservation Commission at shardy@umuc.edu or 624-8283.

SEE:
http://www.preserveri.org/index.htm
FOR PICTURE OF BUILDING

It's a shame when local developers like Karam want to destroy both the history and the character of a small town like Tiverton.

Fall River, in total, is one of the ugliest cities on the Southcoast from its 1960s urban renewal binge. Guess it's fitting for a Fall River businessman to spread the ugliness to its neighboring town.

[nbcatlover]

Here's picture of the property to be destroyed.

[mbhenty]

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[mbhenty]

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[Lefty]

Not to take sides here but several news articles quoted Mr. Karam as saying the building was in a terrible state of disrepair and that restoration would be too costly, or too extensive, which would reduce any historical value.

I would love to see this restored but maybe it really is just not feasible. Of course I realize that Mr. Karam could be exaggerating the mansions soundness.

As far as Fall River goes, yet as a city we have made some horrible decisions and destroyed properties that we can never bring back. It is also true that we've been raped by highway construction that literally divided the city. However it is just not possible to keep and maintain every building simply because it is old. Fall River is a city with very little open land, which means to make way for new development buildings are razed. I love the history of some of these buildings, the architecture but how do you keep them all? How do you maintain and restore them? This city is filled with incredible school buildings most over a century old but these schools are handicapped in meeting the needs of today. What do you do? Where do you build the new schools if you leave the old ones stand and then what do you do with the old ones?

Take the old police station how do you justify the costs to rehab it into something usable when you could raze it and build a new building for far less money?

Then take the other side of the coin and look at the Bank Street Armory and ask yourself why we have not done more to maintain and restore this incredible building. The same applies to the Police Athletic League building!

But give credit that we have maintained and restored our incredible Library, that the Old Durfee High, one of the most incredible buildings to grace our city has been restored (yes I moan at the gutting of the interior). The Academy building still firmly marks the beginning for South Main Street, tragically no longer a theater but still gracing our skyline.

Certainly we need to do a better job at preserving and protecting the history and culture of the city but at the same time we need to realize that a city like Fall River needs to change and evolve. What we need to do and failed at miserably is finding ways to integrate it all.

[nbcatlover]

The problem is that what gets saved is what is easy to save...not the most representative or most historic.

It's going to be like the Almy House. Spoiled rich people do what they want...the rest of the world and its history be damned.

I'm not against change, but I am against negative changes. I keep seeing irreplaceable homes being replace my McMansions with no style or personality.

[stuartwsa]

"Not to take sides here but several news articles quoted Mr. Karam as saying the building was in a terrible state of disrepair and that restoration would be too costly, or too extensive, which would reduce any historical value. "--RJR

That is the generic, patented, standard excuse used by all developers!
Ten years ago, we had on the outskirts of our city an old night club and casino built in the Art Deco style (the only example in the area). It sat for 50 years after it had last opened with all of its contents in it. The family that owned it lost it due to foreclosure. The developer that bought the land used the same excuse. The only problem was that I was in it several times when they were tearing it down, (literally as the bulldozers hit) trying to save paperwork and historical items. It was all a lie--save for a roof with holes, the building was perfectly sound.
Today that site is a housing development--and all the residents come into my shop looking for souvenirs of that night club.

[Lefty]

stuartwsa,

I understand where you're coming from and I said as much in my reply, but I like to be open minded so for all I know it could be true!

Let's also look at this from all angles, if this property is so magnificent and splendid and worth preserving why did the The Holy Union Sisters sell it to Mr. Karam without ensuring its preservation (in the way of deed restrictions etc.) They new full well what he intended to do and merely stipulated that no more than 5 or 7 house lots (depending on which story you read) be placed on the 16 acre parcel. So they share in the 'greed' of this too!

Lastly, (and Fall River is just as guilty of this) where is the interest in preservation by the town's leadership? Tiverton could have a city commission that would work to protect and preserve historical properties and stop one from being demolished unless adequate proof existed that the structure was no longer historically significant or where the cost of restoration could be considered unreasonable.

Again, I'm not saying that this mansion couldn't be preserved, I'm saying that if it's not, there's plenty of blame to go around.

[nbcatlover]

I can't answer some of these questions without getting imyself in trouble. I used to work for the Karams some time back.

It's losing a building that is such a familiar landmark in Tiverton that is tragic. To me, it signals a drastic change in the character of the town.

[SallyG]

Every good sized town has it's share of "pillars of the community" with more money than brains. Fortunately, there are many, many more people with more power and more money than these small town/city small-fries with their inflated egos.

Our town has a Historical Society filled with sweet little blue-haired ladies that even the most ruthless developer does not dare to cross. Their motto is "if you can't open your business or live in one of the existing structures, go somewhere else"

If someone wants to raze a structure, and the Historical Society wants it to stay...it stays! Case closed!

[nbcatlover]

From what I understand, the town of Tiverton doesn't have any official rules regarding preservation.

Currently, preservation is all volunteer. Preserve Tiverton didn't have the money unless some generous patron comes forth. They have been busy with a land trust of the Pardon Gray property. Sometimes the timing of the availability of properites prevents adequate fund-raising and resources.

http://www.tivertonlandtrust.org/pardon_gray/garden.htm


We have the same problems in New Bedford. The old-timers are used to things they way they are, then some "carpet-bagger" with lots of money comes in and plays things fast and loose. Unfortunately, the carpetbaggers make a lot of money, and history is destroyed.


When I visited my cousins in the Charleston, SC, area, one of the tourist guides was going on and on and on about how everything 75 years and older must be reviewed before renovations/demolition, etc.

The person asked me how I would feel about living in a property that was 75 years old. I told her my house was built around 1913, and it was new compared to some of my neighbors! Her response was "You must be from New England,"