Some Bates Area residents might be interested in this news regarding Third Street Church of God, located at 1246 New Jersey Avenue NW. The church wanted to bulldoze three contiguous rowhouses it owned located in the Mount Vernon Square Historic District at 1232, 1234 and 1236 4th Street NW. The issue went before the DC Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), which denied the demolition permit request.
I have copied in the first part of the HRPB decision and order:
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF PLANNING, HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
1100 4th Street, SW, Suite E650, Washington, D.C. 20024
HPA No. 12-023
IN THE MATTER OF:
1232, 1234 and 1236 4th St., NW
Mount Vernon Square Historic District
Square 1035, Lot 70
DECISION AND ORDER
The Third Street Church of God seeks here a permit to demolish three rowhouses that it owns, on the ground that preserving them imposes on it a unreasonable economic hardship within the meaning of D.C. Official Code § 6-1102(14). For the reasons explained below, the permit must be denied.1
That preservation of a contributing building makes carrying out worthwhile plans more inconvenient or more expensive does not constitute an unreasonable economic hardship within the meaning of the Act.
F Y I !
Bates Area Civic Association 