Here's some great news!
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| D.A. White Seed building (2010) |
The new owners of the D.A. White Seed building on Front Street at State have started a file at the City with a proposal to rehab it for office space.
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| Basement and first floor concept plans |
That would be so terrific. It's been neglected for so long, and just about any use that keeps the shell and structure intact would be a boon to downtown. Heck, by now anything is better than a dilapidated ruin.
The process is just starting and structural engineering, as opposed to any aesthetics of design, has always seemed like the main barrier. It needs a lot of work. It's easy to imagine any number of decision points where the project fails to pencil out. There's still a ways to go before any construction.
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| Outside the Historic District (City of Salem) |
Significantly, the building is not within the Downtown Historic District and will not have to go through the usual historic preservation process and set of requirements. On the one hand, the developer will have more freedom to alter the building; but on the other hand, more cost effective solutions than straight-up restoration may be available. The initial set of drawings includes only the floor plans, and not any elevations of the facade. So it will be interesting to see how much of that is preserved.
But someone is trying something finally!
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| The first announcement in December, 2023 |
Earlier the SJ had reported on intent to rehab, but at that time it seemed a little remote and improbable. This latest step is meaningfully more substantial.
Good luck and best wishes for great success! This will be fun to follow.
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