How old buildings can bring a city new life

Beasley added that though the façade restorations obviously increase the value of the building, the city assessor basically “left the buildings alone. It’s a wash.”

“It’s mind blowing,” commented attendee Alan Baer about Neighbors of Watertown’s projects. “I was really impressed and would like to take a field trip to Watertown.” Baer, a Kingston-based architect who is a member of the city’s Historic Landmarks Commission, recently partnered with the Midtown Business Association to produce a rendition of a Broadway block transformed by a façade improvement program, which would be linked to a proposed Midtown Arts District.

Sidebar: Dealing with the Code

Some historic building owners may be reluctant to rehabilitate their structures because of fears of having to make compromises to meet the code. Joe Fama’s presentation illuminated how historic building owners can work with the code. He noted that buildings on the National Historic Register are exempt from the state building code (though such is not the case for buildings in local historic districts), a point of which some local building inspectors may not be aware.

Also, if a historic building is being converted to a different use and that new use is considered more hazardous than the existing use, more restrictive codes kick in. But there may be ways around that problem. For example, an Albany nonprofit that wanted to operate a media center in an old church chose to characterize the use as a community and exhibition center, which is in the same category as a church assembly, rather than a TV and radio studio, which is considered a more hazardous use and would have triggered new code requirements, said Fama.

He also noted, somewhat facetiously, “There are things in the code you shouldn’t be able to do,” such as the exemption for flood-plain design requirements for historic buildings. The flood code requires the first floor to be two feet above the flood zone, including the boiler and other systems.

Technical infeasibility is another break offered to historic buildings: Fama noted that in Albany, for example, many basement apartments are approached by a long stair, which precludes having to put in a ramp to meet the code for accessibility to people with disabilities (standards that Fama absolutely supports, he added). And buildings with only one exit may be off the hook for the code related to fire safety if a sprinkler system is installed.