Historic preservation concerns grow in Franklin Square, calls for Hempstead ordinance reform | Herald Community Newspapers

The Franklin Square Historical Society and the Franklin Square Civic Association have expressed concerns about the City of Hempstead’s Landmarks Ordinance and the lack of protection for historic buildings in the city.

Katherine Tarascio, secretary of the Civic Association, brought her concerns to the Town Board in early June. She believes the city should include a provision in the ordinance that prevents building owners from facilitating the loss of a historic site by neglecting it.

“It has come to our attention that the Town of Hempstead Preservation Ordinance is not effective when it comes to protecting a historic property,” Tarascio told the board at its June 4 meeting.

The concerns at Franklin Square stemmed from worries about potential decay at the Franklin Theater, an Art Deco theater designed in 1933 by architect Richard Thomas Short and designated a historic landmark by the city in 2019. The venue is one of 65 historic landmarks in the city.

“While the city has spent significant resources protecting designated properties, such as the Franklin Theatre, it has no ability to prevent a property owner from allowing or even accelerating the demise of a building by neglecting it,” Tarascio said.

Several cities and towns on Long Island have provisions requiring “regular maintenance” of designated historic sites in their preservation ordinances.

In the Village of Bellerose, owners of historic sites “may not permit the property to fall into a state of disrepair which, in the judgment of the Historic Preservation Board, has a detrimental effect upon the character of the landmark or historic district.” Any property owner who fails to maintain a historic site there is required to restore the property and its appearance to prior to the violation, which may be enforced by the village attorney.

“This not only serves to prevent the property from getting into trouble, but also protects the surrounding neighborhood from the consequences of dealing with such a neglected piece of real estate,” Tarascio said.

Historic sites can sit vacant for years, like the Franklin Theater, which has been closed since 2020. Tarascio reminded city officials that abandoned and dilapidated buildings can pose structural risks to surrounding properties, safety hazards to bystanders, deter local investment as eyesores, attract squatters and depress nearby property values.

“Abandoned historic buildings that are falling into disrepair can be a catalyst for community breakdown,” Tarascio said. “These are things a municipality should protect itself from.”

She said she believed that including a “protection provision” in the city’s Landmarks Ordinance would help preserve Hempstead’s historic sites, and that the absence of such a provision could be responsible for setting “dangerous precedents.”

“Disgruntled homeowners will continue to use this loophole to circumvent the designation and inevitably demolish a building that the city had no choice but to condemn,” Tarascio said. “But ‘demolition by neglect’ is not something that happens overnight, and the cost of allowing it to happen has a domino effect that can negatively impact a neighborhood for years to come.”

Hempstead’s current ordinance was adopted in 1983, and the document’s lack of required regular maintenance is something that members of the Franklin Square Historical Society and Civic Association feel needs to be corrected. Tarascio recommended that any additions or changes to the current ordinance to close this “gap” be made retroactive, in order to protect the city’s existing historic landmarks.

“Once demolition due to neglect is allowed, it will continue to happen,” she said.

City officials did not respond to the Herald’s request for comment on the implementation of a provision that protects historic sites from demolition due to neglect or disrepair. However, city communications director Brian Devine responded with a statement about the importance of historic sites in Hempstead.

“As the largest and one of the oldest townships in America, dating back to 1644, Hempstead Town has a rich history and diverse background of peoples, cultures and heritages,” Devine said. “Preserving sites of historical significance — such as cemeteries that serve as final resting places for Civil War veterans, the launch site of Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 transatlantic flight, and pre-Revolutionary properties, among many others — serves to educate future generations about how our communities have evolved over time.”