A historic building in downtown Auburn is once again showing its age, and this time it's clearly going to require a proper patch-up to prevent it from causing a serious problem.
On Friday, chunks of concrete from the roofline of 120 Genesee St. fell to the sidewalk, forcing responders to fence off the sidewalk and some nearby parking spots. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.Ìý
A stretch of the sidewalk and parking spaces in front of 120ÌýGenesee St. were closed off on June 6 after concrete debris fell from the building.
That summer, scaffolding was erected in front of the six-story building to protect people on the sidewalk — and it remained there for several weeks as the roofline awaited repair.
Then-Auburn City Manager Jeff Dygert told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» at the time that the facade and roofline of the building were "not in good shape" following an inspection using a fire department ladder truck.Ìý
Apparently, they still aren't in good shape despite the repairs that took place later that summer.
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Conceptual drawings of what a rooftop garden could look like at the top of the former bank building at 120 Genesee St. in downtown Auburn.
Beardsley Architects
The building, which opened in 1927 as the National Bank of Auburn and most recently housed Chemung Canal Trust Co., is slated for a $7.3 million renovation into commercial space, 14 apartments and a rooftop garden with an area for walking dogs. Owners Felipe and Katherine Martin, of Sacramento, will be assisted by a $1 million Restore NY grant secured for the project by the city.Ìý
We understand redevelopment projects like this take time to plan and finance — with long-deteriorating buildings like the Schine and Bombardier, Auburn has been no stranger to that.Ìý
But having chunks of concrete fall six stories onto a busy sidewalk twice in three years makes that particular part of this building's renovation an urgent one. Protecting the public must be a priority, and we hope to see some activity aimed at addressing the problem soon. If nothing else, it'd be nice not to see that stretch of downtown covered by fencing or scaffolding for another summer.
ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» Editorial Board consists of Executive Editor David Wilcox and Managing Editor Mike Dowd.
