News
Union Street Rebounding, Nelsonville Still Waiting After Fires
By: Susan Tebben
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Historic buildings in Athens and Nelsonville that were severely burned by fire are seeing a new future, though the timelines are still up in the air.
The Union, one of the buildings most damaged in a November fire, has started it’s renewal with construction of a new roof. Business owner Eric Gunn said the roof is the first step in bringing back the hallowed music venue.
“Once we have the roof in place, we can start drying out the place and going forward with other plans,” Gunn said. “We still don’t know how long rebuilding will take, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.”
The fire that occurred on Nov. 18, damaged the buildings housing Jackie O’s Public House, Kismet, Smoke Zone, a rental office housed in the same building as Smoke Zone and Jack Neal Floral, along with The Union. Uptown Dog was damaged when the Jack Neal building collapsed.
The buildings were deemed structurally unsound, according to City Code Enforcement Office John Paszke, and the facades of the buildings are still being assessed for safety.
“I think with the right amount of money and the right design, they can be repaired,” Paszke told WOUB.
All of the Union Street buildings saw progress as the Board of Zoning Appeals approved variances for off-street parking at their Tuesday meeting.
The variances approved for 10, 12, 14, 14 1/2 and 16 West Union Street will “allow construction of a commercial/residential-use building,” according to the Board of Appeals documents, which also allowed the construction without requiring a certain number of parking spaces for each building.
Now that the Board of Zoning Appeals has approved the variances, construction and design plans will head to the city Planning Commission for approval.
Fire investigators still have not found a cause for the fires, but once construction progresses, more investigations can be conducted, said Lindsay Burnworth, spokesperson for the Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office.
For now, Jackie O’s is up and running at their smaller location next door to the public house, Jack Neal has moved to East State Street and the rest of the businesses are still deciding on their futures. Gunn has said since the fire occurred that he and the landlords for the building were committed to bringing The Union back in its original location.
The buildings date back to the early 1900s, according to the Athens County Auditor’s Office.
Another set of historic buildings that burned more recently is facing delays because the buildings are still considered structurally unsound.
“Investigators actually can’t get in to the buildings because they are still unsafe,” Burnworth said.
The former Preston Building, which was housing the Hocking College Art Gallery, on the Nelsonville Public Square caught fire on April 11. Unofficially, fire investigators thought a blown transformer on Columbus Street had caused the flames, but an official cause is still unknown.
The Preston Building, at 34 Public Square, suffered the most damage, according to investigators, but damage was also sustained by Stuart’s Opera House, Majestic Art Galleries and McFadden Insurance Services. All of the buildings, with the exception of the Majestic Art Galleries, were built in 1879, according to documentation by the Athens County Auditor’s Office. Majestic Art Galleries was built in 1914.
Stuart’s Opera House did not see any fire damage, but “extensive water and smoke damage” was sustained in the theater and office space, according to a release by Stuart’s, sent days after the fire.
The building that was to be the future home of Stuart’s Opera House’s Education and Production Center, directly behind the backstage wall of the opera house, was “completely gutted,” the release stated.
Nelsonville Fire Chief Harry Barber said discussions have been ongoing with city officials, and he is hopeful braces will be put in place soon to start the rebuilding process.
“Right now it’s in the hands of the engineers and the designers,” Barber said. “But it sounds like the buildings are going to be repaired.”