Demolition of historic Winans-Crippen House at 66 Franklin St. under consideration

By LUCIAN McCARTY lmccarty@saratogian.com Twitter.com/SaratogianCDesk

SARATOGA SPRINGS The Design Review Commission is one step closer to a vote on whether to allow demolition of the historic Winans-Crippen House at 66 Franklin St. after its meeting last week.

The DRC accepted the Final Environmental Impact Statement on Wednesday in a 4-0 vote. Two of the board members recused themselves from the vote because they are also members of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, a group that has opposed the demolition of the historic single-family home.

The owner of the Winans-Crippen House, Joseph Boff, bought the home in 2008 with the intent of renovating the house, which was built in 1871 by architect John D. Stevens, the same man who designed the United States and Grand Union hotels on Broadway in the citys heyday.

The home is also a contributing member of the National Historic District.

However, the owner says the structure is falling apart and cannot be repaired economically.

The building is completely worthless standing up, Boff said. Its a fire hazard and a danger. It cant be restored, and it wont be restored.

He applied for a demolition permit in 2009 but needs DRC approval because the house is in a historic district. The process dragged and Boff threw his hands up when the DRC asked him for a Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

Not one property has been asked for an EIS before mine, he said.

With the impact statement accepted, the DRCs next step is to determine whether demolition would have an affect on the environment.

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Demolition of historic Winans-Crippen House at 66 Franklin St. under consideration