West Main Street church is structurally sound, says new report

An independent analysis has determined that the vacant
church at 660 West Main Street is structurally sound. The analysis was
commissioned by the Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood Association and funded by the
Landmark Society.

The
former Westminster Presbyterian Church is at the center of a
preservation battle. Church owner Marvin Maye wants to tear down the 19th-century
church and an adjoining house to build a Dollar General store and two
additional commercial spaces. The church is in the Neighbors United
neighborhood in southwest Rochester, bordering the Susan B. Anthony
Neighborhood and Bulls Head.

Some
neighbors and neighborhood groups say Maye’s proposal doesn’t fit with the
revitalization happening in that area of West Main. They want to find a new use
for the church, such as for an indoor mall or west-side performance space.

Maye
has maintained that the building is beyond saving, and has submitted reports from his own team of professionals to back that up. But the new analysis proves that the
building can be brought back, says Caitlin Meives, preservation planner with
the Landmark Society.

“The
building is not a threat to the general public,” she says. “It’s not going to
fall over. There’s no structural reason the building can’t be rehabbed.”

Meives
says the building does have maintenance issues and that “the interior space is
pretty rough at this point.”

The
report does not include a cost estimate for rehabbing the church, she says.

Meanwhile,
Maye will be in front of the city’s Zoning Board on March 21 to appeal the
church’s designation as a building of historic value.

This article appears in Mar 6-12, 2013.