Danville Preservation League

Long Mill hearing postponed

Danville Register and Bee

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The city’s request for a declaratory judgment in the Long Mill case that was scheduled to be heard this afternoon has been postponed. There is no word on when it will be held.

Long Mill hearing set for this afternoon

Danville Register and Bee

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The city’s request for a declaratory judgment in the Long Mill case is scheduled to be heard this afternoon. The city has asked the court to determine if the Danville Historical Society has an ownership claim to a small portion of the complex.

The society is trying to get the city to halt the deconstruction of the Long Mill complex. The society said a deed transfer gives them a say in the matter.

The hearing is set for 1 p.m.

Check back for further details and read the full story in Thursday’s Register & Bee.   

Why is the Long Mill being demolished

If City Council would be consistently proactive in its stance toward preservation, Danville wouldn’t face these eleventh-hour crises.

Danville Register & Bee Opinion
By DAN LATHAM

With all due respect to Danville City Council, (“Tourism Board joins Long Mill fight,” July 14, page A3), “preservationists” in this city do not believe that City Council “can do whatever it wants.”

This dismissive suggestion is insulting to me and to the people I know who are concerned about historic preservation in Danville. We are intelligent, well-educated, well- informed and are actively pursuing knowledge about preservation through researching the issues, talking with experts and asking questions.

Are City Council members doing the same? What we have heard repeatedly from City Council is that its hands are tied when it comes to saving structures — such as the Long Mill — from imminent destruction. If City Council would be consistently proactive in its stance toward preservation, Danville wouldn’t face these eleventh-hour crises.

Preservationists are fighting to save Danville’s architectural treasures for the future, not only because these structures are what comprise the uniqueness of this city, but also because preservation is a well-known, well-documented means of economic development, which reportedly has been the city's top goal for several years now.  As such, every member of Danville City Council should be actively engaged in these preservation efforts, yet council continues to sit back and watch its own administration actively work to demolish these and other landmark architectural treasures.  If the Long Mill is destroyed, Danville will lose an entire historic district.  The other major structure in that district — the White Mill — will lose rehabilitative tax credits, making its adaptive reuse unlikely and its destruction will almost certainly be assured.

When it comes to the Long Mill, City Council repeatedly insists that they, “can’t do anything.  It's privately-owned property.”  The ridiculousness of this statement speaks volumes.  It is only because of the actions of the city itself that this property is being demolished in the first place. City Council’s refusal to now get involved in the mess the city has created only serves to reinforce the evidence that the city is actively seeking to demolish this complex and has no desire to stop what they have started. That evidence is suggested in a number of documents released in a Freedom of Information Act request, including the city’s own plan to place a YMCA on the site of the Long Mill.

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There are, in fact, many things that City Council can do. As a body, City Council could use its influence to persuade the Long Mill owners to change course. It can hold the hearing that the public requested at the June 5 council meeting. This hearing should include a full evaluation of the maintenance code violations that the city cited in its demolition order, and give an opportunity for engineers and experts to consider those findings. It should give a complete accounting of the cost-benefit analysis that the inspections official and owners performed in concluding that the buildings were not worth rehabilitating.

In addition, City Council itself needs to give a full accounting of what it has been doing toward preserving these buildings, as some members continue to claim to have done so without any tangible or public evidence of such actions.

Council needs to invite the Long Mill owners to answer questions as well. Should they fail to participate, it will speak volumes about their intent.

The council and the public also need to ask questions of its employee, City Manager Jerry Gwaltney, about why his words and his actions regarding the Long Mill appear to contradict one another.

Given the time and effort city employees have expended on the Long Mill, and the near total secrecy with which that work has been done, it's only right and proper that City Council and the public ask questions. The citizens of Danville have repeatedly expressed outrage over the back- room deals that have occurred in this city. We want transparency in government – and that’s something City Council should ensure.

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To aid in the effort, here are just a few questions to which concerned citizens want answers.  One would hope that our elected officials would want to know as well:

• Why did the city vigorously cite the Long Mill owners for fire code violations when vacant buildings do not, per se, fall under the fire code standards? Why did Gwaltney use as an excuse for demolition that the fire chief kept telling him that the mill buildings “must come down” (City Council meeting, June 5), when buildings cannot be demolished for fire code violations?

• Why did Gwaltney say that he’s done everything in his power for the past year to save the Long Mill (City Council meeting, June 5) when there is clear evidence that he and one of the owners made an agreement more than a year ago that the owners would demolish the mill complex if a buyer wasn’t identified within a short amount of time (revealed in a FOIA request)?

• Why did Gwaltney falsely claim that he and City Council members could be sued if the Long Mill caught fire and someone was injured (City Council meeting, June 5); lack of liability confirmed by office of Virginia’s Attorney General? Why did Gwaltney fabricate a story about the city having warrants for the arrest of the six Long Mill owners (City Council meeting, June 5), yet the city has recently confirmed that no such warrants ever existed (FOIA request).

• Why did the owners request an inspection of the Long Mill complex on June 8, leading to its condemnation on June 12, when they a1already had demolition plans based on the bogus fire code violation argument?

Their timing flies in the face of their scheduled meetings with the National Trust, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and APVA-Preservation Virginia for June 25. In addition, how is it that our state and national preservation experts’ collective opinion that there is no reason for the buildings to be razed and that the structures are absolutely repairable, is in direct contradiction to Gwaltney’s assessment of the buildings at the City Council meeting on June 19 and our inspections official’s recent action. Have City Council members arranged to tour Long Mill and get a first hand look? Have they talked to the inspections official and the experts from the National Trust and APVA-Preservation Virginia?

• Why did the owners fail to follow through with development of the Flour Mill when they had a complete, economically feasible plan and the money in hand to do it (FOIA request)? Replacing the roof after the tornado was a relatively small and easily accomplished “fix” for which the owners would have received tax credits. How did the owners intend to alter their redevelopment plans of the entire complex after the loss of these buildings, given that the restrictions on the property only allowed them to demolish 25 percent of the property?

• Why did the city ignore the ownership claims of the Danville Historical Society when issuing the demolition permit and the demolition order? The city has known since June 5 about the ownership question and is fully aware that it does not have the right to move forward without a court decision, yet it took a request for injunctive relief and a lawsuit in order for the city to admit this and ask the court for a ruling.

• Why has the city arbitrarily and capriciously cited the Long Mill structures for fire code and maintenance code violations when there are numerous other structures that do not stand in such relative isolation, which have the very same problems? Is the city aiding and abetting the owners in getting the Long Mill torn down despite the loss of economic opportunities for the city of Danville and the economic problems that would result from de-listing the Historic Mill District? Did the city even explore these important economic issues before their mad rush to demolition on these buildings?
Here’s your chance, City Council, not to do “whatever you want,” but to do the right thing and represent the citizens of Danville in getting answers.

Latham and his wife Sarah spent 18 months renovating 840 Main St. and moved into the restored house in 2005.

Editor’s note: Asked to comment about the bulleted portion of this column, Danville City Manager Jerry Gwaltney said in an e-mail, “The issues surrounding the Long Mill are currently in litigation and it is my policy to never comment on issues that are being litigated.”

Long Mill Demolition – Another "Done Deal"

Please see this compilation of City documents, deeds, and articles regarding the Long Mill on our home web site.  You may return to this blog to post comments if you like.

City weighed Long Mill for YMCA site

By MAC McLEAN

Register & Bee staff writer

Sunday, July 22, 2007

City officials admit that the current site of the Long Mill buildings was their top pick to house a new 64,000-square-foot YMCA, but they deny this decision has anything to do with the complex’s demolition.

City Planning Director Ken Gillie conducted a site plan study for a potential new YMCA facility in October 2006. He recommended the current site of the Long Mill complex on Riverside Drive, the old Blackwell Motors property on Memorial Drive and the old Piedmont Mills building on Cahill Court.

“We get requests all the time from people who are looking for space,” Gillie said Thursday, adding his office is often approached by businesses and other organizations looking to locate in Danville. “They said pick some spots and I picked these three.”

All three sites Gillie suggested matched the YMCA’s core criteria: It had to be on the banks of the Dan River, located near an existing city-owned recreational facility and centrally located within the city limits.

The Long Mill site made the top of Gillie’s list because it was in a highly visible location and easily accessible from Riverside Drive, the Union Street Bridge and the Riverwalk Trail.  It also had all of its utilities connected and was on “relatively level” ground, according to the report.

But the Long Mill site also had its problems.

The report claimed that it was the lowest of the three suggested sites and would have the greatest impact on the Dan River’s floodplain. It also referenced a potential “citizen outcry” that could occur if any of the Long Mill complex’s buildings were demolished.

Gillie said his report was in no way related to the Long Mill’s current demolition, which started June 25, and that he hasn’t heard anything from YMCA officials since he drafted the document almost nine months ago.

He said he last met with YMCA Executive Director Sarah Folmar in October 2006 when he picked up a floor plan for the Myrtle Beach, S.C., YMCA to use as an example for his report.

This facility has an 8-lane Olympic-sized pool, three small and one regulation basketball courts, therapy and wading pools, eight offices, two locker rooms and a juice bar among its features. Gillie said he could fit in on about half of the Long Mill site’s 24.8 acres.

“We are interested in building a new facility sometime down the road,” Folmar said Thursday, adding any site plan discussions must have taken place before she started her job in October 2006. “A new YMCA is needed in Danville.”

But any initiative to build a new facility is still in the planning stages for now. Folmar said the Danville YMCA is conducting extensive market research studies as the organization drafts a comprehensive three-year plan set to be released in January 2008.

“It’s all based on community needs,” Folmar said, adding that any future programs or projects would also be based on the YMCA’s ability to get support from individual donors and foundations.

Old 97 Museum in the Long Mill

Here is a sketch I came across that was included in the first draft of the original proposal of the Old 97 Museum in 1999 (click to enlarge).  The final document depicted the Chapel in the architect's Museum floor plan that I originally sketched.

The idea was that since there are living descendants of the wreck victims, it would be only fitting that a special area of the museum be dedicated to them. The floor plan placed the Chapel directly opposite an second entrance, allowing Chapel visitors privacy, if so desired.

Ric Scott
Danville

Please Save Danville!

[This letter was e-mailed to all members of City Council on July 2, 2007.]

My name is Sam Levine and I grew up in Danville. My family still lives there and although I currently live in Los Angeles, I hope to be able to live and work and bring my family back to Danville. Please save Danville. Bring in businesses. Generate momentum towards the future of the community, but please don't tear down the structural gems that are the source of Danville's draw to the rest of the world.

Business and people can move to a million different places to find land, quality of life, low cost of living, safe community, etc., but the history that built Danville and the structures from that era cannot be replaced once they are destroyed. Those buildings and those homes are what cannot be found in most comparable towns or in major cities and in destroying them, you will ultimately destroy the single, unique selling point that is impossible to replicate anywhere.

The historical architecture is Danville's unique calling card that separates it from most other southern communities. There are amazing towns all over the world, but Danville's history has created a city filled with buildings and homes that only exist in people's imaginations. I know this for a fact.

I live and work in a place that is built on enormous sums of money and dreams. When I share Danville with people and show them pictures, it boggles their mind that a place like this still exists. There are millions of people in the world looking for their Danville. If you destroy that which makes Danville, Danville, then no amount of money or shopping centers with new CVS's will attract the people and business that is going to be needed to drive Danville into the future. The conversations that build futures need a sales pitch. Danville's historical buildings speak for themselves.

Thanks for listening.

Sam Levine
Los Angeles

[Mr. Levine received the following reply from Councilman Stokes Daniels (Stokes Daniels <daniels@ci.danville.va.us>):]

We have a code we must follow, EVERYONE has to comply, the city can not do selective enforcement - thanks for your interest and comments - Stokes

[If you would like to write City Council members, please visit Meet The Council on the City's web site for postal and e-mail addresses.]

A decade ago, the Long Mill buildings held out the hope of a new Danville

Danville Register and Bee

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Watch Long Mill photo gallery

A decade ago, the Long Mill buildings held out the hope of a new Danville rising from the ashes of Dan River Inc.

Preservationists dreamed of the former textile mills being turned into condominiums, shops, apartments and offices with a stunning view of the Dan River between the Union Street and King Memorial bridges. Instead, the dream has become a nightmare; the current owners started demolishing the Long Mill buildings last month.

These pictures were taken by staff photographer Richard T. Davis during tours of the Long Mill in 1999 and 2002. While they don’t illustrate the buildings’ current problems, they do capture the many architectural features - including hardwood floors, high ceilings and large windows - that give these historic buildings such a devoted, passionate following.

If the demolition proceeds, it’s equally clear these pictures will form part of the historic record of what was lost.

Property Listing

The Historic Properties real estate web site has been kind enough to list the Long Mill property at no charge.  Please visit the listing, and support our friends at Historic Properties.

If you know of anyone interested in restoring the property, please have them contact John Leith-Tetrault of the National Trust Community Investment Corporation at 202.588.6064 or by email at jleith@ntcicfunds.com immediately.

Here's what you were promised

Soon after acquiring the property, the Long Mill partners developed and publicized their plan for rehabilitating the site as offices, apartments, condominiums, and restaurants.  The plan was developed by Craddock Cunningham Architectural Partners (CCAP).  Click the image at right to see a short version of that plan on the CCAP web site. 

Architect Hal Craddock is one of the Long Mill partners, along with Rick Barker, Richard Carlton, Ben Davenport, Doug Dalton and Charles Mantooth.

Of course, the restaurant planned for the historic Dan Valley Flour Mill building is no longer possible.  That building, once at the corner of Main Street and Riverside Drive, was torn down in April 2006 after tornado damage nearly completed its demolition by neglect.