Town Board of Architectural Review tours outside sections of ‘Murphy Theater’ building proposed for demolition

With a Public Hearing looming Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, on Friday afternoon, December 9th, the Front Royal Board of Architectural Review (BAR) took a site visit to the old Murphy Theater building at 131 East Main Street. A large portion of the four-sectioned building, which extends the better part of a one-way stretch of Church Street between East Main and Jackson Streets, has been proposed for demolition to facilitate a rebuild to accommodate a 60 “dwelling unit” structure. We learned during the site visit walk-around of the outside of the structure, the oldest section of which dates to 1879 as the Front Royal Methodist Church, not to refer to the proposed rebuild as “apartments” because they do not meet minimum Town Zoning standards for the size of apartments.

However, we also learned that the BAR Public Hearing tomorrow, Tuesday, December 13, is to consider ONLY the demolition application, NOT the rebuild parameters and plans to create a 60-unit habitat of some description where currently three or four apartments exist in the most recently constructed rear portion of the structure, estimated built circa 1940s or ’50s.

The view from East Main St. looking south down Church St. It would seem everything past the two-side-windowed front commercial section is proposed for demolition. As we understood the structural explanation, the circa-1908/09 or soon thereafter commercial addition fronts East Main going back the first two, second story windows facing Church St.; the original church structure circa 1879 is the darker brick portion with the next four second-story windows; then comes the lighter brick terra cotta section circa “sometime before World War II”; and finally the current several apartment structure at rear, circa 1940s or ’50s.

A planning department staff summary of the history of the structure included in the public hearing agenda packet notes that the 2.5 story brick retail section facing East Main Street “was added after 1908-09” at which time the church space fronting Church Street to the south of the new section was converted into a theater. A “terra cotta stage superstructure” at the rear section away from  East Main Street was added “sometime before World War II”.

The entire structure estimated to have been created between 1879 and the 1940s/50s lies in the Town of Front Royal’s Historic Overlay District. The town’s Historic and Historic Overlay Districts were created to encourage historical and architectural character and maintenance of older structures, contributing to economic development and quality of life and business in downtown Front Royal. It may be noted that the old church/theater and terra cotta portions of the building are not currently being used or maintained to any noticeable extent, at least from the outside.

Planning Department staff note in the public hearing agenda summary that while the applicant SEESUU LLC and representative Gary Wayland have “submitted conceptual concepts of a future building, the applicant has only applied for demolition of the existing building” (other than the front commercial section). So, staff adds that “If the BAR determines that the demolition is appropriate, Town Staff recommends that such approval be conditional on the following: That a development surety be in place before demolition and approved in form by the Town Attorney to guarantee that the demolition is completed once started.”(bold in context)

BAR members explore the alley between the terra cotta brick section of the Murphy Theater building and Schewels next door, to left. Deterioration and structural cracks were apparent in portions of this section of the ‘Murphy Theater’ building. Below, it appears power is still available in the unused sections.

But will the Board of Architectural Review members find this demolition application appropriate? See you at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Town Hall second-floor meeting room to see how the public weighs in, and find out the BAR’s perspective. However, perhaps if they’d gotten inside to see the degree of deterioration in the two currently unused sections of the building, as opposed to only the outside, they would have a better idea of the relative potential and costs of redevelopment versus demolition and rebuild. A planned revisit of the site prior to Tuesday’s public hearing was cancelled on Monday. The applicant wasn’t present for the Friday site visit, staff indicated due to a medical issue.

As for the appropriateness of demolition to facilitate a specific rebuild/re-use plan, that will be the province, first, of the Front Royal Planning Commission working in the wake of the BAR’s recommendation on the demolition application; and finally the Front Royal Town Council working from both the BAR and Planning Commission’s recommendations on demolition and rebuild and re-use.

BAR members and planning staff stop at the terra cotta section on the Church St. side of the building.