"Building Yonkers By Building Business Relationships"
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"Building Yonkers By Building Business Relationships" |
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July 6, 2009 Yonkers builder vows 'respect' for
historic hall
YONKERS - A development company that bought a dilapidated 19th-century
building downtown says the building "will be treated with respect."
Teutonia Buena Vista LLC of Teaneck, N.J., bought Teutonia Hall at 41-51
Buena Vista Ave. in May from the Yonkers Downtown Waterfront Development
Corp.
The company intends to build housing and a parking garage. The fate of
Teutonia Hall has been an object of discussion among preservation-minded
residents.
"We recognize that Teutonia Hall is an interesting building that the
community is interested in," said Ken Dearden, a principal with Teutonia
Buena Vista. "So when we're considering our options on what we should do
with the site, we will weigh that heavily."
The 1891 building with a facade of terra cotta and bricks was built by
the German immigrant community, which also established a church on
Hudson Street that is still in good condition and occupied.
Dearden said that the ground under Teutonia Hall is contaminated with
volatile organic compounds from the building's past industrial use. That
contamination must be cleaned before any redevelopment and, Dearden
said, such remediation typically involves the removal of soil.
"Is it possible to clean the site without removing the building? That's
our big challenge. We don't know the answer to that yet," said Dearden,
whose MetroPartners company also controls housing at 66 Main St. and the
Trolley Barn, an old warehouse readapted as apartments and retail just
steps from Teutonia Hall.
Yonkers Landmarks Preservation Board member Donna Giambrone Ingram said
the contamination can be cleaned without demolition.
"I have never heard of a building having to be razed when there is
contamination underground," she said. |
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