FORT PIERCE — With a plan drawn but still no money to put it into action, neither city officials nor the owner know the fate of the deteriorated building dubbed the historic governor’s house.

City commissioners, serving as board members of the city’s Redevelopment Agency, approved spending $5,000 on a conceptual design Wednesday as part of the consent agenda after already paying Trias and Associates for the work.

City historic preservation officer Leslie Olson said the plan of the house rehabilitated to its original state and a new building is a win-win solution.

“That would meet both the goals of the city to both preserve and redevelop our downtown historic district,” she said. “It would also meet the owner’s stated concern of maximizing his development potential for his site.”

If the owner agrees to not demolish the building and to hire a design firm with a track record of rehabilitating historic structures, Olson said the city would agree to zoning code variances of parking, setbacks and stormwater retention.

But local attorney J. Curtis Boyd, who has owned the property since July 2002, said he would be on board only if the city can find a way to pay for it.

“I don’t want to tear the house down,” he said. “I could go to court tomorrow and get a demolition permit, but I don’t want to do that. I grew up here.”

The commission reversed a demolition permit given to him by the historic preservation board two years ago. Boyd, who is running for a seat on the City Commission, said he has spent tens of thousands of dollars in court fighting fines from the city and can’t afford the restoration.

The house at the corner of Boston Avenue and Indian River Drive was the childhood home of former state Gov. Dan T. McCarty, who was elected in 1952 and died a year later.

Boyd said the governor lived there for only a couple years as a kid, and the house he lived in during his political career was demolished years ago. He said the McCarty family admitted to letting it go.

“I would rather have clear land,” he said. “It’s a liability sitting there now. I can’t insure that. It’s just a hazard.”

Although city officials continue to look for state and federal funding, they don’t have much hope given the state of the economy.

“There is no funding at this point for the state for historic preservation grants,” Olson said. “It’s going to be a while before we’re going to be in a position to get real dollars.”

Olson came up with the idea of creating a conceptual plan last summer in hopes that an investor would come forward to help. She said the agency wanted to give Boyd something to show to a potential partner or buyer.

City spokeswoman Anne Satterlee said the agency is allowed to sign off on costs up to $10,000 without commission approval.

“Having this in limbo doesn’t change the outcome at all at this point because there is no one doing anything right now,” Olson said. We’re not holding things up by not having an answer yet simply because there is nowhere to go on this structure right now as far as marketable viability.”

Laurie K. Blandford, TCPalm.com

Tags: fines, govenor, house, investor, mccarty, permit, preservation, property owner

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