Historic Preservation Board Denies Permit to Demolish Historic Hotel

List of articles in our series on Dunk Them Donuts’ mixed-use tower proposal:

Proposed High-Rise “Donut Tower” Would Require Demolition of Historic Hotel
Preservation Board “Preliminarily Denies” Dunk Them Donuts Permit to Demolish Hotel Stansbury
Joint Planning Commission / Federal Council Committee Meets on Proposed Zoning Amendment
Did Dunk Them Donuts Set Up a Dummy Company to Buy the Hotel Stansbury
Bricklyn’s Chief Prognosticator Advises Against Downtown Bricklyn Junction High-Rise Zoning
Bricklyn Officials and Dunk Them Donuts Reach Landmark Agreement, Saving the Former Hotel Stansbury
- plus bonus feature: Dunk Them Donuts’ CEO Broffman Talks with The Bricklyn Eagle

From Bricklyn Eagle Editor Walt Brickman: Set out below is the Realm of Bricklyn Historic Preservation Board’s findings on Dunk Them Donuts’ application to demolish the Hotel Stansbury. We suggest you first read our article on the Planning Commission’s initial meeting on the project.

Decision & Findings of the Bricklyn Historic Preservation Board

February 14, 2024

*Preservation Board members and staff meeting in Planning Department offices.* *All photos and images in this post, unless otherwise noted, taken by Paul B. Macro of The Bricklyn Eagle, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.*

Applicant Dunk Them Donuts appeared before the Bricklyn Historic Preservation Board on February 5, 2024, as the first step in seeking to demolish the Hotel Stansbury and replace it with a new 11-story high tower, topped by a 5-story donut shaped revolving restaurant.

In Bricklyn, the process of receiving a final demolition permit involves two steps:

First, the applicant must receive a preliminary demolition permit from this Board. Our findings and decision outlined below relate to this.

Dunk Them Donuts’ rendering of its proposed mixed-use tower as presented to the Planning Commission (prepared with assistance from Dall E-3 AI). For the purposes of “clarity of viewing the proposed building,” the applicant removed all the surrounding buildings in the historic district from the rendering.

Second, the applicant must receive approval from the Planning Commission for the replacement building, and this must be done before a final demolition permit will be granted.

Dunk Them Donuts is proposing to replace the Hotel Stansbury with a mixed-use tower that will include:

office space for Dunk Them Donut’s headquarters;
128 units of housing (64 of which will be affordable units for the company’s employees);
a 40 room boutique hotel; and
a revolving donut-shaped rooftop restaurant.

We note that given the proposed height of the building, the applicant will also need the Bricklyn Federal Council to amend the Bricklyn Zoning Code before the Planning Commission can take final action on the application.

About the Hotel Stansbury

On May 14, 2023, applicant Dunk Them Donuts purchased the Hotel Stansbury and the lot on which it stands from Brick City Realty. The building has stood vacant since 2018.

Opened in 1897, the Hotel Stansbury takes up a full block on the north side of Peach Street, between Apple and Orange Streets in the heart of downtown Bricklyn Junction.

*Preservationists protesting the planned demolition of the Hotel Stansbury.*

*Architect Grover Brickston in photo taken in 1901. From The Bricklyn Eagle archives.*

The Stansbury, for many years the tallest building in Bricklyn Junction, was designed by noted architect Grover Brickston.

The hotel’s layered appearance reflects the eclectic Victorian-era style of many buildings built in Inland cities in the late 19th century — though rarely at the scale and grandeur of the Stansbury. It is also a pre-eminent example of a cast-iron building of that era.

The Hotel Stansbury has received designation by the Realm of Bricklyn as an “historic building of Realm-wide significance.” It is also located in the Bricklyn Junction Downtown East Historic District.

The Board’s Findings & Decision

Bricklyn’s Historic Preservation Ordinance requires the Historic Preservation Board to review applications for demolition permits of designated historic buildings, or buildings within a designated historic district. The Board is to consider several factors, as set out below, in deciding whether to issue a demolition permit.

We have included in gray shaded areas below the factors the Board is to consider, followed by our findings related to each factor. Appeals of final Board decisions can be made to the Bricklyn Federal Council.

Historical Significance: The level of historical or cultural significance of the building is a crucial factor in determining whether demolition is justified.

The Hotel Stansbury was a key building in the development of downtown Bricklyn Junction at the end of the 19th century. It anchored the downtown block between Peach and Orange Streets. The Stansbury was celebrated at the time of its opening by a special edition of the Bricklyn Junction Times-Register newspaper, and a parade through downtown.

For over a century the Hotel Salisbury served as the locale for many key events in the life of Bricklyn Junction, including concerts in its grand ballroom, as well as numerous weddings and other life cycle and holiday events. Dances were also especially popular.

*One of many musical events held in the Hotel Stansbury’s main ballroom. Photo from The Bricklyn Eagle archives dated July 23, 1948..*

Through the 1950s and ’60s, the Stansbury hosted an annual Thanksgiving celebration, where guests often donned turkey costumes, while dancing the Turkey Trot. Photo from The Bricklyn Eagle archives dated November 24, 1955.

Architectural Importance: The architectural significance of the building, including its design, style, and features, must be assessed. Unique or rare architectural elements can contribute to a building’s historical value.

The Hotel Stansbury is likely the most notable, and certainly the largest, remaining example of a Victorian-era cast iron structure in not just Bricklyn Junction, but in the entire Realm of Bricklyn.

While some in the community decry the building as “over the top” Victorian, most community members find that its design and style fit well within the downtown historic district. Its mansard-style roof is also noteworthy, as well as its majestic ballroom (unfortunately, like the rest of the building, in a state of disrepair today).

Age of the Building: Older buildings are often more likely to be considered for preservation. The age of a structure can contribute to its historical importance, especially if it represents a particular period or style.

Built in 1897, the Hotel Stansbury is now 127 years old, comparable in age to many of the buildings in the Bricklyn Jct. Downtown East Historic District.

*Mayor Burton B. Jorgensen dancing in the Hotel Stansbury ballroom with his wife Lily at the Mayor’s Inaugural Ball in 1908. Photo from The Bricklyn Eagle archives.*

Association with Historical Events or Figures: If the building is associated with significant historical events, movements, or notable individuals, it may be considered more valuable for preservation.

The Hotel Stansbury has been site of many significant events in the history of Bricklyn Junction. To name a few:

Scene from the popular 1967 movie “Bricksy.” The film’s final scenes of the gangland massacre were shot in the very lobby of the Hotel Stansbury where the 1929 slayings occurred. Here Bricksy Walsh (played by noted actor James Brickney) waits for the Benny Brothers to arrive before the climatic shootout — which is too violent to post here. Photo posted with permission of Brickview Films, taken with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.

inaugural balls for newly elected mayors;
annual holiday concerts bringing in orchestras from other Inland Realms;
the infamous 1929 gangland shooting in the Stansbury’s lobby of mobster “Bricksy” Walsh;
and, not unimportantly in our view, the place where generations of Bricklynites came to celebrate special family events.

Also of note, the Hotel Stansbury is the most significant work of noted local architect Grover Brickston, who also designed eight other buildings within the Bricklyn Junction East Historic District, six of which remain standing — including two which are kitty-corner across Peach Street from the rear of the Hotel Stansbury, as seen in the postcard photo below.

Old postcard view looking across Peach Street from the front of the Hotel Stansbury. The corner building with awnings is the Peach Street House, next up the block, the white faced building is Junction Place. Both buildings were designed by Grover Brickston in the late 1880s.

Community Input and Support: Public opinion and community support play a role in the decision-making process. If the community strongly values the preservation of a historic building, this may be considered by the Historic Preservation Board.

The Board has considered the goals and objectives set out in the Bricklyn Comprehensive Plan.

In several sections of the Plan, including those focusing on downtown development, there is an emphasis on preserving historic buildings “whenever economically feasible” and “taking into account the importance of the building to Bricklyn’s heritage.”

*Members of the Historic Preservation Society outside the Bricklyn Junction City Hall Annex where the Historic Preservation Board was meeting.*

At the same time, the Plan also stresses the importance of “maintaining and growing businesses in the Realm’s downtown cores,” and of “increasing the supply of affordable housing.”

As is often the case in our review of demolition permits, the Plan’s goals and objectives can appear to be in conflict.

While the Board has not conducted a formal poll of the community regarding the Stansbury’s preservation, we have received 45 emails and comments at our public hearing opposing its demolition and 153 supporting demolition — though we should note that 142 of those in support appeared to be form letters mailed to us by employees of Dunk Them Donuts.

While we do not imply that those “Build the Dunk” letters, submitted in support of demolishing the Stansbury, should be discounted, we do take note of the fact that Dunk Them Donuts’ proposed tower is planned to provide 62 units of affordable housing for company employees.

*Several of the site visit participants in what was once the Hotel Stansbury’s ballroom.*

Structural Integrity: The physical condition of the building is important. If a structure is in a state of severe disrepair, has safety hazards, or is structurally unsound, the review board may be more inclined to agree to a demolition request.

All five members of the Historic Preservation Board (three of whom are architects), along with Planning Director Tim Brickedy; City Engineer Steve Goodbrick; toured the building with Dunk Them Donuts CEO David Tiler Broffman and his architect Moshi Saftbrick. Eight members of the public also joined in the site tour.

*City Engineer Steve Goodbrick (with white hat and beard) noted that the cracked columns in this portion of the Hotel Stansbury’s former ballroom were not load bearing.*

Members of the Board concur that the building is in a state of severe disrepair and has several safety hazards. However, we believe the building is structurally sound. The later determination is based on a recent evaluation by City Engineer Goodbrick, as well as his comments during the site visit. Applicants did not dispute this characterization.

Economic Viability of Restoration / Rehabilitation: The cost of restoring or maintaining an historic building is a relevant consideration. If the financial burden of preservation is deemed too high, the Board should be more open to demolition.

The applicant has presented us with financial information in the form of a “Donut Tower Pro-Forma” purportedly indicating a very substantial financial burden to rehab and preserve the Hotel Stansbury.

However, as we previously noted, we are not convinced that the pro-forma submitted by the applicant reflects the level of in-depth financial analysis needed to justify such an important decision as issuing a demolition permit of a designated historic building..

The Historic Preservation Board’s Conclusions

*The next generation of the Broffman family: Jeffrey Plater Broffman (left) and Chuck Plater Broffman (right), respectively Dunk Them Donuts’ Chief Investment Officer and Chief Financial Officer.*

Having heard from the applicant and from members of the public; and having visited the Hotel Stansbury and considered the documents presented, the Historic Preservation Board denies without prejudice the demolition permit, provided that the applicant may submit within 30 days a detailed analysis showing that it has more carefully evaluated the possibility of rehabilitating the building and has demonstrated that such rehabilitation is not financially feasible.

The Preservation Board also reminds the applicant and members of the public that no final demolition permit can be issued by this Board until after the proposed replacement building has received final approval from the Planning Commission. ✥

We welcome Letters to the Editor. Please email to: bricklynvt@gmail.com