523 E. Franklin St. renovations may cost taxpayers

The Chapel Hill Museum closed for lack of funding in 2009. Since then, the Chapel Hill Historical Society has housed many of its archived materials in its downstairs location underneath the old museum at 523 E. Franklin St. Susan Newrock, office assistant for the society, said the society is in a precarious position as the town decides whether to renovate the sub-standard building or sell it.

Since 1966, the Chapel Hill Museum building at 523 E. Franklin St. has served as a historic landmark for the town.

The museum closed in July 2010, and town inspections found the building in violation of occupancy and accessibility codes. Now, the Chapel Hill Town Council is considering its options, some of which would cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The building — which is noted for bringing the architectural style of Frank Lloyd Wright to Chapel Hill — originally housed the town’s library from 1966 to 1994 and has since been home to various community organizations and the museum.

Jason Damweber, assistant to Town Manager Roger Stancil, said the building is in need of significant and costly updates.

During a town inspection in early 2012, the building fell short of requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act for handicapped accessibility.

The space also did not meet occupancy requirements due to issues with the heating and cooling system, electrical wiring and plumbing.

Damweber said the full cost of renovations is unknown and would vary based on the size of the repair, but it will cost $360,000 to bring at least a portion of the space into code compliance.

Council member Jim Ward said the total cost of renovations could range from a couple hundred thousand dollars to approximately $1.5 million.

And these costs could fall on taxpayers, who Ward said already fund the $15,000 required to minimally heat and cool the building.

The property has been included in a comprehensive real assets management report that Stancil will bring before the council sometime this spring.

The report will provide a professional assessment of town properties and help the town decide whether to renovate, sell or divest the spaces.

Ward said choosing a direction for the building will be key to the town’s budget process.

Though the top floor of the 523 E. Franklin St. building is vacant, the bottom floor is home to the Chapel Hill Historical Society.

Harry McLean, board member for the Chapel Hill Historical Society, said the historic status of the building could complicate the town’s ability to sell it.

“The building has some restrictions on it, and the town is considering what they are going to do with the building,” he said.

McLean said Chapel Hill has one of the country’s highest concentrations of buildings with mid-century modern architecture styles.

Because of the historic architecture, there are restrictions on altering the outward appearance of the property.

But council member Lee Storrow said these easements could be adjusted if needed.

“The council is open to figuring out what the best solution is for use of that property,” Storrow said.

And McLean said the museum is a prime piece of town real estate because it is highly visible and has great market potential.

Damweber said the town has already seen some preliminary interest in the property from some small organizations.

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“To my knowledge, there haven’t been any big bucks or major corporations that have expressed interest,” he said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.