The 10 worst abandoned buildings in Holyoke include old apartment complexes and former businesses with some scheduled for demolition, others for redevelopment and some just heading the list of problem buildings.
HOLYOKE -- The fire chief said to look through the hole in the door and you could see the sky.
"It is just a facade. From the front, it looks like a building, but when you go around the side, it's just a wall," Fire Chief John A. Pond said regarding 405-407 Main St.
Pond and Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Przekopowski recently gave The Republican a tour of the city's 10 worst abandoned buildings.
Besides the 116-year-old, mixed-use building at 405-407 Main St., they discussed former apartment complexes that stand as little more than walls and some roofing above an interior tangle of collapsed floors and stairways; alleys behind the blighted structures choked with furniture, a toilet and tires; and a tree growing out of the upper story of one building unoccupied for decades.
The list of 10 includes the former National Guard armory at 163 Sargeant St. whose partial collapse Feb. 29 renewed calls for action on the blighted structures.
The crumbling of the 109-year-old armory also recalled the December 2014 partial collapse of the Essex House at 400 High St. The former hotel finally was razed in early 2015 but it is back in the news as the city has filed a lawsuit against the demolition contractor alleging breach of contract and negligence.
Pond has determined these to be the 10 worst abandoned buildings in the city:
• 193 Chestnut St.
• 405-407 Main St.
• 281-289 Main St.
• 107 Clemente St.
• 163 Sargeant St., the former National Guard Armory
• 37 Appleton St.
• 278-280 Pine St.
• 28 Cabot St.
• 117 Essex St.
• 160 Middle Water St.
Abandoned buildings breed problems like a virus, Pond said. He noted the dangers as their structures deteriorate, their lure as vacant hideaways for the homeless and drug dealers, the frequency of such squatting leading to fires, and the garbage that collects around them.
Pond has ordered about 30 buildings, including these 10 worst, branded with a white X on a red background. The mark alerts firefighters to avoid entering to fight a blaze -- unless someone is known to be on the premises -- because the interior is unsafe.
"The building has an 'X' on it when there's severe structural deficiencies," Przekopowski said.
Citywide, the mayor's Problem Property Group has identified 74 buildings that raise some level of concern, said Rory Casey, Mayor Alex B. Morse's chief of staff.
"This includes properties from all over the city, some of which are still occupied," Casey said.
Casey is co-chairman of the Problem Property Group with Building Commissioner Damian J. Cote. The group works on properties that are recently vacant, long abandoned, in the tax-title process for the owner's failure to pay taxes, have code violation histories or have potential for receivership.
In receivership, the city petitions the court regarding a property that is rundown but salvageable whose owner has refused or been unable to maintain it. The judge appoints a receiver from a certified list that can include local contractors or management companies.
The receiver is responsible for rehabilitating the property. In return, the receiver collects any rent paid by tenants and recoups money that has been invested in the form of a lien placed on the property that requires such payment when the property is sold.
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Przekopowski represents the Fire Department on the Problem Property Group, which also includes representatives from the Board of Health, Office of Community Development, city treasurer, Department of Planning and Economic Development, Redevelopment Authority and the Law and Purchasing departments, Casey said.
"The goal of the group is to address problem properties in a proactive way that maximizes the limited resources we have. We have been meeting once a month since December and have created new systems for information sharing that benefit all the departments listed above," Casey said.
Pond praised the work of Cote and Casey and the committee in helping the city address the problems of abandoned properties.
"It really has been great to collaborate between departments. We're working toward a common goal," Pond said.
Cote returned from a conference in Detroit with a good idea, said Pond, noting a plan that involved covering windows of abandoned buildings with acrylic glass instead of plywood, allowing officials to see inside and get a sense of a building's interior condition over time.
Options in dealing with such problem properties include demolition, resale for redevelopment and stabilization for potential reuse, Casey said.
The public demand to "tear it down" when it comes to abandoned buildings is understandable. But unless a certified inspector determines a building poses an imminent danger -- or tumbling walls such as at the armory produce an emergency -- property laws restrict the actions a municipality can take. Warning letters and hearings across months or longer must play out before the city can gain control to raze or redevelop an eyesore.
The city's practice has been to budget enough money to demolish one or two problem buildings a year using both the taxpayer-funded operating budget and federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Casey said.
"Because the administration feels we need to do more to address these properties, we are taking a different approach in 'FY17,'" he said, referring to fiscal 2017, which begins July 1.
In the fall, Morse proposed establishing a property preservation crew that would focus on assessing problem buildings before they reach the collapsing point and getting them taken down. The City Council, with a strong advocate in Councilor at Large Michael J. Sullivan, has begun approving the program, Casey said.
Also, to help in funding demolitions of more buildings, the city is seeking approval to borrow against its annual share of CDBG funds, he said.
"We are currently working on designing this program and hope to bring it to the City Council for their approval this summer," Casey said.
"The goal of this group is to formalize the process that decides which buildings have to come down," he said.
Here are notes about the worst 10 abandoned buildings, according to city officials and records:
193 Chestnut St.
Owner: 193-203 Chestnut Street Trust of 123 Mulberry St., Springfield.
Built about 1915, had 40 apartments and 144 total rooms. Slated for inclusion in the HAPHousing Library Commons project.
Demolition schedule: Selective demolition planned, but most of the building will be preserved.
In a recent visit, Przekopowski pointed to the separation evident between bricks as he looked up at the rear of the building from an alley. Years of exposure to rain and other weather can cause such structural weakening.
"This is bad. The bricks are just on top of each other with no mortar in between," Przekopowski said.
405-407 Main St.
Owner: Julio Class of Holyoke.
Mixed-use building built about 1900 with five units and a total of eight rooms.
Demolition schedule: No specific date.
281-289 Main St.
281-283 Main St. is owned by Renso M. Urena of the Bronx in New York City. It was built around 1895 to house a store with four units.
285-287 Main St. is owned by Josefina Santa of West Springfield. It was built around 1880 as a mixed-use building with five units and 16 total rooms.
289-291 Main St. is owned by Frankie Cardona and Ramon L. Guzman, both of Holyoke. It was built in 1920 as a mixed-use building with seven units and 24 total rooms, city records said.
Demolition schedule: No specific date.
Garbage heaped behind this building included a toilet, a couch, an office chair with wheels, three tires and some other chairs.
107 Clemente St.
Owner: City of Holyoke.
Seized for the former owner's nonpayment of taxes. Built around 1900, had eight units and 36 total rooms. Last occupied about 15 years ago.
Demolition schedule: Currently being reviewed by mayor's Problem Property Group.
Przekopowski said the city was proactive with this building by removing back porches and installing fencing.
"There again, you see the pockets in the bricks," said Pond, who also pointed to an unusual sight extending from an upper story.
"Look at the tree growing out of that thing," he said.
163 Sargeant St.
Owner: City of Holyoke
Seized for the former owner's nonpayment of taxes. The former National Guard Armory was owned by the state until 2004, when it was purchased for $27,500 by a business entity operating as 224-224A Washington Street Inc. Ilya M. Shnayder, founder and CEO of Holyoke-based Atlas Property Management, is listed in state records as the Washington Street company's registered agent and president.
The site that became the armory was purchased from the Holyoke Water Power Co. in 1906. the building was completed and dedicated in 1907 as home of "the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia."
Demolition schedule: The city recently awarded a contract to demolish the rear section with plans to preserve the front for redevelopment.
37 Appleton St.
Owner: City of Holyoke
Seized for the former owner's nonpayment of taxes. The former mill, built around 1880, is huge, extending like a ship for 4.3 acres down Canal Street. It housed the Worthington Pump Co. and the American Dream Modular Home manufacturer.
The city is transferring ownership to the Holyoke Redevelopment Authority, with a planned sale to American Environmental Inc., an environmental consultant at 18 North Canal St., Holyoke.
278-280 Pine St.
Owner: Hampshire Pine Street Trust of Lexington, Thomas E. Sheedy, trustee.
Built around 1935 with 21 units and total of 75 rooms. Vacant for about 20 years. Basically four walls and some roof with much of interior of floors and stairways collapsed.
Demolition schedule: The city plans to use CDBG money with the goal of a takedown by late summer or early fall.
"What you have is basically four walls. Everything has collapsed into the basement," Pond said.
28 Cabot St.
Owner: City of Holyoke.
Seized for owner's nonpayment of taxes. Multifamily property built around 1900 with six units and 24 total rooms.
Demolition schedule: No specific date.
Behind the building, Przekopowski pointed to two areas that looked lived in.
"You talk about squatters, you can see a squatter (place), right up there behind that wood, and then there, right under there," he said.
"Too bad," Pond said.
117 Essex St.
Owner: Kais Akremi of East Elmhurst, New York.
Built about 1900 with nine units and 33 total rooms. Also set to be part of the HAPHousing Library Commons project.
160 Middle Water St.
Owner: City of Holyoke
Seized for owner's nonpayment of taxes. Warehouse built around 1880, covers 1.4 acres stretching back to the Connecticut River. Near railroad tracks and first-level canal.
Demolition schedule: No specific date.
A series of gaps, each big enough for someone to fall in, have opened on the side of this abandoned warehouse where the foundation has become separated from the building, exposing a drop to the foundation floor.
"It's in an area where there's nothing around, so it's remote. And we also had reports that kids were playing around it," Pond said.
