New Berlin village officials hope to have a condemned downtown brick building removed this summer, village Clerk Diann Davisson said Wednesday.
The late 19th-century building was condemned by Chenango County Code Enforcement officials in January of 2008 and has stood dormant ever since, roped off to keep pedestrians and motorists safe from falling bricks.
The village has applied for a Restore New York grant to pay for engineering and other costs associated with removing the building for the village's shopping district, said Davisson.
The village is seeking about $160,000, she said.
Before the building comes down, its removal will likely have to be approved by the State Historic Preservation Office, as the structure lies within the New Berlin Historic District, she noted.
Davisson said that former Mayor Carol Riley and Mayor Wade Schrag have worked hard to make sure the building, considered an eyesore in its present condition, is either fixed up or torn down.
Over the decades, the building has housed businesses on its first floor and tenants in apartments upstairs. The lone casualty of the flood that struck New Berlin in 1905 was found in the basement of this building at the foot of West Hill, according to Barbara Avery, village historian.
Through the years, it has housed a restaurant, a dentist's office, Dyke's Drug Store and Donna Frech's School of Dance, among other businesses.
Most recently, it was home to the second-hand shop Trash and Treasure.
The building is owned by Kenneth George of Morris, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Davisson said George has agreed to turn the building over to the village if the state grant is approved.
``I would hope we'd hear by August, or before,'' she said.
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