HISTORIC PRESERVATION in Borodino

October 27, 2004, Skaneateles Press

 

By ELIZABETH ROGALIA

 

A highlight of the year for Spafford Area Historical Society members was Preservation Architect Carl Steams’ talk at the Society’s September general meeting. Members and interested citizens gathered at Borodino (Grange) Hall - a grand meeting space for a country town, with soaring ceiling, tall formal windows and curved balcony. Stearns stood in front of the auditorium’s stage where some in attendance once performed as young adults or children in community events.

Stearns’ presentation focused on the architectural significance of Borodino Hall and the restoration process recommended to the society.

Crawford & Steams Preservation Architects is prepared to guide the second phase of renovation as soon as funding is released. Victor Sayko, restoration chair for the society’s board, said, “Using the guidelines of Crawford & Stearns, many thou­sands of volunteer hours have been dedicated to clean-up, painting and other tasks, but the volunteer army has taken the project as far as it can go on volunteer labor. Now funds are needed for several significant repairs and projects.”

Stearns commended the Spafford Area Historical Society for its years of hard work and commitment to bring the building back for community use.

“The Borodino Hall is a wonderful community space, significant architecturally; as a federal style building constructed circa 1835, it one of the oldest buildings in our area and it contains many fine details,” he said. “It would be a shame to lose such a treasure.”

Stearns continued, “Your pending grant of $89,000 from Onondaga County Community Development will make a signifi­cant contribution toward the work needed on this building and make it far more usable for the community. is Why the log-jam with that funding?”

Stearns’ glance turned toward several Spafford Town Board members who attended the meeting.

“I have hope that the town board can work together - especially when the interests of the community are at stake,” said town Councilwoman Joyce Barnett. “Some of the society’s community programs were canceled over the past year because needed repairs were pending, awaiting the town board’s acceptance of that grant. The historical society has guided the grant through some elaborate hurdles at the state and county levels, but the negotiation with the town has been the most complicated and tenuous. Hopefully we will move through those challenges successfully before winter. The building desperately needs a new furnace and is in danger of damage with such an unreliable heat source.”

Stearns congratulated the society on its volunteer-led application to the state Historic Preservation Office for National Historic Register designation. When approved, other sources of funding will open up for the Society’s work on the Borodino Hall. “The Spafford Area Historical Society is trying hard to do all the right things,” Steams said.”

   Barnett said that, “The town is just finalizing purchase of the building to the north of the Grange. Some have advocated for demolish­ing that building or having the fire department burn it. I have repeatedly urged the town board to at least allow an inspection by a preserva­tion architect before agreeing to such an irreversible action. At last spring’s public hearing, we heard an overwhelming plea to consider renovating that building, if possible. It is a simple 19th home, but it is more than 100 years old and its location adjacent to a historic landmark, in the ‘heart’ of our little hamlet makes it even more worthy of investigation. We’ve already torn down a lot of buildings on those corners. We have nothing but parking lots and green spaces on the other three corners. There is a lot of agreement with Mr. Steams’ cautionary statement: ‘Once an old building is destroyed, it is gone forever. It can never be replaced.’ We can never go back, we can only move ahead. And we must do that with intelligence and careful consideration for the benefit of the greater community - whether we are addressing a plan for land use or historic preservation. Both are significant issues now for Spafford.”

A transition is underway in the town of Spafford. We need to work together as a community, gather the facts and make educated decisions. We must plan carefully for the future of our town. Will we wait too long to preserve what is good? Will we act too hastily for convenience? I wonder what future historians will say about our decisions in the early 21st century.

Elizabeth Rogalia is president of the Spafford Area Historical Society. Rogalia plans a series of articles about the changing face of downtown Borodino and the fields and hillsides of Spafford between the lakes. What are the stories of Spafford’s past? Will the town successfully preserve its remaining historical buildings and landmarks?