Lenox selectmen to look at Verizon building

Lenox selectmen will take up the subject of pushing to have Verizon Communication officials make a commitment to clean up its property including sandblasting the old white paint to restore it to its natural look of red brick. The meeting will be next Wednesday at Lenox Town Hall beginning 7 p.m.

Following publication of the Verizon switch building at 48 Walker St., to gain permission to put a new sign (logo) on the building from the Lenox Historic District Commission, the editor/publisher of The Berkshire Beacon renewed efforts to force Verizon officials to improve its building which looks like an eye-sore in the historic district.

W. David Roche, chairman of the selectmen, agreed that the time is here to seek improvements to the property.

However, he said, he is only one voice and wanted to find out at a regular public meeting what the other four selectmen think.

Kenneth L. Fowler, selectman, told The Berkshire Beacon: “I went over to the Verizon building on Walker Street and did a quick look at the structure as well as the surrounding buildings. I also took a few photos of the building to help keep in mind what I saw.

“I believe the cornerstone date of construction is 1963 which makes the building relatively “modern” in relation to the other buildings nearby.

“I wondered if the building had been painted white in the beginning to try and match it to the two clapboard buildings on either side.

“I would like to see any photos of the building from that era, hopefully, before it was painted.

“In my opinion the white painted brick is stark and unappealing as is the lack of architectural interest overall due to the simplicity of the design.

“There are some concrete fascia embellishments below the windows which add to the aesthetic quality, but they seem “lost” and inconsequential.

“The addition of black faux shutters on either side of the front windows seems also to be an attempt to make the building look less like a brick structure and more like it’s clapboard neighbors.

“I believe the building could look better if it were sandblasted back to the natural brick and there were some plantings that would give the eye some relief from the rectangular severity of its current effect.”

Posted by George C. Jordan III on August 1, 2013. Filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry