Editorial: Protect 'our' properties
Most people may not realize the jeopardy certain local buildings of significance could be in at the moment. The bankruptcy proceedings that put Rosemary and Lookaway Halls into the hands of a bank put both of those properties on the market in a way that could easily prove detrimental to North Augusta.
Many assume status on the National Register of Historic Places will save those homes. Not necessarily so, suggest local officials. Without other restrictions, it is conceivable that someone could come in and raze the homes and build something less endearing than the homes that have become the symbol of North Augusta.
As a result, planning commissioners are working toward a way to ensure the properties remain the icons they have become. While the bank that holds the mortgage has a reputation for being sensitive to such issues, officials there are in the business of divesting themselves of such properties as quickly as possible and will ultimately do what's best for the bank's patrons and investors, not what's necessarily best for North Augusta.
The Planning Commission and City Council are to be commended for their efforts to ensure the continuation of these historically significant properties. We've already lost Seven Gables to fire; we don't want Rosemary or Lookaway to give way to a fast food chain or a drug store.
