Wawa Backs Off Plans To Replace 1869 Store
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Dec. 9, 2008
Guthriesville's general store, a restaurant that closed several years ago, will not be razed for a Wawa gas station.
Credit: National Trust for Historic Preservation
A Pennsylvania town at a crossroads, both literally and figuratively, has won a temporary victory.
Last week, the Wawa convenience store chain announced that it had withdrawn plans to demolish the Guthriesville General Store, which has stood at East Brandywine Township's central intersection since 1869.
When Wawa first revealed its intention to tear down the Guthriesville General Store in 2000, residents responded with widespread protests: Signs about the general store appeared in many lawns in the village of 5,800.
An Eight-Year Struggle
The National Trust for Historic Preservation's Northeast Field Office and Law Department were among the many consultants in the Section 106 review process that is required before the demolition of any building eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, when an Army Corps permit or other federal action is required for the project, as was the case in Guthriesville.
"It is through the National Trust's work with national corporations such as CVS, Walgreen's, and Starbucks that I reach out to you and request the opportunity to work with Wawa and community leaders to seek a solution that satisfies Wawa's business objectives and avoids irrevocable damage to the character and integrity of this historic town," wrote Peter Brink, the National Trust's senior vice president of programs, to Wawa CEO Howard Stoeckel in a letter dated January 15, 2008.
Preservation groups and environmental organizations got involved because of a section 106 process required before the demolition of the building, eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and located near wetlands. Together, the groups urged Wawa to consider rehabilitating or reusing the Guthriesville General Store.
That led to a June 2008 programmatic agreement between Wawa and the township granting a 75-day period for Guthriesville to find another owner. Though the store was offered for just $10, no interested parties came forward, perhaps because of Wawa's stipulation that prospective buyers have a $1.3 million line of credit.
Wawa's decision to withdraw its plans for the 1.4-acre site surprised locals. But Michael Gill, the attorney representing Wawa, explained in a Dec. 2 letter to the township's board of supervisors that "Certain permits and approvals that Wawa obtained (or would in the future obtain) would be subject to lengthy and costly legal challenges."
This does not mean that preservation of the store is ensured. Current owner Claudio DiGiamberardino retains a valid demolition permit that does not expire until next month.
"It's a temporary win," says Mindy Crawford, executive director of Preservation Pennsylvania, which placed the general store on its annual endangered list in 2006. "We still have a long way to go to make sure the building is still there."
Crawford says locals saved the structure because of their passion for a building that has long been an anchor in the township. "It has always been there, and suddenly, people thought about what it would be like not to have it anymore."
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Comments
Submitted by Good Grief at: January 9, 2009
Now we're stuck with a hazardous building that nobody wants to spend their money fixing up. I'm praying for lightning to hit it so we can get on with demolishing the rest of those dangerous buildings to the left of it. Now where did I put my rain dance hat?
Submitted by Anonymous at: December 19, 2008
Certainly looks like a charming place.