SHELBURNE — They just don’t make buildings like the old Singley’s Furniture store anymore: the floors are on five different levels, the floor joists are spaced too far apart, and if you peek through a third-floor ceiling, there’s a 3-foot gap of air between the walls of what were once separate buildings — united beneath a common roof.
“The Fire Department says a fire would travel right up that separation,” points out Josh Simpson, one of four partners who bought the building at auction in December 2014.
On the second floor, there appear to be at least two narrow, long-vacant apartments, and the third floor is what Simpson calls “a warren of rooms” — about nine crumbling rooms in what appears to have once been a boarding house.
One of the rooms was used as a speak-easy, says Simpson. It even has a cut-out slot in the door, to see who might be standing outside, during Prohibition times.
For the past year, Simpson and co-owners Susan and Jon Stark, doing business as Ancient Glacier LLC, have been walking these floors and the “scary” basement and attics with potential contractors. The most charming of rooms is the upstairs apartment that was cleaned up and used in a scene of “The Judge,” which was filmed here in 2013.
Elsewhere, buckets collect water under leaks, and light shines through some foundation walls.
“You can see the difficulty in renovating,” said Susan Stark, after she and Simpson gave a brief tour of the building.
“Even if we pulled all the plaster and lath out, the frame could look as bad as this,” Simpson added. “Believe me, we tried everything we possibly could (to save the building). We couldn’t get anybody to estimate what it would cost to fix this, because there are so many unknowns.”
This week, Simpson and Stark told the Shelburne selectmen they plan to demolish the old building and replace it, within the same footprint, with a new structure that will house shops on the lowest floors and four handicapped-accessible apartments on the second floor. The new structure is to resemble the old one as much as is possible, but will meet current state building codes.
“Ultimately, we decided we had to take it down. We want to make a building that fits in with the character and the feel of a small New England town,” said Simpson.
The plans for the new, two-story structure are to have a storefront facing Bridge Street and three shops facing out along Deerfield Avenue, the small road that leads to the Glacial Potholes. There will be an elevator in the building, sprinkler systems and energy efficiencies.
Simpson and Stark asked the board if their building project would qualify for a property tax break, which would give them a tax break on the money invested to make improvements.
“We think the building will be a draw down Deerfield (Avenue). We’re hoping we will attract business to this building that will be new businesses, and a great addition to the town. It’s expensive, and we don’t want to build a minimum building,” Simpson told Selectboard Chairman Robert Manners. “We know any help we get from you guys and the town will make this a more attractive building.”
Manners was encouraging about the chances of a tax break.
“You have a very good record within the town,” he told Simpson, an internationally known glass artist who has made many renovations to the Salmon Falls Marketplace** in Buckland. Manners pointed out that such “tax increment financing” agreements have been worked out with other properties, including the rebuilding of the block at 33 Bridge St., after an arson fire destroyed the shops and apartments located in a century-old brick building from the 1890s.
Manners pointed out that the state would have to approve such an agreement, if it is supported by annual town meeting voters.
He said how many jobs would be created as a result of the building would be a factor in the eligibility for a TIF agreement.
Simpson and Stark said they’ve already been contacted by people who would like to have shops in that part of Shelburne Falls, and hope to bring some new businesses into the village.
When asked when the demolition might begin, Simpson said they would like to take down the old building before the summer tourism season; however, they don’t want to take it down before all the plans for building are in place.
“We haven’t chosen a demolition contractor, and we do not want to have an empty lot there for any length of time. We want to take it down and then rebuild immediately,” he said.
**This article was modified from a previous version.