SHELBURNE FALLS — Most people living in Shelburne Falls have been watching the stone wall being constructed outside the former Sweetheart Restaurant with a mix of interest and hope that the iconic building is at last on its way to restoration and re-use.
Although the owner hasn’t yet announced his plans for the building, the Board of Selectmen were notified that Sweetheart Realty LLC will seek a tax break for the capital improvements under way for the 102-year-old building. And it appears the historic building may go from its former designation as a tea house to a brew pub.
Attorney Kevin Parsons of Shelburne notified the Board of Selectmen this week that Sweetheart Realty LLC is interested in pursuing a tax incentive through the state’s Economic Development Incentive Program.
The building was purchased by the group earlier this year, with Joseph S. Rae signing the mortgage as a Sweetheart Realty LLC member.
Rae has previously declined to speak with The Recorder about plans for the Sweetheart, and Parsons said this week his client isn’t ready to comment until his plans are more definite.
But Parsons’ letter to selectmen says that Sweetheart Realty “intends to have at least two businesses in this significant historic building. Specifically, my client intends to have a restaurant/banquet facility on the first floor, a brewery and brew pub in the basement area, and yet-to-be determined plans for the third floor. At this point, my client anticipates this will create at least 10 to 15 full-time jobs and many more part-time positions.”
Parsons goes on to say the building is unoccupied and is gutted to the stud walls. He said the exterior improvements to be made will include the addition of a large parking area to the south, stone walls and walkways, which are already under construction, and other improvements to the property’s appearance.
“At some point over the coming months, my client will finalize his plans for the interior renovations and develop a hopeful timeline for completion,” Parsons said in his letter. He said the project could take at least 18 months.
The purpose of the letter, he said, was to advise the town of the interest to pursue a real estate tax break at a later date. “Although we are not requesting action by the board at this time to move anything forward for town meeting approval, we hope you will support the application once final plans are developed, and a more definitive anticipated finish date is obtained.”
The building is 10,000 square feet and it comes with three acres, including the parking area across the road, on South Maple Street. The building and its old-fashioned “Historic Sweetheart Restaurant” sign is regarded as a gateway to the village.
The group bought the building for $220,000 from the estate of Mauricia Alvarez, who had purchased the building in 2014 and died about eight months afterward.
The Sweetheart began as a roadside stop when the then-new Mohawk Trail highway was built as one of the first scenic highways in the country. To sell her local maple sugar products, Alice Brown poured her maple sugar into heart-shaped molds and named the candy “Maple Sweethearts.” The maple hearts went on sale in 1916, as a roadside treat, but seating and more foods were added to the menu of what became the Sweetheart Tea House. The building grew in size as its popularity grew, reaching its peak in the 1930s.
After hearing opinions at May’s annual town meeting that the selectmen had been too hasty — and possibly too generous — in negotiating a tax break agreement with a woodworking business, the board voted to put any such requests on hold for the next 90 days, so that selectmen can review how other towns handle tax breaks and set up a policy for applicants to follow.
At annual town meeting, Finance Committee member John Payne had remarked that the Finance Committee should have reviewed an agreement negotiated between selectmen and Shelburne Woodshop LLC, which was represented by Parsons. Selectmen replied that the application had come before them late, and they rushed to get in onto the annual town meeting warrant.
The town has also supported three tax break agreements over the past two decades: one was for an earlier plan to renovate the Sweetheart building; one was for Ashfield Stone and the third was for the Greenfield Co-operative Bank, which was built on Bridge Street after a 2007 fire.