Ascension House Demolition Appealed

An historic preservation group has appealed the City's decision to grant a demolition permit for the historic Ascension House at 202 S. Summit Ave., the Gazette reports.

Church of the Ascension wants to demolish the structure and create a parking lot on the land.

But Michele Rosenfeld, an attorney representing Montgomery Preservation Inc., has appealed the Historic District Commission's decision to issue the demolition permit.

A board of appeals meeting is tentatively set for May 12, the Gazette reports.

"My clients have no choice but to file an appeal of the HAWP (Historic Area Work Permit) today simply to preserve our rights to move forward," Rosenfeld wrote. "Let me be clear that we will appeal out of a necessity of timing – pursuit of this appeal is not our goal at this time. We would much prefer to resolve these issues among the parties."