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From: Todd Hollritt thollritt AT yahoo DOT com
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2010 19:34:36 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Opponents to rally against leveling East Stroudsburg landmark (Today!)
"East_Stroudsburg.jpg" - image/pjpeg, 998x504 (24bit)

Opponents to rally against leveling East Stroudsburg landmark

By Beth Brelje
Pocono Record Writer
July 17, 2010
Citizens opposed to razing the landmark Dansbury Depot will meet at two events Sunday.
Brian Fairfield, whose grandfather Daniel Brodhead was a founder of East Stroudsburg, will host a meeting starting at noon at Miller Park, the grassy area directly behind the train station. Fairfield hopes likeminded people will attend with ideas for how to save the station.
Another meeting will be hosted by a group called Save Our Station at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Gem and Keystone restaurant in Shawnee-on-Delaware. It is being organized by Smithfield Supervisor Christine Griffin and other interested parties. Anyone wishing to discuss the fate of the depot may attend.
The meeting will be a time to express opinions and also to discuss the possibility of getting a court injunction to halt the demolition, local train enthusiast Doug Searles said.
The Dansbury Depot in East Stroudsburg is on the National Register of Historic Places. Fire gutted a portion of the building on Oct. 26, 2009.
The building has remained open and susceptible to adverse weather conditions, further deteriorating the structure.
Permits have been issued to demolish the station, which was built in 1864.
Developer Troy Nauman has inquired about parking possibilities for a ground floor restaurant with apartments above at the site of the Civil War-era station.
County Commissioner Suzanne McCool has written a letter to East Stroudsburg officials suggesting the borough buy the property and allow a citizens committee to raise funds to save it.
"It is the last most significant piece of important historical architecture in the Boro of East Stroudsburg. And it was the most beautiful building on Crystal Street and probably in your entire Boro. How can you allow this?" wrote McCool.
McCool said she plans to demonstrate right along with others who wish to preserve the building and "will stand in front of the wrecking ball with them. Please stop this poor decision right now. You will have no beauty left in your Boro if you allow this beautiful historical building be destroyed!"
More than 60 phone and e-mail inquiries about the Dansbury Depot have flowed into the Monroe County Historical Association.
"The general tone is people are very upset this iconic structure will be torn down. They want to know what they can do," said Amy Leiser, executive director of the association.
The answer is "not much." The depot is privately owned by restaurateur Peter Andrews. National Register of Historic Places is more of an honorary designation unless the building is in a historic district where preserving might be required.
"People don't like to hear there is nothing they can do," Leiser said.
Leiser said the train station is known not only in East Stroudsburg but throughout the county.


Todd ~




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