The Pythian Building, or the Richards Building, will remain white moving forward. After a back-and-forth appeal hearing, the council approved the new owners’ appeal.
The four-to-three vote, in favor of the building’s owner, the Alessio company, caused some frustration at the hearing on Wednesday.
“Historic preservation will always be under attack,” says Dr. Virginia Harper, a Lee Trust for Historic Preservation member. “People view it as too many rules and regulations.”
Watch to see how the decision was made to keep the building as it:
The owners of the Richards building do NOT have to change the brick color back
Harper was part of a group that wanted to preserve the Richards building and have it returned to its original brick color.
She argued the front facade of the building had never been painted before the Alessio company did it earlier this year.
But the company’s attorney, Daniel Garza, said that’s false.
“I think it’s clear that everyone agreed that building had been painted at some point previously, whether it was the sides, the back or the front.” says Garza.