'Two Hamilton Houses' Get Approval for Rebuilding, Renovation
Florence Morning News - March 12, 2008
By Charles Tomlinson
FLORENCE — The City of Florence Design Review Board has approved plans to revive the home of Hamilton House Antiques, which caught fire last year, as well as the building’s former West Evans Street location.
David Hamilton plans to reconstruct his business to look exactly as it did before the November fire.
He said rebuilding won’t be easy, but he’ll be delighted to see the first person at work on the house’s roof.
The 110-year-old house is the oldest residence on South Dargan Street after the recent demolition of a home on the site of the future Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center, said Florence Urban Planning and Development Manager Phillip Lookadoo.
The board also gave its unanimous approval to renovations at 549 W. Evans St., where Hamilton conducted business for 18 years before relocating in 2000 to the South Dargan Street location.
“Two Hamilton Houses have been approved,” board member Julia Buyck announced at Wednesday’s meeting.
The board previously had approved a certificate of appropriateness that would have allowed the option of demolishing the building after it was sold, but the new owner, Jay Ham, has decided instead to renovate the house.
Ham, a managing partner with H&R Holdings LLC, said he hopes to convert the home into office suites to which he can relocate by July.
The board also voted unanimously Wednesday to deny a request to rezone a house at the corner of West Pine and South McQueen streets.
The request was to change the at 400 W. Pine St. property from a multifamily zoning to a business zoning.
Because the house is in the Timrod Park Residential Overlay District, which has special guidelines, the board would have had to find the rezoning appropriate before the issue could have gone to the Florence County/Municipal Planning Commission, Lookadoo said.
Two people live in the house, which also contains a business, rezoning applicant Gail McLeod told the board.
The business is an “existing nonconforming use” that has remained in place since the area was zoned residential, Lookadoo said.
Board members said they sought to limit commercial encroachment in the Timrod Park district.
Also Wednesday, the board approved plans for renovations at 513 Barnes St., where the city of Florence plans to relocate its Parks and Leisure Services staff members and create new programs for teenagers and senior citizens, said board member Drew Griffin. As Florence’s public works director, Griffin recused himself from voting on the issue because he oversees Florence’s parks and athletics.
The board also could hold a special meeting soon to discuss the location of a new cooling tower at the Florence City-County Complex, which has been served by a temporary system after a malfunction of the old cooling tower, located on the roof of the 11-floor building.