Fall River Historical Commission on the Bank Street Armory: Don’t Sell!

A special meeting of the Fall River Historical Commission was held Thursday evening after City Council member Linda Pereira asked the committee to give a recommendation on the potential sale and proposed development of the Bank Street Armory property.

Members of the commission had a walk through of the property this week and presented a slide show of photos (see below) taken of the interior and exterior of the building, showing signs of decay and disrepair. The building has been vacant for close to 8 years and the building has no heat or running water, a factor that members believe has contributed to the decay of the building.

Only one proposal is on the table for the property, with Main Street Property LLC proposing a purchase of the building for $200k to develop 37 market rate apartments. The city council tabled their decision on the RFP several meetings ago, and with the absence of councilors Pelletier and Laliberte at this week’s city council meeting, the item was not lifted for discussion.

Many members of the historical commission felt the city should take immediate action to make repairs to the building to stop it from deteriorating further. Member Connie Soule stated there are currently open windows and the city needs to secure those quickly to prevent more exposure to the elements.

Member Richard Mancini suggested the building be transferred to a different board within the city that can try to secure grant funding to make repairs to the Armory that would buy the city more time to make a decision on whether or not to sell the property.

After an hour long discussion, the commission unanimously agreed that the city should not move forward with the sale of the Bank Street Armory.

A vote was taken to write a letter of recommendation to the city council to pause on the sale of the property. The vote was unanimous.