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Order Finding that 242 West 7th Street is a Dangerous Structure Subject to Emergency Demolition under Chapter 45 of the Saint Paul Legislative Code and/or Minnesota Statute, Chapter 436.
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WHEREAS, 242 West 7th Street, also known as the Justus Ramsey House, is a locally designated preservation site, a state designated historic site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and
WHEREAS, in September of 2022, the Justus Ramsey House was identified as having a partial collapse; and
WHEREAS, BKBM Engineers examined the Justus Ramsey House on September 23, 2022, and concluded that “The building is severely damaged and the structural load capacity is gravely compromised throughout. Therefore, the building is judged structurally unstable and represents a “dangerous structure” condition. In our opinion, based on the structural and public safety concerns this building should be immediately demolished under the emergency provisions of the Saint Paul Legislative Code and upon approval by the City.”; and
WHEREAS, at the direction of Planning and Economic Development, the firm of Macdonald & Mack Architects provided a Condition Assessment on October 7, 2022. While that assessment included a recommended shoring sequence, City requests for further information on exactly how the building could be shored have gone unanswered; and
WHEREAS, the Building Official has not been presented with alternative options to preserve the Justus Ramsey House; and
WHEREAS, the Building Official has found that the building continues to show signs of excessive movement, deterioration, and failure; and
WHEREAS, the Building Official has further found that the building is presently in a state of disrepair where additional collapse is imminent; and
WHEREAS, the owner of the property, Moe Sharif, has refused to engage in any way to stabilize the building or to repair it; and
WHEREAS, the Building Official has determined that the Justus Ramsey House presents a public safety issue where additional property can be damaged as well as people being injured and has declared that it be removed under Section 1300 of the 2020 Minnesota Statue Building Code; and
WHEREAS, Saint Paul Legislative Code Section 73.06 subsection (4) addresses the review of permits for sites that are subject to regulation as Historic Preservation Sites; and
WHEREAS, under that section, the required review of a permit to demolish by the heritage preservation commission for a structure that is subject to regulation as a Historic Preservation Site is not applicable if the property is the subject of an administrative order signed by the mayor requiring emergency demolition in accordance with Chapter 45, Legislative Code of the City of St. Paul or Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 463; and
WHEREAS, upon the reports of the engineering firms and the recommendation of the Building Official, I find that the Justus Ramsey House is a dangerous structure that requires emergency demolition in order to protect property and people from harm or damage should the structure collapse; and
Now therefore, I issue this Administrative Order requiring that the owner of the property, Moe Sharif, be directed to immediately abate the Justus Ramsey House upon obtaining the proper demolition permits.