New Hope for Derelict Ruins on 8th and Seneca?

The remains of the Alfaretta, on 8th and Seneca. Photo by HBO.

In 2004, a permit was filed to demolish the building at 802 Seneca. Kitty-corner from Town Hall, the apartment complex known as both Park Seneca and, originally and then again later, the Alfaretta, was finally set to be leveled in 2006. And while it's still (partially) standing, changes may be on the way.

The brick apartment complex, which sat adjacent to the fire-damaged Jenison Hotel, had fallen into great disrepair, and had been purchased by a developer who'd hoped to put a new high-rise condominium, called the Seneca Towers, on the space.

And then the economy happened.

The wrecking ball still came through, mostly destroying the building--the keyword being mostly--but no builders ever showed up. In fact, the building and its neighbor, which back up to Freeway Park, never saw any construction after they were torn down or mostly torn down in 2008. The properties were foreclosed on last year, and have been owned by the bank and up for sale ever since.

The back of the Alfaretta and Jensonia buildings, as seen from Freeway Park. Image by Julie Hanavan Olsen.

At the time of the demolition, onlookers and nostalgics lamented the loss of a historic building in the face of progress, while others--who had actually lived in the slowly-declining structure--congratulated the developers on ending an era of a poorly-managed residence, and attempting to bring something new to the mostly-stagnate neighborhood.

But nothing new came. And for the last 3 years, the derelict remains of the Alfaretta, a turn-of-the-century brownstone, have lingered. Fenced off, wheatpasted, and covered in litter, the two plots sit vacant and hauntingly empty, the 22-story condo plan abandoned.

Last week, however, a new Environmental Impact Survey bulletin appeared on the chain link that surrounds the building--however, the City has apparently been too busy to update it and add it to their online database.

It's another condo building--this one possibly more than 30 stories tall, which is much taller than anything else in the surrounding area--which involves an underground parking structure. There are no dates filled in on the bulletin, so it's hard to say when the review process will actually begin.

It's time to finally put the Alfaretta out of its misery. While the ruins that remain are certainly fun to photograph and speculate about, they're not helping populate the neighborhood, and they're not making it any safer. Say what you will about giant condominiums, but if they put people to work and make use of valuable land, maybe it's time to start moving forward again.