Before Doylestown’s former borough hall can become a “boutique” hotel, restaurant and event space, it has to be torn down. Approval for that demolition was recently given by the town’s Historical and Architectural Review Board.
Demolition of the building now goes to Doylestown Borough Council for a vote expected on May 15.
Local developer and borough resident Larry Thomson hopes to build a 31-room hotel on the downtown property at 57 W. Court St. He bought the site for $2.3 million in 2021, when the borough relocated to its new home on Doyle Street.
The first floor would be a restaurant and include an event space with capacity for 150. A rooftop deck is also proposed. Parking includes 20 underground spaces and approximately 40 more in a lot behind the proposed hotel.
While some residents had thought the building was historic, Thomson’s attorney — Kellie McGowan — gave a presentation at the HARB meeting that explained the building’s history, indicating it had little, if any, historical significance.
The building had first been home to the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1838. That building was destroyed by fire in 1915 and a new structure, that became an auto repair shop, was built. Over time, the building had several uses and at one point it had a second story. The borough bought it in 1979 for its administrative offices and police station in the rear of the property.
A number of HARB members asked if the existing building could accommodate Thomson’s hotel plan, but the developer said the many support columns on the basement level would make his proposal for underground parking impossible.
Although the HARB meeting was focused only on the demolition permit, details on Tompson’s proposed plan were also shared. Several of the more than three dozen residents in the audience expressed concern about parking and traffic, where, they said, the town’s narrow residential streets are already congested.
Others questioned the building’s design. Despite the project’s architect saying the details were drawn from the town’s “factory aesthetic,” some suggested it looked more like a New Orleans hotel than one in Doylestown.
The project will now move to planning and zoning commissions, where residents will have opportunities to review the plans and share their comments. No timeline has yet been established for the demolition, officials said.
In an earlier interview, Thomson said, “Everything I do I try to be sensitive” to the community. “I live here and work here, too,” he added.
He also owns several other key Doylestown properties, including the Lenape Building at the intersection of Main and State streets and McCaffrey’s Simply Fresh market on West State Street, said John Davis, the borough’s manager.
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