In a unanimous decision, the Fort Myers Historic Preservation Commission voted to require Alessio Development to restore the Richards Building in downtown Fort Myers to its original brick facade on Thursday.
The developer must “in the gentlest manner possible” remove the white paint applied earlier this year, which community advocates consider a victory for historic preservation.
"I think that was a good decision," said Gina Sabiston, chairwoman of the Fort Myers Historic Preservation Commission. "This building may or may not come before us again for this item or a different item—you never know what's going to happen. But overall, I'm happy with the decision."
The controversy began in March when workers started painting the century-old building along Hendry Street. The commission says the work was done without proper approvals. Although the commission issued a stop-work order, Alessio Development continued painting.
“Today was about following the code of ordinances and what's appropriate for our historic districts. And how do we preserve our historic district,” Sabiston said. “So I would just encourage our entire community to don't let that passion die."
The developer, however, defended its actions, arguing that completing the job was necessary to maintain consistency in the paint application and noting that the white paint matches other downtown buildings.
“I think there should definitely be some repercussions for that. But I am happy with the outcome,” Fort Myers resident Michael Bushatz said during the meeting. Bushatz has also worked in masonry for decades.
Now, there are growing concerns about how the white paint will be safely removed without damaging the historic brick.
"You can't just power wash brick," said Bushatz. "The brick has individual pores in it, and some of them run pretty deep. Then you have what's called salt rot happen, and then you just have a damaged building."
Representatives for Alessio said they plan to appeal the commission’s decision.