A storied old structure in Greenport has become a hazard, the Greenport Village board said this week.
At their monthly meeting Wednesday, the board voted unanimously to authorize legal action to “remedy the emergency hazardous conditions existing at 135 Third Street,” which was once the location of the Meson Ole restaurant. The building is located near the waterfront and once was a busy eatery.
The restaurant has been closed for months.
Village Administrator Paul Pallas said a number of critical issues must be addressed, including a leaking roof and a fire suppression system with a line that’s frozen and broken. In addition, he said, the village has been unable to verify that the alarm system is working and the “front porch deck is not in good shape”.
“What is the plan of action?” Trustee Mary Bess Phillips asked. “What is the cost to the village and how will it be repaid?”
Pallas said up until this week, village officials have had trouble making contact with anyone to take responsibility for the property. “The owner disappeared,” he said. Last week, village officials located a bank, a “major lien holder who seemed willing” to do the work needed, Pallas said, adding that some of the work had already been done.
While he hadn’t yet had the chance to inspect the work, Pallas added, “My hope is that we won’t have to do any of it ourselves.”
Deputy Mayor George Hubbard said Village Attorney Joe Prokop would “back off” if the work is done. “But at this point we have a three-story wood building with no fire suppression system. The building is a nightmare,” he said.
Phillips said she would have appreciated finding out what was going on sooner, rather than “after the fact. A little notice would be nice. We’re supposed to be protecting village assets.”
The historic structure has a rich past; built in 1894,and owned by F.B. Thornhill and G.P. Salmon it was once the Burr Hotel and was later the Sterlington Hotel, according to the Southold Historical Society.
A passerby took time to admire the building last week. “It’s a beautiful old building,” he said. “It could be a goldmine with the right owner, now that Greenport is undergoing such a transformation.”
