Saving house could be win-win

I am writing to request that St. John’s Lutheran Church work with Historic Salisbury Foundation to retain the historic Marsh-Ward House at its site at 125 N. Fulton St. The house needs to be retained for two reasons.

First, it should be kept in order to maintain the streetscape. When a building like this is removed, whether through demolition or relocation, the resulting hole is like a missing tooth – conspicuous by its absence. The continuity that exists along North Fulton Street is held together by its remaining historic structures. Each one that is lost will exponentially accelerate the entire street’s decline.

Second, keeping the house on site is the greenest option. It will save the church tens of thousands of dollars in demolition and abatement costs and it will keep hundreds of tons of material out of the local landfill.

During my stint in the N.C. preservation office, I saw scores of instances in which churches had the opportunity to work in concert with other organizations to serve the common good of the community. The most effective churches are those that accomplish God’s work in such inclusive ways and those whose ministry, however broad, necessarily involves such stewardship.

As a preservationist, as a Lutheran and seminarian, as someone who grew up at St. John’s, and as a supporter of Historic Salisbury Foundation, I believe this can easily be a win-win for everybody, an excellent opportunity to work in fellowship toward a positive end.

Historic Salisbury Foundation is the organization with the expertise to take on the burdens of ownership and maintenance, and St. John’s can further extend its unbroken good will in the community. With so much today that further divides us, it would be a shame for something so easily solved to become one of them.

— Rob Crawford

Lexington