By Mark Micheli
The large hole in downtown Malden created by the demolition of the Malden Teen Center four years ago could be replaced with a 7-story building with retail on the first floor and about 60 residential condominiums above that. But first, the city and the developer have to decide the fate of a historic building next door.
The historic M. Ida Converse building at 15 Ferry Street will likely be demolished if the city is unable to move it to another location. And that’s because the developer, Alpha Business Center LLC, has permission to demolish it to make way for its plans to construct a large building over that lot, as well as the lot next door at 1 Salem Street.
Even if the historic building is demolished or moved, the developer would still need special permits from the city to carry out its building plans on the prominent downtown corner of Ferry, Salem and Main Streets, according to Ward 4 City Councilor Ryan O’Malley.
High School Site Eyed For Historic Building
A subcommittee of the City Council decided on Tuesday, Oct. 29, to investigate the possibility of moving the building across the street to the side of the high school, just north of the CVS. The first step was instructing the city’s engineering department to call DigSafe to see if there are any underground utility lines on the high school site that would prevent the move there. The committee also said it would notify the school committee and the high school principal about their plans to call DigSafe.
O’Malley, who wants to save the building, admitted this is still a long shot.
“This proposal is a Hail Mary (pass),” O’Malley said at Tuesday’s meeting, explaining that financing is still uncertain for the move and that at least two other locations were discussed before being dismissed.
Alpha Business LLC, received a demolition permit to tear down the building but the demolition was delayed for more than a year by the Malden Historical Commission so that a solution to save the building could be found. During that time the developer spent about $100,000 to $150,000 investigating moving the building to a grassy lot on the other side of the high school on the corner of Salem and Holden streets, according to Roberto L. Di Marco, the attorney for the developer.
But that location was rejected after the Malden Community Preservation Committee refused to support the move because it didn’t like the idea of taking away open space and was also worried the building may not be able to survive traveling that far.
‘No Deal on the Table’ Yet
Di Marco told city councilors at the meeting that his client still would like to give the building to the city and work with it to find a new location. He added that the developer may agree to fund some of the relocation cost but not all of it. City Councilor-at-Large Craig Spadafora was not impressed.
“I will not support a dime of taxpayer’s money (being spent on this). Your client’s financial condition is not my residents’ (financial) problem,” Spadafora said.
Subcommittee chairman City Councilor Carey MacDonald interrupted a lively discussion about this between Spadafora and Di Marco by saying there is no deal on the table tonight, putting an end to their verbal sparring.
Di Marco said the move to the Salem and Holden Street side of the high school was estimated to cost $800K: $300K for the actual move and $500K for site work and preparation. He said moving it across the street may save some money (most notably some of the $300K estimate for just moving the building) but not any money regarding site work and preparation.
It’s not known if the Community Preservation Committee would support or help fund a move there. The Committee wrote a letter to the City Council and the mayor in January, saying it would support moving the building to the parking lot next door but it’s unlikely city officials would support eliminating parking spaces downtown, according to subcommittee chairman City Councilor Carey McDonald.
A walk through that parking lot that extends from Ferry Street to Main Street showed that at least 10 parking spaces would be lost if the building was moved there.
Building’s Historical Significance
In its letter, the CPC wrote: “15 Ferry St. and its ties to the Converse family are integral to the Strong History of Malden. Moving the 15 Ferry St. building to the lot next door would provide a convenient location near downtown to maximize its potential for use and it would lower the moving costs. To lose this building to demolition when there is a viable option and funding available to save it would be a travesty, especially when there is City-owned land right next door to its current location.”
If the city ends up saving the building by taking ownership and moving it, it’s not certain how it
would be used.
The historic building is one of three buildings still standing in the city connected to the family of the first mayor of Malden, Elisha S. Converse. In 1906 it was the site of the Malden Industrial Aid Society which was created years earlier to help employees of his rubber shoe factory who were put out of work after a fire in 1875.
“The purpose of the association was to find employment for men and women who were willing to work and to provide temporary financial and material relief to families in need,” according to a historical narrative of the building filed with the Massachusetts Historical Commission. The Industrial Aid Society also ran a daycare center for children of employees.
Some Condos Will Be Designated “Affordable Housing” for First-time Homebuyers
More than 15 percent of the condominiums would be set aside as “affordable housing” units for first-time homebuyers, according to Di Marco. He noted that the city requires at least 15 percent be “affordable housing” units but his client intends to designate more.
As of Monday, Nov. 4, DigSafe had not been called. O’Malley said he plans to notify the school superintendent and high school principal before calling DigSafe which should happen soon. Once DigSafe is called, utility companies usually respond within three days to mark up the area showing where utility lines are buried, according to City Engineer Yem Lip.
Alpha Business Center LLC purchased 1 Salem St. on Sept. 1, 2017, for $2,550,000 and 15 Ferry St. on Nov. 7, 2018, for $1.5 million, according to Malden Assessors records. The Malden Teen Center building was torn down in 2020 after it was determined to be unsafe. Alpha Business Center LLC is managed by Youngcheng Wang of Cambridge, according to business filings with the Mass. Secretary of State’s office.
Former State Rep. Christopher Fallon once co-owned 15 Ferry Street and had his law office there.
Mark Micheli is a Malden resident. His work appears as part of a collaborative partnership between the “Community News Reporting” class he teaches at Emerson College and the Neighborhood View editorial staff. Emerson College journalism student Maria Membreno contributed to this report.
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