Walker's Bank Restoration - From Why to How

Last July, after a hike through the back of Rockford Park into Henry Clay Village, I noticed and photographed Walker's Mill and the advanced state of deterioration. Walker's Mill and Walker's Bank, along with Breck's Mill, are central threads to the economic and cultural history of the Brandywine River Valley.

Breck's Mill and Walker's Mill on the Brandywine, 6 January 2018.

In September, I published and distributed a 16-page document, which included historical and recent photographs, historical and personal accounts of WHY Walker's Bank needed to be rescued were made, to the owner and elected and appointed officials. County Councilman Bob Weiner was quick to respond, and soon New Castle County did an on-site inspection and issued a citation and made recommended corrective actions.

Walker's Bank is the last remaining worker's housing on the northern bank of the Brandywine. The successful 1972 Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places described Walker's Bank: ''Walker's Bank has changed little since it was built to house Mill workers in 1813. Rectangular in plan, it measures 44' x 75' and has four homes, although in 1825 there were six... Walker's Bank is the most authentic remaining workers' homes that remains today on the banks of the Brandywine. The long row of houses is unspoiled. These houses in close proximity to the mill on the banks of the flowing water, the source of power, represent a pure early 19th century industrial scene."

The owner - Ashford Capital Management doing business as Walker's Mill Associates - responded by applying for a Demolition Permit in November. This put the issue in front of the New Castle County Historic Review Board (HRB). Importantly, the HRB can delay the issuance of a Demolition Permit for up to nine months to enable alternative uses to be developed, but it can not permanently deny the application.

The first hearing was held on December 19, 2017, where the owner Ted Ashford and his attorney John Tracey explained their reasoning for the current deteriorated condition of Walker's Bank. A Deed Restriction was placed on the property by the previous owner - the Du Pont Company - which prohibited residential development, drilling for wells, and use of subsurface water. With that restriction, the owner felt there was no economically viable way to restore and re-use the property. It's worth stating the same owner did an excellent restoration of Walker's Mill in 2002-2004.

19 December 2017 Historic Review Board Hearing

At the first hearing in December, 24 concerned citizens were present, with many speaking on the record as to why Walker's Bank deserved to be saved. County Councilman Bob Weiner spoke several times in support of the restoration and also to keep the Public Comments open until February 6. By the end of the meeting, Ted Ashford and John Tracey expressed the willingness to work with the public to explore possible restoration/re-use alternatives.

Last week, enabled by the cold snap, I was able to take some close-ups of Walker's Mill, where the roof showed signs of advanced deterioration compared to photographs in the fall.

With a little research and photoshopping, I showed one possible solution - to use a series of tarps to cover the roof as a temporary triage solution, the idea being that even with a delay in the issuance of the Demolition Permit, a heavy snow combined with heavy winds might trigger a collapse of the roof, which could cascade into causing the load-bearing walls to buckle, which in turn might make restoration highly impractical or impossible.

Mock-up showing possible tarping of the roof.

Two local citizens - John Lindtner with Building Preservation Services and Mike Christopher with Bancroft Construction offered their thoughts on a short-term "triage," with Mike offering to get quotes from local roofing experts.

In a very positive breakthrough, on January 10, Ted Ashford's attorney John Tracey had a letter hand-delivered to the Land Use Planning group in New Castle County offering to:

1) Install a tarp barrier to prevent further moisture from entering the building;

2) Place wood or Plexiglas over all openings in windows or doorways to prevent further weather entry; and

3) Remove all loose debris from around the building.

On Thursday January 10, I received a call from Tim Furlong with NBC10 News about a story he wanted to do on Walker's Bank. I deferred to Bob Weiner for camera time, given his deep knowledge of the governmental process and his efforts to save Walker's Bank. The story aired and included the "Breaking News" that the owner had agreed to a stabilization plan to be commenced shortly.

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Saving-Walkers-Row_Philadelphia-468873923.html

A big thanks to Tim Furlong and NBC10 for covering this story. Despite repeated attempts to have the News Journal/Delaware Online cover this story, Tim was the first and only reporter to cover this important story.

County Councilman Rob Weiner wrote that "We can now visualize the dawn of a rebirth of our beloved and iconic Walkers Bank. ... I again publicly thank DuPont Company for its willingness to consider removal of redevelopment restrictions of record, which restrictions currently preclude residential use as part of Walker’s Bank future adaptive re-use. In light of the above, I am confident that the New Castle County Historic Review Board will continue to delay the issuance of the Demolition Permit while a restoration/re-use plan can be developed."

Which brings us to this Tuesday night's Historic Review Board Hearing and where we go from here. After four months of effort by so many, we have moved into the HOW phase of saving Walker's Bank phase. While it is important to build the personal and historical record of Walker's Bank - the WHY - it is important that we all shift into helping the owner develop an economically viable way to restore Walker's Bank for re-use that is supported by the public stakeholders, the Du Pont Company (which retains an easement through the parcel), and is able to obtain all government approvals for such plans.

Reaching the How phase is only possible by the cooperation of Ted Ashford. Whereas the Why phase had elements of people working against each other, we are now in a phase where cooperation is the only path to saving Walker's Bank.

If you want to attend the Historic Review Board's Hearing this Tuesday night, the details are here, including a partial list of people planning on attending or interested in attending.

https://www.facebook.com/events/390568481378324/

I will continue to cover this and other preservation efforts on this page as well as on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/HistoricDelawareAtRisk/