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When fire gutted his 19th-century building in early January, Brock Rittenhouse told everyone he was most likely going to tear it down, leaving a hole in the downtown Bluffton streetscape.
But he’s thinking differently now, and he worries that a recent order by the Bluffton Fire Department may put the building at 202 W. Market St. in jeopardy.
“The emotion kind of took hold when (the fire) first hit,” Rittenhouse said. “And I kind of accepted the fact that it had to go down. But now I have some information that says it doesn’t have to. I’m anxious to build on.”
The cause of the Jan. 10 fire was attributed to an electric heater. The blaze displaced people from five apartments and destroyed a hair salon.
On Friday, Bluffton fire inspector Christopher Broderick issued an order deeming the building unsafe, and told Rittenhouse, among other requirements, he must seal the building up, demolish or remove all or parts of the damaged building and remove trash and debris.
The matter will be discussed at the next Bluffton Board of Public Works and Safety meeting Feb. 9, and, according to the order, Rittenhouse has 30 days from the date of the hearing to fulfill the requirements of the order.
Rittenhouse said the order came as a surprise and he worries that city leaders want the building demolished.
But Mayor Ted Ellis said the board may not affirm Broderick’s order and could choose to modify the order or rescind it all together.
Calling it one of the most beautiful facades in the city, Ellis said he has talked to structural engineers who say the building could be saved if enough money is spent.
And that’s what Rittenhouse has heard as well.
Structural engineers and other consultants told him that the fire destroyed the roof but left tin ceilings, brickwork and parts of the building salvageable.
“There’s still a lot of gorgeous architecture in the building that can be salvaged,” he said. “If we work something out with the city, we would like to see it be something that can stay another 100, 150 years … and be one of the nicer ones.”
The discovery of asbestos in the building made some of the fire cleanup difficult, but Rittenhouse said that is being cleaned up and he is working to get a permit to put a roof back on the building.
“I want nothing but safety for the community … and preservation for the city,” he said. “That’s why I got into owning the old buildings, to preserve them.”
Rittenhouse was quick to thank the community for its support of the tenants, with donations of food and clothing and new places for the residents to live. “That was my main concern,” he said.
