Fate of Franceschi House a City Priority

For supporters of the historic and dilapidated Franceschi House, “The goal now is to convince the city that preserving [it] is a much better, and much more affordable, option than demolishing it,” according to the Pearl Chase Society, the abandoned home’s most powerful advocate. The issue will find itself before City Council as a “very high priority for the beginning of 2016,” said Jill Zachary, the new director of the Parks & Recreation Department. “The task is daunting, no matter what we do.” Complicating the discussion is the hillside home site’s stability, drainage, and access along narrow streets in a vocal neighborhood. The Society’s online petition supporting preservation recently passed 1,100 signatures, and it remains the custodian of more than $100,000 in private, earmarked donations.