Meeting:
City Council on 2018-01-16 6:00 PM
Meeting Time:
January 16, 2018 at 6:00pm CST
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The well maintained historic downtown was a factor in my move to Northfield in 2013. I strongly support the addition of properties, especially the Armory, to the Historic District as proposed by the Heritage Preservation Commission. It is very important that our history is well maintained for future Northfield residents.
I am hoping that the City Council will include the Armory as part of our historic district. To not do so would be a permanent amputation of an important building with a strong Northfield history. We are proud of what has been done for Northfield and its downtown and remember the days when so much good planning was accomplished to make Northfield what it is today. To not permanently include the Armory would be a mistake we might regret.
I am in support of adding the Northfield Armory building to the Historic Downtown District. This century-old cornerstone to Division Street was built for Northfield’s Company D just before WWI and it was later home to a company of the MN Home Guard. It’s been used for community dances, gatherings, and it played host to Rice Co. Fair exhibits in the past. Historically, the Armory has been an integral part of town, not an outsider. To exclude the Armory and to risk the building detracting from the look and feel of neighboring buildings which add to the draw of heritage tourism downtown, would be a grave mistake. Adding the Armory to the historic district and applying guidelines to maintain its status in the district will only strengthen the downtown and make a visible statement to visitors about the pride this community has in its history. The Armory is a gateway into the historic district. Let us make sure that the building reflects our pride well into the future.
I chose to move to Northfield last year in large part because of the town's historic charm. I support the inclusion of the the Armory site in the Historic District. I was, in fact, surprised that it was not already included because it is so close to other protected properties. I would hate to see changes made that would negatively impact the integrity of the downtown area.