LEWES, Del. — The former chair of the Lewes Historic Preservation & Architectural Review Commission is speaking out after city leaders delayed action on an update to the city's National Register Historic District documentation, arguing the move could put more historic properties at risk of losing their significance.
Kevin Mallinson, who recently resigned as chair of HPARC, said many people who admire Lewes' historic charm may not realize how much has already been lost.
Mallinson believes the city of Lewes has a "willful ignorance" to learning about historic preservation principles.Â
"I think they would be shocked to know that some of the houses as they walk around town say, 'Oh, that's beautiful,'" Mallinson said. "Yes, but it's no longer contributing on the National Register because they added a huge addition to it. They put a garage right on the street or they demolished it. It's no longer there."
According to Mallinson, 61 structures in Lewes have lost their contributing status since the city's historic district documentation was last updated in 1992.
According to Mallinson, 61 structures in Lewes have lost their contributing status since the city's historic district documentation was last updated in 1992.
"When you lose your architecture, you lose the cultural history," Mallinson said. "You lose what's important to telling Lewes people who live there what this town is, what it has been, and why we honor it."
A contributing structure is a building recognized as helping define the historic character of a National Register Historic District. Buildings can lose that status if they are significantly altered, damaged or demolished.
Mallinson said Lewes was nearing completion of a long-awaited update to its National Register documentation when the process was paused by City Manager Ellen McCabe.
"We have not had an update since 1992, 34 years," Mallinson said. "And to date, approximately $103,000 of public funds have been spent to resurvey our buildings and write this report and have it ready to go. And it was a very tight timeline and the city manager put a stop to it."
City Manager Ellen McCabe did not respond to CoastTV's request for comment on this story. However, However, a March 26 email from McCabe to Mallinson states the city intends to move forward with the National Register nomination but not at this time.
In the email, McCabe wrote that city leaders want to ensure the process is completed through a "transparent and thorough process" that includes outreach and education for property owners within the historic district.
According to McCabe, property owners should have an opportunity to review information about their properties, understand what National Register listing entails, discuss potential advantages and disadvantages, and learn more about why the application is being pursued.
"I fully support updating the city's National Registry designation and want to ensure the process is handled thoughtfully, thoroughly, and transparently," McCabe wrote.
Mallinson is skeptical. Weeks after McCabe's email, Mallinson later resigned from HPARC and publicly criticized city leadership's approach to historic preservation during comments made at a May 7 meeting.
"One of my comments that I made was very purposeful, and that is, I found the city administration and city council to be somewhat ignorant of historic preservation principles," Mallinson said. "And to me, that is willful ignorance because there's a wealth of opportunities to learn why Lewes' historic district is so important."
That video was later removed and sparked a firestorm of activity at Lewes City Hall, including an outside firm investigating the video's removal and Lewes City Manager Ellen Lorraine McCabe acknowledging she ordered the video taken down after initially declining to answer questions from CoastTV. McCabe claims the decision was made after discussions involving legal counsel and human resources concerning an employee complaint tied to comments made during the meeting.
Mallinson warned that leaving the historic district documentation outdated could have consequences beyond the city limits.
He said Lewes risks losing credibility with the National Park Service and the Secretary of the Interior if it fails to keep its records current. He also argued that an outdated register could make it easier for additional historic structures to lose their contributing status through redevelopment or neglect.
Requests for comment on this story were sent to Lewes Mayor Amy Marasco and McCabe. No response was received before publication.
