Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Boning the Journal Times

A citizen group named "Save Our Station", led by local architect James Chambers, has won a temporary injunction which prevents the Racine Journal Times from razing Fire Station #5. The Journal Times owns the station and would like to tear it down. There will be a hearing on the matter on November 8th.

The name of Chambers group says it all. "Save Our Station" suggests that they own it, or that the public owns it. They don't and we don't. The city sold the building to the Journal Times many years ago.

But that is not fair, according to Chambers. "It's been an unfair process so far...I just feel in every bone of my body, as do others like me, it's totally inappropriate measure to make a parking lot out of a beautiful site and a beautiful building like this."

Obviously Chambers' bones don't like the idea of private ownership and property rights. It would be far more fair and appropriate, apparently, to be assured that Chambers' bones feel good before a property can be modified.

But maybe Chambers does believe in private ownership. According to the Journal Times article, Chambers said that developers were interested in buying and renovating the building into a "thriving business." Great, let them make an offer that the Journal Times can't refuse.

But don't use our courts to bone the Journal Times.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

At least they finally figured out who owned the building. The city sold it over 30 years ago and the group has been asking the city to save it.

Anonymous said...

it was torn down last friday.

Anonymous said...

it was torn down last friday.