Demolition began this month on an Amity Township landmark.
The former Benjamin Franklin Inn on Route 422 East in Amity Township is being leveled to make way for commercial development, Troy Bingaman, township manager, said Thursday.
The once-popular restaurant, 824 Benjamin Franklin Highway, latterly operated as Nepa’s Trattoria and La Casa Musso before closing in about 2014.
Vacant and neglected for nearly a decade, the two-story stone structure was inspected and deemed unsafe, Bingaman said.
The floors were so rotted, he said, there was a concern of collapse should anyone enter the building legally or illegally.
The property changed hands several times since closing as a restaurant, according to county online property records.
The current owner, Limekiln Holdings 12 LLC, bought the 2.9-acre property in July last year.
Bingaman said the owner obtained the proper demolition permits and has submitted a concept design for a new building proposed for the site.
The mixed-use commercial project is permitted by zoning with some conditions, he said.
A conditional use hearing before the township supervisors is scheduled for Feb. 15.
Bingaman said the owner will submit more definitive plans after receiving direction at the hearing.
Local historian George M. Meiser IX, who photographed the aged building last year, said its east-facing gable had an 1809 datestone.
Two trailer loads of building materials, including old beams, joists and floorboards were salvaged and donated by the owner to the Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County.
Brad Kissam, president of the Trust, said some of the material will be used in the restoration of the George Douglass house at Old Morlatton Village, Douglassville. The historic village is owned and maintained by the trust.
The remaining materials will be stored for use in future projects, Kissam said.
The former private residence was restored and converted to an inn in January 1977 by then-owner Russ Hermann, according to a full-page advertisement in the September 10, 1977, Pottstown Mercury.
Source: Berkshire mont
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