During public comment at its meeting last week, Lansdale Borough Council fielded a comment about another trace of the town’s history that has disappeared.
“The Cannon Lofts: I guess they erased the business that was there, years ago,” said resident Rose Chapman. “We’ve obliterated something from the past.”
In 2022 council approved plans for the ‘Cannon Lofts,’ a plan first presented in 2021 to convert the three-story brick building at 501 N. Cannon Avenue into 24 apartment units. The building was built to house the Abram Cox Stove Works, one of the largest employers in the borough in the late 1800s into the early 20th century, which manufactured “novelty stoves,” known for producing high levels of heat for their size. Leases for units within opened in late 2023, and traces of an advertisement for ‘Abram Cox Stove Co’ could still be seen on the exterior wall until local residents spotted the paint had been erased as the bricks were resurfaced in early May.
As recently as November 2023, the code committee has discussed ways to add language protecting historic buildings, and staff has worked with the Lansdale Historical Society to identify a list of commercial properties, that could be put off-limits to development or demolition unless the plan includes preservation of historical or significant elements.
“We fund the historical society with some of our taxes, and I think it’s a shame that (preservation of the advertisement) wasn’t in the agreement for the sale of that property,” Chapman told council.
“I understand a couple years ago, they said they would probably paint that sign, and I just think part of the past has been eliminated, and I think it’s a shame,” she said.
In an interview with North Penn Now, Lansdale Historical Society President Pat Rieker commended the owners of Cannon Lofts for their efforts to preserve one of Lansdale's historic buildings.
"However, it was hard to watch as that same preservation effort erased an iconic symbol of Lansdale's past," she said. "The sign, which was painted on the north wall of the former Abram Cox Stove Foundry more than 120 years ago, was removed in order to update the exterior brick wall of the building."
"It's sad to witness the passing of this piece of Lansdale history," she said.
Rieker said the Lansdale Historical Society continues to work with borough officials to identify historic buildings.
"We encourage the borough's leaders to balance progress with preservation," she said. "We look to a future when our elected leaders have greater authority over exterior changes made to properties of historical significance."
Tony Di Domizio contributed to this report.
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