Ambler Borough. Photo by James Short.
The current discussion centers on moving the building to a different space, but issues of funding, relocation and liability have surfaced.
More than half of last week’s Ambler Borough Committee Meeting revolved around saving a piece of Ambler’s history — The Freight House — as SEPTA plans to demolish the historical structure this summer.
Carol Kalos, president of the Wissahickon Valley Historical Society (WVHS), spoke at the session regarding the planned demolition of the building.
“[WVHS] works to preserve the borough’s old buildings,” said Kalos. “As a result of Ambler’s historic architecture, it is a town that is in demand. You may not realize that one of Ambler’s oldest and most valuable structures is the Freight House.”
The Freight House is located alongside what is the present-day La Provence, and the former Bussinger Model Train store, a trio of structures referred to as the “old train station.” While the La Provence and Model Train store were built in 1889, the Freight House predates its companions as it was established in 1855 and later moved to its current location.
Despite its name, Kalos said that the structure was used as a passengers’ depot.
“It is narrow like a passenger station, not a freight building,” she said during her presentation to council. “Unlike a freight building, it has many windows, and its roof has long eaves to protect passengers waiting for a train. To add to its beauty, under its eaves are decorative, carved rafters and brackets, examples of Victorian-era stick architecture, and it is built from the area’s original timbers cut by hand. Handheld tools have left their marks.”
The Freight House isn’t the first to be potentially rescued by the WVHS.
“Decades ago, our historical society saved La Provence with a $50,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation,” said Kalos.
The society is currently undergoing efforts to save the Freight House in a similar manner. However, the preservation of this structure comes with one major change: To do so, it will require far more than a restoration.
“I’m here to ask Ambler to assist us in saving the Freight House,” said Kalos. “That means moving it.”
Kalos specifically asked the borough to consider allowing the Freight House, once loaded onto a flatbed trailer, to be permitted to “park” in the lot across the street. The lot is presently owned by the borough, as leased by the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority. Kalos said an estimated six spaces would be taken up of the 30 located in the lot.
In 2020, SEPTA first notified the historical society that it intended to demolish the building. Because the Freight House is eligible for historic status, SEPTA was required to offer the historical society mitigation.
“In October of 2023, we were waiting to hear from them about the mitigation,” said Kalos. However, the next update the members heard wasn’t about mitigation at all, but instead that the building was scheduled to be demolished.
“Due to public outcry, including 1,200 signatures in just a few days, the demolition was postponed,” she said. “Now we have until Aug. 1 to move the building or it will be destroyed. SEPTA wants to repair that culvert.”
In addition to planned repairs to the Tannery Run Culvert, Borough Solicitor Joe Bresnan said that SETPA had also noted that the building was in terrible repair, and there were fears it would fall onto the tracks. Kalos said that “pulling it back to plumb” and “squaring it off” would be parts of the moving process. The society had a quote from Wolfe House and Building Movers that the move would cost an estimated $30,000.
The historical society’s request to “park” the building for two years in the borough lot came with many questions. Kalos said that the two-year timeframe would be needed to raise funds and apply for grants to help save the structure.
Council members asked if the lease in place would permit such a thing, and who would own the building while it sat in the lot? Many worried about the liability or insurance of the structure, not to mention who might be held accountable should any injuries, vandalism, or accidents occur.
Kalos said plans would include fencing around the building while it stayed on the flatbed. The society also hopes to have insurance put in place prior to any move. She said the society had reached out to a number of locations or organizations that may be able to help preserve the building but said there “is not much vacant land in Ambler, and we have not found another spot for it.”
Kalos said that SEPTA did not want it on their property.
“We’ve talked to them, and they don’t want anything to do with it,” she said. “They don’t see it for its historic value. They see a wood box, and they don’t want to maintain it.”
Council asked if the area businesses had been approached about this potential two-year “resident,” to which Kalos said they had not yet asked. Of particular note, council worried that Harry’s and The Pizza Box may have difficulties as the spaces are often full, even at night.
Among the many concerns was also a basic question, to which no one yet had a solidified answer: who would own the building while it sat on its flatbed?
“This would also speak to the liability and insurance issue, while it sat in that lot,” said Bresnan.
Kalos said more time was needed to find out the answers, even as the clock continues to “tick” toward Aug. 1. WVHS has already raised $8,000 in order to have a preliminary engineering study done, a step necessary both to see if the building could survive the move, but also a requirement before applying for grants.
Council Vice President Haley Welch noted that there were too many unanswered questions for the borough to proceed.
“If [the Freight House] goes into the name of the historical society, and financials are such for insurance purposes, and if someone gets injured, they’re not going to go after the historical society,” Welch said. “They will go after the borough, the one with the deepest pockets. We need to be sure the borough is protected.”
Kalos agreed, noting the historical society “has no pockets.”
The borough suggested that Kalos and the society go back to both SEPTA to see if a possible parking of the unit on its lots would be feasible, noting that the area of the present-day Ambler Farmers’ Market might even make it a great place for fundraising visibility. They also asked the society to return with details on the county’s lease, who would “own” the structure during this full process, and how it would officially be insured.
The borough solicitor said he would also work to be sure that, should there be an approval for any move, the borough would be protected from any liability.
No decision was made in Tuesday’s meeting allowing for the parking lot’s use, as the council opted to table finalizing a plan until more details could be reported back to the committee.
