City engineer says 'Nickel Building' at 86 East Main will be demolished after inspectors find it unsafe

Hayden Lindsey, Frostburg’s city engineer and acting city administrator, told the Historic District Commission on May 12, 2025, that the building known locally as the Nickel Building at 86 East Main Street is structurally unsafe and the city and the building owners are planning demolition with a goal of clearing the site by July 4, 2025.

Lindsey said multiple recent inspections and on-site measurements showed severe structural failure — including a primary carrying beam that has rotted and floor-joist deflections measured in inches — and concluded the building is too unstable to remain standing. He said the city is coordinating with the owners and a contractor, will erect screening immediately after demolition is underway, and hopes to preserve salvageable architectural elements for incorporation into a parklet or an artistic masonry screening wall on the Main Street edge of the lot.

Lindsey described the core structural issues in detail. He said the primary carrying beam under the first floor is nominally 14 inches high by 12 inches wide and spans roughly 26 feet but has rotted away in places; in one location the beam remaining measures only about 2 inches in height. Interior floor-joist deflection was reported at about 19 inches in a photographed area; exterior face deflection along the eastern elevation was reported at about 9½ inches. Based on those conditions, Lindsey said continuing to leave the building standing would be unsafe.

Lindsey said the owners have been working with the city and a demolition contractor, and the owner has expressed interest in salvaging notable features — including hand-cut foundation stones, façade bricks, fleur-de-lis ornamentation, and stained-glass windows — for reuse in a frontage parklet or screening wall. Lindsey said the owners will be given a short window to reclaim items they wish to retain; items not claimed will be evaluated for re-incorporation into public-facing elements. The owners also will deed approximately the first 12 feet of the property along Main Street to the city for the proposed parklet; the rear portion of the lot will remain under owner control, Lindsey said.

On cost and prior work, Lindsey said replacing the primary structural members with new steel and performing a full structural rehabilitation would be financially large: he reported an estimated full-rehab number stated at the meeting (quoted in discussion) and described the owners as having invested “in the neighborhood of $300,000” already. Lindsey said the building sold in 2019 for $40,000 through a bid process and that the owners now face a substantial loss; he added that owners estimated they could be “in the hole close to $500,000” on the project.

Lindsey outlined the demolition approach: much of the top floor will be taken down by hand to reduce immediate risk to public sidewalks and neighboring structures, then the contractor will enter from the rear to remove material; debris that can be used as fill will be used to level the foundation footprint, while wood, metal and other refuse will be removed to landfill at the owner’s expense. To protect public safety, the city plans to close the sidewalk on the building frontage and detour pedestrians; if necessary, the city and State Highway officials have agreed to more extensive closures or night work to manage traffic during demolition.

Commissioners and public commenters asked about long-term use of the lot. Lindsey said the mayor and council discussed options including a screened parking area with a city-owned parklet at the Main Street edge; no final plan exists and the owners currently have no definite long-term plan for the rear portion of the lot. Lindsey said staff will present a demolition contract to the mayor and council for formal approval before demolition proceeds and that the goal remains to have the lot screened and Main Street open for the city’s Derby Day events.

Commissioners did not take a formal action during the Historic District Commission meeting; the presentation served as notice and a request for input on salvage and screening ideas. Lindsey invited members of the public and commission to forward suggestions and said he is available by email or phone to discuss salvage priorities and coordination.