Snooky's owner wins right to remove cedar shakes
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Snooky's opened in 1993 near the Jefferson Theater.hawes spencer -
The pre-fire facade was a dramatic confection of Renaissance exuberance for a prominent dress shop.hawes spencer
One of the Downtown Mall's more unusual façades may soon change, now that the Board of Architectural Review has, at its November 15 meeting, approved the removal of the expanse of cedar shakes that has long covered the front of Snooky's pawn shop. Current owner/operator Jamie Sacco hopes that a once-festive pink marble front erected in 1932-33 may survive underneath. The building burned in 1949 when serving as Levy's, a dress shop that has since moved to Barracks Road Shopping Center. Sacco found a photograph revealing the 1930s design, which featured exuberant tiles and showcase windows on the now-removed second story– plus a dramatic, neon-lit center opening, which Sacco hopes to restore as an apartment terrace.
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11 comments
Isn't it a shame when the owner of a building has to ask non-elected government officials to change it; not the America it should be. The BAR should be abolished so people can do what they want with their property.
I wonder what BB would have written if someone wanted to build a mosque on that site.
That facade, as ugly as it is, is HISTORIC! How DARE these unelected buffoons allow for a property owner to alter his property!! I DEMAND THAT UGLY FACADES REMAIN ON THE DTM!! The Landmark's hotel thankfully has retained ITS ugly facade.
Thank you, BAR, for that beautiful ugliness, right in the heart of Charlottesville.
Never even noticed it.......wonder how many have.
I've noticed it plenty and it (the cedar shingles) were clearly an abomination of the non-BAR era. I don't know when they went up, but they were there long before it was Snooky's. I believe they went up when it was a toy store, but they could have predated that. I'm not a fan of Mr. Sacco or his business, but this seems like a good change and I hope he gets approved easily.
Brand new to me: that Levy's has been in operation in C'ville since the 30s!
Shingles over fire resistant marble . Couldn't they just burn the shingles off by using a controlled burn ? Have the fire wagon dousing the perimeter down and burn from the top of the shake facade slowly to the bottom.Would be a good training exercise for the fire dept. and facilitate a quick job minimizing disruption to shoppers . If they insist on ripping them off maybe they can sent the shingles up to me in Northern Labrador to burn in my Igloo . It's starting to get cold up here brrrrrrrrr .
frank speaker -you must be a c-ville occupy idiot , to say burn shingles off, it will crack the marble & ruin everything else, they look like the wind will blow them off, if any body would even considered your lame brain idea ! it would be city council.
Sorry .... I was not being serious . Hopefully the project will be a success .
Scrap the shingles and build it already. Pink - Maybe Beck-Cohen can do the work in the fucia trucks.
A compromise using Marbelous Wood permitting the retention of both facades in one is an ideal retrofit . Marbelous Wood is very groovy material .
Did the Board of Architectural Review OK that crappy looking tent at the "so -called" sky bar? It looks awful, kinda like the 2 buildings that look like their about to fall or that "hotel" that will have to be torn down even if a backer comes in to complete it