New owner proposes glass facelift for Midtown Mall
COURTESY | City of Worcester
The Midtown Mall's new glass facade as envisioned by architects.
Photo/Grant Welker
The Midtown Mall's facade today.
The Midtown Mall in downtown Worcester could look vastly different if a proposal by the new owner is approved.
The newly proposed facade would replace the historic building’s current Art Deco exterior with a modern look of glass wrapping up to the roof of the building. The plans were prepared by Gray Architects of Salem and were filed with the city on Sept. 10.
The property owners have filed for a waiver of the city’s demolition-delay ordinance with the Worcester Historical Commission. That filing will be reviewed on Oct. 17. If the waiver is not granted, the work would be put on hold for one year.
Felicio Lana, a Worcester property manager who acquired the two-building mall for $4 million in May, has already put a great amount of work into the property. The new owner of Midtown Mall has spent nearly $200,000 on renovations and repairs to the building, including upgrading the septic system, renovating bathrooms, replacing flooring, hired a cleaning service and a security firm.
In September, the Worcester Redevelopment Authority sent Lana a letter, demanding he appear before the WRA to detail his plans to fix the blighted building. Without an update, the agency was threatening to use eminent domain to take control of the property.
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This design is wholly inadequate. Could be so much better. I would urge the Worcester Redevelopment Authority to push for several more and better designs to review and if not received in a timely way, to exercise eminent domain. This eyesore has lingered in a highly prime location long enough.
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