Carver Nursery Under Renovations

The Carver Nursery building has taken on a new hue.

Passers-by Tuesday might have noticed the former yellow siding has been stripped to reveal the original, black tar paper underneath.

Building owner Bill Cromley told Patch that he has been talking to potential purchasers of the building but they were all wary of the original asbestos siding, so Cromley decided to remove it.

The building this year became the talk of the town when an agreement to preserve the building expired.

• See: Historic African-American Building on Path to Demolition

Gormley Environmental stripped the siding Tuesday morning between about 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. at a cost of $7,100 to Cromley, he said. By 12:30 p.m., Gormley workers had finished up and could be seen playing a basketball game in the building's adjacent court.

Cromley said for now the tar paper exterior will remain. The purchaser will have a say in covering it with a new material—perhaps hardy plank—as aluminum or vinyl is not appropriate for the building located in Old Town's Parker-Gray historic district, he said. Renovation plans must go before the city's Board of Architectural Review.

Before removing the siding, Cromley said he met with Planning and Zoning Director Faroll Hamer to assure her that the renovations did not indicate that the building was about to be demolished.

• See: Carver Owner Cromley: 'I Am a Preservationist'

Hamer sent an email April 8 to City Council on the matter.

"Bill indicated that potential buyers were concerned about the danger of asbestos," she wrote. "Although the asbestos is inert in its present form he believes that this material is jeopardizing his ability to sell the property, whether for adaptive reuse or new construction. This minor activity should not be seen as a sign that the building is going to be demolished. As you know, the settlement agreement expired in February 2013, so the building is permitted to be demolished at this time."

Cromley told Patch that the Gormley Environmental, which specializes in asbestos removal, covered the structure with plastic and had a real-time air quality monitor who took air quality measurements at regular intervals to ensure the safety of the procedure.

Meanwhile, a group of preservationists who are adamantly against razing the building have had meetings, but have not yet raised funding for the building's preservation efforts, they told Patch.

"If it's going to be saved, it's going to be saved by me," Cromley said.

• See: Alexandria Council Adopts Carver Nursery Building Resolution

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