First United Methodist Church's request for a demolition permit for the old Crockery building has been denied.

Planning and Zoning Director Brett Bill said he sent notification to Terry Richardson, chair of the board of trustees for the church, on Friday.

The church wanted to demolish the Crockery building to make room for the loading and unloading of hearses and provide more handicapped parking for church patrons.

The Crockery building, 511 S. Main St., is in Aberdeen's commercial historic district. The National Register of Historic Places lists the district as 1 S. Main St. through 523 S. Main St., Aberdeen.

Bill said the request for a demolition permit was denied for several reasons.

One was a problem with the required case report, Bill said. He said South Dakota Administrative Rules require a case report be submitted to the Office of History.

According to the South Dakota Legislature Administrative Rules Web site, a state entity or a political subdivision of the state is required by law to report possible threats to the historical integrity of a property on the state register.

The threat must be reported by means of a case report.

Bill said Aberdeen city officials required the church to prepare and submit the report. The church submitted the report, but later withdrew it for unknown reasons, Bill said.

The South Dakota State Historical Society received a letter on Dec. 4 requesting that the case report be withdrawn, said Kate Divis, restoration specialist. She said the letter did not give any reasons for the request.

Richardson could not be reached for comment.

Bill said a big reason for denying the permit is the city's comprehensive plan.
The Crockery building is listed as a contributing structure to the downtown historic district, he said.

'The demolition of the structure could jeopardize that distinction for the entire district,' he said.

Allowing the demolition of the building would not be in the best interest of the city's comprehensive plan, he said.

Bill said demolishing the building would violate:

The upkeep and preservation of buildings.

Protecting and enhancing the community gateways and portals. Bill said because the building is so close to the entrance to downtown, demolishing it would defy this section of the comprehensive plan.

A goal of the comprehensive plan says improvements should be made to notable buildings and facilities to further their identify and attract residents and visitors.

Another goal of the plan is to restore and enhance building facades and add other amenities, such as streetscapes.

Officials from the South Dakota State Historical Society have said the city makes the final decision on whether the church will be allowed to demolish the building. The Pierre office will offer comment on the project and whether demolishing the Crockery building will have an adverse effect on the district.

Now that the planning and zoning department has denied the request, the church could appeal. If church officials decide to go that route, the decision to demolish the old Crockery building will go before the Aberdeen City Council.