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Medford jewelry store won't leave downtown By GREG STILES Mail Tribune Lawrence's Jewelers has done an about-face. Last month, family members declared repair costs to Lawrence's 112-year-old building at 232 E. Main St. were too great, and the property would be put up for sale. Since then, however, 73-year-old Bob Butler, grandson of founder John F. Lawrence, decided to give his 60 percent ownership of the building to nephews Chuck and Jerry Horton, who had previously bought the business. Before Butler's recent move, the brothers each owned a 20 percent stake in the building. After exploring the cost of moving to another site and determining the building's present value, the Hortons have decided that they'll pursue remodeling that could cost several hundred thousand dollars. Jerry Horton said the critical factor is obtaining the initial permits before the end of March that will stave off potential condemnation proceedings by the city. In early February, the city of Medford declared the storefront edifice at Main and Bartlett streets a dangerous building, fearing that a failing facade might hit pedestrians. Last year, it was discovered that a leaking downspout had caused interior damage upstairs and that there was a 2-inch separation between the facade and structure. Butler spent $26,000 for a steel-supported canopy to keep bricks from falling on the sidewalk. But soon, work should begin on a more permanent solution. "The part that's a public safety matter should've been fixed over a year ago," says Chuck Horton. "I don't know if it's anybody's fault, but because it's such an unusual problem we're going to get that fixed right away." In the long run, Horton says he hopes to remake the building to look something like the former Western Bank across Bartlett Street. "We have some things available to us that seem to make the project a little more plausible than it would've been for our uncle," Horton says. The brothers also have the commitment from their father, Larry Horton, a developer of senior housing. "Batzer Construction got the original bids squared up and ready to go," Horton says. "Right now, we have an engineer going through everything that's been gone over before. We're trying to convince ourselves of what is the best possible approach. "It's best to do it once than have to come back in 10 or 20 years and never really get it done right. It would be nice to have it done and for the building to last for another 100 years. But we've got to determine what we can do." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.