NORTHVILLE, Mich. – A debate is raging in Northville over whether or not the 341 East Main building should be torn down or preserved.
"The building has a very long history in Northville," said Kathy Bilger, of the Northville Historical Society. "It goes back quite a ways -- over 150 years."
Bilger said the building served multiple functions over the years.
"In the year 1932, Henry Ford loaned it to the community as a building to be used for the American Legion and American Red Cross," Bilger said.
Now, the fate of the building will be determined Wednesday in a public meeting. The property's owner, Guido Bono Building Company is hoping for approval to tear down the building.
"It's saddening and it's horrifying that we could lose this to a group of condos that you can put up anywhere," Bilger said.
The owner originally planned to restore the property, but now believes the structure isn't in good enough condition to repair. An employee with the company told Local 4 they would "like to make downtown Northville a better place with the tear-down."
"I think Northville's a superb place right now," said Leanie Bayly, executive director of the Northville Historical Society.
Bayly said 341 East Main is too significant for demolition.
"It's important not only from an aesthetic view, but a historical view," Bayly said.
In her mind, there should be a compromise.
"There's a way we can all work together, but once you destroy and ruin a historical structure, it's gone forever," Bayly said. "There's no replacing it."