The Oxford Courthouse Square Historic Preservation Commission approved a request Monday from First Presbyterian Church to demolish a warehouse that has been the home to several businesses, including the iconic Two Stick restaurant.

With little discussion, the commission approved the demolition request and the church’s plan to landscape the lot once the building is removed. It’s located at 302 S. 11^th Street.

The building, built in 1930, is currently owned by the church and used as a warehouse; however, the structure has seen better days and is in poor condition.

The church plans on demolishing the building and putting landscaping on the lot until when/if the church decides to rebuild or sell the property. The proposed landscaping plan indicates the existing parking, which would remain in place, as well as sod on the existing building site with plants around the newly grassed area.

According to city code, when something is demolished in a historic district, the owner must either present new building plans or landscaping plans when asking for the demolition, so that lots don’t sit empty and bare.

In the city’s Code of Ordinances, commissioners are required to consider certain criteria when considering any application for the demolition of a landmark or a resource within a preservation district:

• The commission shall consider the individual, architectural, cultural, and/or historical significance of the resource.
• The Commission shall consider the importance or contribution of the resource to the architectural character of the district.
• The Commission shall consider the importance or contribution of the resource to neighboring property values.
• The Commission shall consider the difficulty or impossibility of reproducing such a resource because of its texture, design, material, or detail.