It may not be possible to save the old American Legion hall in Schoharie after all.
A decision on whether to repair the Legion hall, which is leaning toward Shannon Avenue, probably will not be made until the spring, said Chuck Newman, president of the American Legion Post Home Corporation.
The historic building was deemed unsafe and closed in September.
Legion members were hoping to save the front portion of the building “but it doesn’t look like it,” Mr. Newman said last week.
Legion members have decided to have a demolition contractor take off the brick façade on the side of the building and assess the condition of the building before a decision is made, he said.
“Everything is up in the air,” Mr. Newman said.
“It all depends on the building itself.”
Once the condition is assessed, Legion members will determine the cost for repairs and then make a decision, he added.
The Legion, he said, has to take care of the safety concerns.
Legion members could decide to raise money for the repairs or decide the cost is too much and the front portion of the building taken down, Mr. Newman said.
The brick building, which has housed the Legion for about 30 years, was not built to last more than 100 years, he said.
The building has been leaning for years but the leaning has become more pronounced, village codes officer Joe Nelson said last month. It now leans about seven inches for every 10 feet in elevation.
The building, which housed a restaurant before it became home to the Legion, is not in imminent danger of falling into the street, Mr. Nelson said, but it was not safe to allow someone into the building.
The Legion meetings and bingo nights have been held at the Schoharie fire house since the hall closed in the fall.