LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Preservationists are pushing back on demolition plans for a downtown church complex, arguing that city officials need an independent review of the historic buildings damaged by fire last fall.

A Metro inspector visited the former St. Paul's German Evangelical Church on East Broadway this week, found it in "unsafe" and "unstable" condition and ordered the emergency work, records show. The owner, Medical Center Hotel LLC, has applied for a wrecking permit, according to Metro Codes and Regulations.

But a group of advocates that includes the Louisville Historical League and Neighborhood Planning & Preservation is calling for emergency action to stabilize the structures – not their imminent razing.

"Let's work together to save this building from tragedy," said Buechel Train Depot owner Sadie Iovenko, who spoke at a press conference at the site Friday morning. "Once done, this destruction cannot be stopped, and it cannot be replaced."

Demolition opponents contend that the property — labeled a Louisville landmark in 1996 — has protections that require a review and assessment before being torn down. They also are calling for a structural analysis by an "uninvolved third party."

Iovenko said the historical league is willing to pay for a new review.

Under Metro ordinances, demolishing a landmark structure typically triggers a review before work can start. But that’s not the case with the church buildings at 213 and 219 E. Broadway, Metro Codes department spokeswoman Emily Martin said Friday.

"When a property is declared an emergency, it bypasses the requirement to appear before the Historic Landmarks and Preservation Districts Commission," she said in a statement. "If the permit is approved, the property continues to be considered an emergency due to public safety concerns."

In a separate statement, Martin said the city will be "making every effort to preserve the historic elements."

Attorney David Tandy, a former Metro Council member who represents the owners, told WDRB News Thursday that the scope of the demolition isn’t yet clear. But an email from Codes Department director Richard Price to a group of preservationists on Tuesday said: "The demo is for 213 and 219.  That is the entire structures."

Price wrote in a separate email, also obtained by WDRB, that city officials want to preserve the church’s façade and tower.

"We are more than willing to engage in discussions about potential options and work together to achieve a positive outcome," he said.

Tandy declined to share the owners’ structural analysis done after the fire. Metro government has not yet responded to WDRB’s open records request for a similar report it commissioned.

KY Medical Center Hotel LLC announced plans in 2020 to build an $80 million, 11-story development with hotel rooms and extended stay apartments for workers at nearby hospitals and medical offices.

That hasn’t happened. In the meantime, the company compiled thousands of dollars in property maintenance fines, which Tandy said now have been settled.

Tandy said the owners still plan to redevelop the site. He claimed the group has been "engaged" with city officials since the fire last October.

The church, an example of Gothic Revival architecture, was built in 1906 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Among those attending Friday’s press conference was Greg Sekula, southern regional director for the Indiana Landmarks preservation group. He called St. Paul’s part of the legacy of one of Louisville’s "premier streets" of the 19th century.

"This block in particular still exudes that kind of grand character that this street portrayed in this community," he said. "So to think about losing these buildings just will further erode the character and the potential for revitalization along this important thoroughfare in Louisville."

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