Photograph by Paul Myers
Marc Benson stands above one of the closed-off areas at Benson's Antiques in the Village. Benson's family's business will vacate their deteriorating building at the end of February.
Benson's Antiques to leave building
Owners are looking for a new Village site
By Oakley Brooks
When Marsha Benson moved her antique business to 14521 Big Basin Way 10 years ago, she thought the building's crooked stairs and concave floor were half charming. Built around 1895, the small house once sheltered the Grover family, and it was rumored to have two ghosts in the basement.
But late last month the eroding building lost its appeal altogether for the Benson family.
Marsha's mother, Lillian, who often staffs the store, called city officials and complained that she could no longer stand the house's leaky roof and mildewed basement floor. And she couldn't walk on the wavy stairs and floor.
Anticipating that they might find some safety problems in the building, officials warned the Bensons that they might have to move. But the antique dealers told the city to send inspectors anyway.
"You can love a building just so far; when it becomes dangerous that's it," Marsha Benson said. "I was even starting to feel dizzy walking around."
Soon, the Bensons will indeed be out of their once-beloved building.
On Jan. 25, the city's building department ordered the Bensons to move out of the basement portion of the building within two days. The department also ordered landowner Joe Long to fix the leaks, unstable floors and dry-rot in the downstairs area.
And the Saratoga Fire District required him to cover some exposed wiring and ceiling space in the basement.
In order to evaluate and fix the house, Long says he needs it empty. He's worked out an agreement with the antiques dealers to move them out by the end of February.
The city has not condemned the building; if Long can figure out how to make the required repairs it could be occupied by a new tenant.
Despite its age, the house is also not on the city's inventory of historic places, so remodeling plans would not be subject to a more extensive review process required for buildings that are on the inventory.
However, Long's building is on an abnormally small lot that will make repairs difficult and may preclude any expansion.
And he says the building may be beyond repair.
"I haven't been able to find a contractor willing to fix the roof," Long says.
The structure of the building, he says, will not support the required complete replacement of the roof.
The building is also without a foundation; the basement floor is currently plywood sitting on dirt, a set-up that has led to the constant dampness and mildew in the house's downstairs.
Marsha Benson says her lease with Long required him to maintain the outside of the building, and the Bensons to repair the inside.
She doesn't hold anything against Long for not fixing some of the exterior problems--she assumed they were beyond repair or that Long believed the repairs were a waste of money, because of the building's age and state.
"I don't blame him," says Marsha Benson, who rented the space for $1,200 a month, well below market value rents for Big Basin Way--now in the $3.50-per-square-foot range.
The Bensons will hold a moving sale toward the end of February; they've already put most of their goods from the basement area in storage.
And they are looking to stay in the Village and continue dealing antiques.
"After all these years, I don't want to close down," says Marsha Benson.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
