BHFD demolishes former restaurant with storied past

From left, the Bedford Hills firehouse and 352 Bedford Road as they appeared in 2023. (GOOGLE MAPS) Demolition of 352 Bedford Road as it was taking place on Feb. 24. (BHFD PHOTO) All that remains of 352 Bedford Road following demolition.THANE GRAUEL PHOTO

By JEFF MORRIS

The historic building at 352 Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, once home to Kicho Japanese restaurant, has been demolished.

Owned by the Bedford Hills Fire District since 2022 and next door to the Bedford Hills firehouse, the structure had “significantly deteriorated” and was no longer considered safe, according to a Facebook post by BHFD on Feb. 24, when demolition took place.

According to Bedford town historian, John Stockbridge, the building had received a Tier 2 designation from the Historic Building Preservation Commission, which oversees the protection and preservation of “certain properties that possess distinctive elements of the town’s historical, archaeological, architectural or cultural past” that are outside of the locally designated historic districts.

Tier 2 properties allow all actions as-of-right, exclusive of demolition activities, which require an administrative permit from the town’s director of planning. Only Tier 1 buildings require preservation commission approval for demolition or significant alteration. 

Stockbridge said the building had been occupied by several different restaurants and had received significant alterations and additions since its time as home to the Adams family. Part of the history of the residence was its connection to a man killed in a notorious 19th century crime. In 1896, the owner, Walker B. Adams, who was also the postmaster and town clerk, was shot and killed as four men attempted to rob his general store, which was adjacent to the railroad tracks. His son, William, shot two of the burglars and was then shot in the back as one of the injured men returned fire. William survived. 

In announcing the demolition, BHFD said the structure “was removed only after the approvals were provided by the Town of Bedford” and that the decision to proceed with demolition “was made with thoughtful consideration, prioritizing public safety and the long-term needs of our community.” The Recorder reached out for confirmation of when a demolition permit was issued, but did not receive a response in time for this story.

Though plans are still in development, “the District intends to utilize the site in the future to further enhance and expand the delivery of exceptional emergency services to the residents of Bedford Hills,” said the BFHD announcement.

The building had most recently been used by BHFD for storage. In 2024, the Town Board passed a resolution supporting action by the state legislature to grant BHFD retroactive tax-exempt status for the property. The resolution noted that BHFD purchased the property on July 19, 2022, “for Fire Department purposes such as storage and other related activities” but that when an application for tax-exempt status was filed in 2022, it was denied, “because the application deadline for the 2022-2023 year was March 1, 2022.” Though the tax assessor granted an exemption beginning with the April 2024 county/town taxes and going forward, action by the state was required to grant retroactive reimbursement of town, county, fire, and school district taxes paid between the time of purchase and when the exemption was granted.