There is no doubting the beauty and potential of the Arcade Building. There is also no doubting how close that beauty and potential came to literally going up in smoke.

About a week and a half ago, a two-story building adjacent to the Arcade Building was damaged in a fire. The Arcade Building itself was not damaged due to the quick work of Jamestown firefighters along with help from the Falconer Volunteer Fire Department. The fire was just the latest reminder of the quality of fire protection in southern Chautauqua County.

The fire also serves as a reminder that Jamestown has a long way to go to reverse the decades-long trend of disinvestment in the downtown. The state’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative investment will help, but that plan had nothing for the Arcade Building nor for other downtown buildings that have sat vacant for too long. That sad reality is more a reflection on downtown’s decades of struggles than the quality of the DRI plan. Buildings that were once vibrant centers of activity are now vacant shells waiting for new life.

Gregory Edwards, Gebbie Foundation CEO, told The Post-Journal’s Dennis Phillips that the foundation and Jamestown Renaissance Corp. are hiring an engineering firm to analyze what should be done with the Arcade Building and the former Holmlunds Wallpaper and Paint store. “For far too long we haven’t known and could not formulate a plan,” Edwards said. “(It) has been an interest to us to have this first stage analysis done so we have the means to know what our options are.” The study is a good first step to finally restoring the Arcade Building. That same step should be taken throughout downtown. The AECOM study commissioned by the Gebbie Foundation painted a wonderful picture of Jamestown’s future — but until more is known about the scope of work in underused and vacant buildings downtown, nothing can be done to help owners turn their sad relic into the next piece of Jamestown’s renaissance.