Tear down an old Lexington building for new apartments? Not without a fight.

The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation intends to appeal a plan commission voteto allow demolition of a former state office building for new apartments at the corner of High and Upper Streets.

The Urban County Planning Commission voted Thursday that a demolition permit may be issued for the 1956 two-story building at 120 West High Street. The building was a former employment office and has had other uses.

The Webb Companies plan to build 36 units of one- and two-bedroom apartments at the site. Plans call for a rooftop garden and deck.

“We do not have any comment at this time,” said Nick Nicholson, attorney for the Webb Co., when asked for a response Tuesday.

The office building is in the Historic South Hill Neighborhood, which is in a historic district. That means its demolition had to be approved by the Board of Architectural Review.

That board voted 3-1 to approve demolition but limited the height of the new apartment building to four stories. The Webb Co. had proposed five stories.

The planning commission and The Residences of South Hill LLC were served with notices of the appeal filed last week in Fayette Circuit Court.

The State Historic Preservation Office has said the building contributed to the significance of the historic district.

At the time the notice of appeal was filed, the planning commission had not yet rendered its written findings. But the appeal will be supplemented once those findings were made available, the notice said.

A date has not been scheduled for the appeal to be considered in Judge John Reynolds court.