[MassHistPres] 1857 House in Historic District Slated for Demolition

[Tristram Metcalfe 3]

Susan,

If you get a local architect to do a REAL evaluation I bet it will be  
clearly safe but for minor issues.

In my 38 year career I have seen too many inspectors condemn  
structures that are clearly safe as appeasement to an owner wanting  
to demo it for any reason as long as something structural appears  
deteriorating. They take the safest path of demo vs saving for  
liability reasons only to the benefit of their doubt.

Historic dams suffer this as well with help from fishermen.

Tris Metcalfe

On Dec 3, 2009, at 10:43 AM, Suzanne W Pelton wrote:

> I hope someone has a last minute effort to suggest for this  
> unexpected development:
>
> A month ago the Lenox HDC denied a permit for demolition for an  
> 1857 house in the Historic District and we breathed a sign of  
> relief. Now, all of a sudden today, chairs of the HDC and HC were  
> advised of a "workshop" (off-camera, no minutes) the Select Board  
> held last night before their regularly scheduled meeting, to  
> "discuss" the house. The owner refuses to make repairs. An  
> independent engineer reported the house was unsafe and it has been  
> boarded up. Now the building inspector says the house must be  
> demolished--probably within 24 hours. I've been given til a brief  
> respite to see if there is anything we are missing to prevent its  
> demolition. Lenox does not have a Minimum Maintenance Ordinance or  
> a Demolition Delay Bylaw but it seems we're also not to be given  
> any time to see if anyone would like to dismantle or move the house.
>
> When I asked how it was unsafe, I was told no one could live in it.  
> Agreed but that's not the issue, I said. When I asked if it was in  
> danger of falling on anyone, all I got was "it's unsafe."
>
> Any ideas you can give us will be most welcome.
>
> Suzanne Pelton
> Lenox Historical Commission
>
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