[MassHistPres] Circa 1800 Federal-style house and circa 1850 Greek Revival in Dudley in need of rescue!

[Michele P. Barker]

Hello, everyone,

I'd like to alert you to two houses in Dudley that are under threat. I'm
hoping that someone on this listserv might know someone who'd be interested
in them.

The Priest Williams House at 69 Dudley-Oxford Road use was the residence of
Abiel "Priest" Williams, who was a minister in Dudley for 32 years.
According to the Dudley Historical Commission, this wood-frame house was
"once one of the most magnificent dwellings in Federalist Dudley." The home
had been vacant and neglected for nearly a decade before a couple purchased
it last October for $40,000. The new owners applied for a demolition permit,
triggering Dudley's demolition delay ordinance. The delay will expire this
November.
 
The Dudley Historical Commission has tried to persuade the owners to sell to
someone who would restore the house on its original site, but the owners do
not seem interested in finding another site. They appear to be content to
wait out the demo delay. They are, however, willing to sell the house for $1
to anyone willing to move the building.  
 
The same dilemma faces a mid-19th-century Greek Revival house owned by
Nichols College at 132 Center Road. The College has expressed a willingness
to sell the house for $1 to anyone who will relocate it. In addition, the
school has offered to pay up to $15,000 to assist with the costs of moving
the building.
 
The Dudley Historical Commission has been working hard to find new owners
for both houses, but could use some help in spreading the word. If anyone
out there knows of someone who might be interested in either property,
please contact Ed Bazinet of the Dudley Historical Commission 508-943-5509
or  pondstage at charter.net.
            
Go to http://tinyurl.com/2fx633l to read a Worcester Telegram & Gazette
article about the two houses
 
Photos of the Priest Williams House are on Preservation Massachusetts'
Flickr site -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/preservationmass/sets/72157622883966173/

Thanks!

Michele P. Barker

Circuit Rider
617-999-3256
mpbarker at preservationmass.org
Preservation Massachusetts
www.preservationmass.org
The Massachusetts Circuit Rider Program is a partnership of Preservation
Massachusetts and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Northeast
Office.
National Trust for Historic Preservation
www.preservationnation.org