[MassHistPres] DUDLEY - Last chance - Federal-era house going, going, gone...?

[Michele P. Barker]

Hello, everyone,

 

It looks as though the end is near for the Priest Williams House at 69
Dudley-Oxford Road in Dudley. This circa 1780 Federal-style house was the
residence of Abiel "Priest" Williams, who was a minister in Dudley for 32
years. According to the 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 the present owners
purchased it in October 2009 for $40,000. The new owners applied for a
demolition permit, triggering Dudley's demolition delay ordinance. The
Historical Commission invoked a 12-month demolition delay in November 2009. 

 

Since then, Dudley's Historical Commission has been working tirelessly to
find solutions for the Williams House before the clock runs out.
Preservation Massachusetts listed it as one of the state's Most Endangered
Resources this past fall, in the hopes that the publicity might attract a
new owner. The listing did bring the house to the attention of a potential
buyer interested in relocating the building, but unfortunately, the cost of
the project exceeded his budget, and there doesn't seem to be another
rescuer on the horizon. 

 

The demolition delay expired three months ago. The owners are willing to
sell the house for $1 to anyone who will relocate it, but unless a white-hat
rescuer appears on the scene, it looks as though the Williams House will be
gone as soon as the weather permits.

 

I did a walk-through of the house a little more than a year ago with
Historical Commissioners Ed Bazinet and Michael Braniff. The house looks
remarkably sound, despite years of neglect. Much of the original interior
trim remains intact. Even some of the original 12-over-12 windows have
survived. 

 

If there are any last-minute rescuers out there, please contact Ed Bazinet
or Michael Braniff of the Dudley Historical Commission at 508-949-8004. 

            

Go to http://tinyurl.com/2fx633l to read a Worcester Telegram-Gazette
article about the house.

 

Find more photos of the Priest Williams House on Preservation Massachusetts'
Flickr site -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/preservationmass/sets/72157622883966173/

 

 

Thanks!

 

Michele

 

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

 

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