[MassHistPres] Looking for 18th-19th century house to move and restore

Tue Mar 15 19:06:29 EDT 2011

There were two historic houses threatened in Dudley; I believe the other one still stands.
David MackeyUpton, Mass.

To: jwald at hampshire.edu; MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
From: 73540.46 at compuserve.com
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:06:33 -0400
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Looking for 18th-19th century house to move and	restore

 *sigh* The Worcester Telegram reported this morning that the house in Dudley was demolished yesterday.

Cynthia K. Burr, Executive Director

Millbury Historical Commission

P.O. Box 767, Millbury, MA 01527

-----Original Message-----

From: Jim Wald <jwald at hampshire.edu>

To: jack obrien <semassfurniture at yahoo.com>

Cc: masshistpres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>

Sent: Mon, Mar 14, 2011 4:08 pm

Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Looking for 18th-19th century house to move and restore

    On 14/03/2011 14:17, jack obrien wrote:

My wife and I am still looking for a 18th century or
                19th century house (my wife is partial to Greek Revival,
                but I am more 18th century) that is in need of moving to
                save it from demolition. If anyone knows of one, please
                email details.

Thank you very much,

Jack O'Brien

    We were just discussing this one on the list--and trying to promote
    it via Twitter and other social media. See below.

    Jim Wald

    Amherst Historical Commission

    --- Original Message --------

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

          Date: 
          Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:00:33 -0500

          From: 
          Michele P. Barker <mpbarker at preservationmass.org>

          Reply-To:

          mpbarker at preservationmass.org

          Organization:

          Preservation Massachusetts/National Trust

          To: 
          <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>

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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