[MassHistPres] demo by neglect

[Alisa Struthers]

 Richard, Over here in Townsend we had a semi similar case however the barn had not deteriorated to the extent of the barn you mention. The contractor in our case applied to the Districts commission ( after being reported to our building commissioner) to demo the barn, however we ruled that if the barn was taken down a new barn had to be built. The contractor repaired the barn. Have you contacted your building department as they would be the enforcing entity and would probably be the one to deem the barn as a public safety hazard. Never the less  in my opinion any movement on restoring or restoration of the buildings would certainly fall to your approval. I will say that Jen Doherty may have better insight on this. Happy to be of any helpAlisaChairmanTownsend Historic Districts Commission

    On Monday, January 9, 2023 at 07:56:22 AM EST, Richard McGrath <mastermasonmcgrath at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 Dear preservation Friends. The town of Lunenburg has a wonderful mid 18th century saltbox and barn. A developer bought the property and wanted to tear down the property and build a new house along with other new houses on the acreage. The Lunenburg Historic Commission told him that it would probably go to the 18 month demo delay during which he needed to attempt to sell the house and barn or move it. He quickly found a buyer and sold it allowing him to go forward with the rest of his project. He said that he had sold it to someone who wanted to restore the buildings and live there. Four years later the property hasn't been touched and no one has lived there and no one has been seen there by concerned neighbors.. A smaller 4 foot wide hole in the barn roof has developed to a state where the whole roof has now collapsed and the barn is destabilized and in danger of collapse. We only have a p.o. box address for the owner who has not responded to our letters. We think that the developer sold the property to a relative to get by the demo delay bylaw. We don't know what to do to save this property and are seeking ideas.Thank you for any help.Regards,Richard McGrath, Chair Lunenburg Historical Commission_______________________________________________
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