A Place for Women to Build a Stronger Center
Private
Training
and Classes
REGISTER NOW
Classes begin September 13th
VOTED BEST
OF WESTPORT
Painting Company
For all of your painting and wallpapering needs.
Call George now for a free estimate:
203-241-8922
Mention WestportNow and get 10% discount
Rex
Marine Center
Inflatables & Outboards!
Mobile Service Available
Visit our Marine Stores
144 Water Street
South Norwalk
203-831-5236
At Norwalk Cove Marina
50 Calf Pasture Beach Rd
East Norwalk
203-604-1295
Live Better at the Same Address in a Better-Built Home
Learn how modular homes are built
on your property.
Call 203-858-7198
westportmodular.com
Tear Down Specialists!
Now Registering
Fall Creative
Writing Workshops
Next Speaker Event:
How To Write a
Nonfiction Page-Turner
with Eric Burns
September 16th
News, Real Estate, Teardowns
Monday, July 26, 2010
WestportNow Teardown of the Day: 26-28 Church Lane
An application for a permit to demolish the house at 26-28 Church Lane in Westport’s center is in process. Built in circa 1820, the two-story Federal-style house and shed have 1,917 square feet and are situated on a .32-acre property. Known as the John Sherwood Mansion House, it is listed on the town’s Historic Resources Inventory list. According to an official of the Historic District Commission, property records indicate that a third level was removed in 1923. The structure was moved to its current site from a prior location on Post Road. The records documenting the date of the property’s relocation was not available. The application will be reviewed by the Westport Historic District Commission. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Comments: Comment Policy
The old “neglect it and then claim you have no choice but to tear it down due to its deteriorated state” trick . . . . sad. How to stop it from happening - difficult indeed.
Exactly. Just like that beautiful old Federal home on the corner of rte.1 and Cross Street, rotting for years, deliberately.
We keep talking about it - in a few years there won’t be anything left to discuss.
Who owns it and why are they tearing it down?
Does the application for a permit to demolish include what the replacement will be?
Not the first time this has been pulled off successfully- let it rot so it HAS to be demolished-
Who owns this? Isn’t it right in the historic district?
Your tear that house down you pull grand westport history w/it - come on!!
I have been trying to research land records/reval info. this address is not showing up. anyone have info?
According to the assessor’s online database at visionappraisal.com, right now it is owned by an LLC, 26 Church Street LLC.
My error...church lane...sorry..I looked up Church Street. I looked into the home on Church Lane (across the street from the YMCA) a couple years ago and found out that the owner then (maybe now) used to be on the board of the Westport Bank and Trust (years ago)...perhaps this was part of the sale of the (now) Patagonia building? I remember there was a Studebaker car parked in the garage and it was registered to that address.
According to the Vision Appraisal database section of Westport website, 26 Church Lane doesn’t exist - 26 Church St is a ranch built in 1950!!
Is this part of the YMCA sale?
If this is part of the Westport Bank and Trust/Patagonia Bldg. then is it owned by the “ostensible” owner of the Downtown YMCA? but I think it should still show up as a separate entity on the appraisal/reval link. This is an interesting question.
I’m thinking this might be the Red Cross building - 36 Church Lane, Red X LLC on Vision Appraisal and the acres match
Then, could this be a misprinted address for the teardown? Seems unlikely. I guess without taking a look…
In any event, perhaps this is a case for offsetting ownership of historic properties with tax breaks to have maintenance, at least minimally.
The lady at Metro swim shop knows the deets-
If I remember correctly the person who owned it also owned a building on the post road- it was an older man- perhaps he died and David Waldman who is behind the Y purchase snached it up- in any event it’s a beautiful house that should not be aloud to be demolished- but if it is David Waldman he had no quams with ripping down a home w/ serious architectural significance down by the beach to construct his new home.
Ah, so tearing down this historic building, already on register, has been part of the “grand plan” for developing(?) downtown Westport. Well, permitting this kind of thing happen is almost as bad as the act itself.
Why can’t this building be converted to a new use - a shop? a cafe?
Of course, the big what if: what if the Y can’t get funding to build at Mahackeno??? According to Vision Associates the Y building is still in the name of the YMCA!
as I understand it the Y will retain ownership if Mahackeno does not go through- Westport will not be without a Y it will however be without any historic buildings- perhaps we should rename the town Nantucket Style!
Since I’ve worked for the Red Cross for years I can tell you it’s not the Red Cross building. The Red Cross is 36 Church Ln. The numbers on Church Ln are kind of confusing. The Red Cross building was made up of two seperate houses that were moved. It’s actually 34 & 36 Church Ln. One house was the Chapter and the other was the Executive Director’s residence until the 1960s. When it was the Red Cross until 2006 the house next door was owned by a brother and sister who were part of the Sherwood family. I have no idea who owns it now.
Years from now, no matter the arguments about this issue right now - the free market running its course, etc.. - everyone will bemoan the fact that this town was gutted, unchecked, of its historic buildings and whatever charm was still left of it.
Jim Barber, you received my attention with your comment “bemoan, gutted, unchecked”. In your valued opinion is there a solution?
It’s 101 Post Rd East - there are 2 buildings on the lot and this is the one facing onto Church Lane
It is also the one facing the Y with a blue tarp covering the badly neglected roof, protecting the interior before the wrecking ball enacts the demolition posted on the sign in front of the building.
A 1799 building sacrificed on 2010 do “development”. Was this part of the Town Plan?
Next entry: Westporter Frank Deford Talks About New Novel at Library
Previous entry: Still Cleaning Up
-->
talk
about balancing
their work
and motherhood.
Tune in every Monday, 12:30 pm.
Top
Driver,
the nation's premier driving school, is now in Westport at
830 Post Road East
Note: WestportNow Publisher Gordon F. Joseloff is also First Selectman of Westport
