Westport officials are reviewing an application to demolish the house at 3 Tupelo Road, which is off of Sturges Highway. The house, which was built in 1958, sold in April 2005 for $860,000. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport officials are considering a demolition applicaton for the house at 6 Barry Lane off Wilton Road near the Newtown Turnpike intersection. The ranch-style house was built in 1958. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport officials are considering a demolition application for 38 Sherwood Drive in the Compo Beach area. The house was built in 1947. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport officials are processing a demolition application for 20 Roseville Road just off Post Road East. The .28-acre property changed hands in September 2005 for $400,000. The three-room house, built in 1924, has 778 square feet of living space, according to town records. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport building officials are reviewing an application to demolish the house at 8 Calumet Road while the excavator waits in the driveway. The house, built in 1940, sold in August for $655,000. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Sunday’s New York Times spotlights the Westport controversy over the battle to save the Paul Rudolph-designed house at 16 Minute Man Hill and cites WestportNow as spreading news of the planned demolition.
Architect Paul Rudolph designed the house at 16 Minute Man Hill, which is slated for demolition. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

“In this stylish town where residents are waging what seems to be an all-out campaign to bolster its colonial image, teardowns are hardly an unusual sight. But many people are horrified that a Modernist home designed by a renowned architect is about to be razed,” the Times said.

“Since a local Web site began spreading that news last month, a debate has erupted about the character of Westport and the future of the house, which is on sought-after Minute Man Hill Road.”

The Times said: “In an interview on the Web site, WestportNow.com, Morley Boyd, the chairman of the Westport Historic District Commission, said: ‘If you’re looking for shock value, it’s hard to beat the loss of this house. There is not much to top it.’ (See WestportNow Dec. 13, 2006)

Architect Paul Rudolph designed the house at 16 Minute Man Hill, which is slated for demolition. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

By Jennifer Connic

Preservationists believe the battle to save the house at 16 Minute Man Hill has been lost because the roof membrane was removed, but the new owner of the Paul Rudolph-designed house said today he was following the rules to obtain a demolition permit.

The house was the WestportNow Teardown of the Day on Nov. 16 and has been the topic of conversation since its publication, and some have tried to preserve the house.

The Historic District Commission, however, does not have jurisdiction over the house because its age is not at least 60 years old, said Morley Boyd, commission chairman. Private residents such as architect Michael Glynn have been working with commission members in attempts to preserve the house.

“I’m afraid we have been defeated,” Glynn said. “(The new owner) is determined to destroy it. He removed the roof membrane and today’s rain is going into the house.”

The Flood and Erosion Control Board approved the demolition of the house at 144 Roseville Road, but further commissions and Westport officials need to review the application before a demolition permit is issued. The house was built in 1947. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport officials are considering a demolition application for the house at 8 Sprucewood Lane. The property changed hands last month for $1,175,000. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The house at 56 Easton Road in Westport’s Coleytown area was demolished this afternoon. Built in 1954, it was the WestportNow Teardown of the Day on Sept. 8, 2006. It sold in June for $735,000. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com