WestportNow Teardown of the Day: 32 Whitney Street

6 thoughts on “WestportNow Teardown of the Day: 32 Whitney Street”

1. There goes another piece of our history.  WestportNow’s pro forma sentence at the end of these kind of captions (“Because the home is more than 60 years old, it is on the agenda…of the Historic District Commission.”) should add “which will grant its approval.” Just asking: When has the Commission not granted a permit?

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2. it can be hoped this home can be saved but for those “in the know” the knowledge of the many contibutions to the good and welfare contributed to our Town by the Rosenaus” will not be forgotten… check in with the Westport Historical Society and Woody’s definative Westport History; for the “sizzle” give me a call!:

   ron malone

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3. Good point.  The HDC stinks.  It protects nothing that comes up for review – no teardown I have ever seen on this website anyway.

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4. Jim,
   I would encourage you to learn more about the laws under which the HDC operate before criticizing this committed and hardworking group of volunteers.  They are a great group of volunteers who do an amazing job under the existing legal structure.  They are one of the most, if not most, active Historic District Commissions in the state.  Judging them by what you read on westportnow is unfair and shortsighted.  If you haven’t done so already,  you should stop by an HDC meeting to see them in action.

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5. The HDC actually does all it can do and are genuinely earnest in their attempts to stem the tide of teardowns. They simply don’t have the power to stop the demolition of an antique or historic structure.  They can only delay the inevitable.

   I wish we would institutue some tax incentives and other means to encourage contractors to preserve these houses and stop destroying Westport’s history and heritage.  Unfortunately, our culture is such that most buyers have no interest in antique and vintage homes anymore because they don’t meet the “needs” of today’s families and lifestyles.  And the contractors simply go along with what sells.

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6. I would John, if only to comprehend why the hard work of this “most active Historic District Commission in the state” has mostly gone for naught, as the evidence suggests.  I have no doubt that the HDC is well-intentioned, and that its individual members deserve praise for their time and committment, but their influence seems so much more narrowly circumscribed than other HDCs throughout New England, in spite of the laws under which they operate – I DO read and investigate, and something is definitely amiss in Westport.

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