An interesting read-6 reasons to keep old

[nhguy]

I remember talking to a builder friend about our old colonial house that we sold in 2006. We were talking about what it would cost to replace it as it stood. Meaning, replacing it with split lathe, plaster hand planed wood work and so on. His comment was between $1.5 and 2 million to redo it as is. The lady that bought the place paid a fraction of that, but you get the idea. Old houses have an a value that is hard if not impossible to reproduce today.

[Don M]

I remember talking to a builder friend about our old colonial house that we sold in 2006. We were talking about what it would cost to replace it as it stood. Meaning, replacing it with split lathe, plaster hand planed wood work and so on. His comment was between $1.5 and 2 million to redo it as is. The lady that bought the place paid a fraction of that, but you get the idea. Old houses have an a value that is hard if not impossible to reproduce today.

It's true, I have replacement value insurance on our 1830s vintage stone farm house. The estimated cost to replace the house is easily twice what the appraised tax value of our entire property. Frankly I don't believe there is any way the house could be reproduced if it were destroyed.

[Mick_VT]

We have the same. Our insurance company would not entertain anything else. Seems weird to me. Personally I would be happy to just get market value for a total loss and walk away with a piece of land and cash to buy a similar place.

[kelt65]

It's true, I have replacement value insurance on our 1830s vintage stone farm house. The estimated cost to replace the house is easily twice what the appraised tax value of our entire property. Frankly I don't believe there is any way the house could be reproduced if it were destroyed.

I'm pretty close to being able to reproduce mine, but it is 1914. I have replacement and will hold them to it. Hopefully if destroyed much of the wood could be salvaged. Windows would cost a fortune to have made.


It's hard to find masons that work with stone or lime, plasters are hard to find as well and the old growth wood is gone forever. Other than that, everything is perfectly reproducible!

[Gothichome]

Yes, the great insurance problem. Had trouble finding an insurer fo Gothichome. It didn't fit into thier actuary matrices. Finally found a company that would insure for a total loss amount or damage portions up to write off level. Like Mick and the others if it it was a complete replacement 'as built' I could not afford the rates even if I could find an insurer, One insurance cost estimate was almost $2.5 million. But I seriously dought you could rebuild Gothichome to 'as was' for any amount of money. The skills just aren't out there any more, never mind the materials. If such a calamity were to hit our home, I would collect the cheque, call in the bull dozers, be saddened for the loss and start looking for another old home.

[Gothichome]

Chatham is perfect example of inner city redevelopment. Large sections of the Victorian down town core were torn up and left vacant or developed into a large shopping mall in the 60's, 70's and 80's. This left the core with a mixed bag of buildings. Nothing unified or even pleasant to attract people DT. Even the big fancy mall is only a third utilized. The dozen or so Victorian blocks have a mixed bag of restored facades and those left to deferred maintenance and empty store fronts. http://downtownchatham.com/ Once again very little to entice folks to go down and stroll the Blvd's. Now if I compaierd that to a town like Port Hope http://visitporthope.ca/ with its intact and mostly restored Victorian DT intact the difference is very noticeable. All year long there are people in the streets,and the town core is alive.

[SouthernLady]

That is a good article. When I was in high school, some people got the bring idea to yank down a beautiful 1920s house and replace it with a park in my small hometown. I wrote an email to the mayor at the time, stating while I would love to have a park, why not save the house as a visitor's center. I got a snarky email in reply, eluding to the fact I was young and needed to mind my own business.

I cried all the way to school on the morning I passed it and saw the wrecking ball go through it.

A church in the area had bought a brick 1870s house built by the brother of the namesake of our town, which bordered the church's property, in order to save it from the wrecking ball. They used it for one of their ministries, and a pumpkin patch found it's way around it every fall. Really quite lovely. One day, when I was in college, I noticed people carrying away interior doors, mantels, light fixtures, and then the windows and doors. I contacted a lady who would be interested, and told her I feared they were about to tear it down. She had only seen the windows and doors missing, not the interior pieces, and assumed they were restoring them. She pitched a fit to find out the church was planning to tear down the house to add a parking lot!! She did all she could with historical groups, etc., to save the house, even contacting an attorney in town (who saved an old 1923 car dealership, restored it, and housed his office in it) to see what he could do since the purpose of the church buying it was to save it. Sadly, nothing could be done, and the wrecking ball went right through that gorgeous brick house. All the church did was seed grass over the spot. No parking lot as they planned. Stupid.

Then the old Queen Anne that stood by the landmark of the town started having the same thing happen. A development group had bought it and planned to put townhomes in. Once again, my friends went to the city council meeting pleading for the city to step in. Again, the wrecking ball went through it. Only this time they didn't salvage a single thing from the building. Ornate plaster medallions, crystal chandeliers, gorgeous carved woodwork--gone.

The last straw was when an old 1860s-70s brick house--the last one remaining in the original city center--caught fire. The second story would have to be gutted, but the exterior and first floor were fine. Friends of mine went to buy it to restore it, run an antique shop downstairs, and live upstairs. They toured it and got things in progress. Then the city condemned it. Things fell through and they were barred from buying it. The city took possession and we found out through sources they planned to tear it down in the middle of the night. My friends and I repeatedly called the town to get permission to salvage. Nobody would budge. Then we found out through our sources that the city planned to make the area a parking lot and Thai restaurant. Thai?! In our little Mayberry town? Not enough people like Thai! Crazy!! My friends went to the site on the day before demolition, told the boss of the crew they were going to take all of the bricks they could fit in their car, and if he didn't like it he could just turn around. I even offered to get my well-known attorney-friend to write a letter releasing them of any responsibility should we get injured in salvaging. Not interested. I must say that we did seriously consider making a midnight run to snitch all we could from that house, but we decided not to.

I then sent of a scathing email to the board, stating they can knock off the "we love our old city charm" bunk, because they were tearing down all the houses.

Word got out, and every time I would visit a local business on the main drag, they would ask me to either join the historic commission or run for the board (at age mid-20s), because they were sick of the hypocrisy. Of course, I didn't live in the city limits so I was not able, but I did fuss awfully hard and was beginning to be heard.

Since I have moved to the tiny one-light town I now live in, I have gotten to know the mayor and board. They have all grown up in the tiny town and love the buildings and history, because it was their families who put it there. I have since discussed having the town put a "seal of approval" so-to-speak on a plaque campaign for all of the buildings that exist in a certain age-range, to be determined by the board. The design would be approved by the city, but paid for by the individuals. The plaque would bear "Wall**** Historical Society", name of the house, and year built, similar to the National Register plaques. We would then have a special section in the town hall/visitors center with a brief write-up of each property on the list, with a picture of the original (if possible) and how it is now. I then hope to see what the board can do to pass rules to protect these buildings. I have shared these ideas with most of the board, and they all seemed to be in favor of it, but they don't have time to head it up, and recommended I do a presentation at a board meeting. They all feel it would pass and the community would love it. If only I can find the time myself...

I wonder if more people would try to do this, how it might affect the communities' interest in saving their old buildings. Maybe guest editorials in the town paper, flyers, etc.?

If only we had time...

[Gothichome]

Southernlady,the world needs more people like you.

[Neighmond]

Southernlady, the night before the city tore the house across from me down, I went over and took everything I could get loose. The neighbours knew what was going on, and the city had an idea I might try it because I offered to buy it and they told me to f--- off, in those words! The deputy was in town from eight until two am, and each time the deputy drove around, the woman across the street would flash her porch light or beep her car horn to let me know it was time to be quiet, when all was clear she would open the door and call her dog home (the doggie was already sleeping in the chair) A couple times the one to the north went out and waylaid the deputy until I could get trim and doors that were laying against the front of the house out of sight, and the one north of him jacked his truck up right in the middle of third street and had the wheel off, and he and the deputy spent forty five minutes dinking with it, at which point the law decided I wasn't going to show (it was a little after two am) and went back to Estherville. I then spent until four am finishing the work and clearing the joint out!

What went down, according to public record.

[kelt65]

We have the opposite problem here. Nearly every neighborhood in the city proper is a historic district, and it's nearly impossible to get anything torn down in those. I've seen the city council refuse to demolish blighted, leaning over structures of no significance. I prefer this problem to the opposite, though, for sure.