A Long Island town is divided over what to do with a nearly 300-year-old home: move it to a currently open space, move it somewhere else, or destroy it.
The small red home located in Plandome Manor, called the Richardson House, was built in 1730 in Massachusetts, and was moved to the Nassau County town in the 1920s. The town's building inspector, Ed Butt, is among those trying to preserve the home.
"They picked the house up, brought it to Long Island Sound and floated it across the sound. And we imagine that it was probably brought here (to the town) by a wagon of some sort," Butt said.
"It's a piece of Americana, a piece of history. The story of how this house arrived here is amazing," said Tom Lang, who sits on a committee known as the Richardson House Project.
The committee has been in talks with the new owner of the property, a developer who has already submitted plans to tear down the home and build a new, larger home — similar to other new houses getting built in the neighborhood.
But Lang said the Richardson House can be saved to serve a new purpose for the town.
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"We have a home that’s 300 years old that can now serve as the village hall," Lang said.
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The plan would be to move the entire house from its foundation about 1,000 feet away, to a plot of land the village already owns and to turn it into the new village hall.
The space where the committee would like to move it is currently an open space that provides a walkway to the Long Island Rail Road station. However, neighbors who live near the area are strongly opposed to the proposed plan.
"So it’s going to be traffic instead of the nice open park we have now, and business use. So I’m very opposed to it," said Ruth M. Reeves.
For one, Reeves said she would lose her decades-old view from outside her window. Other residents are concerned digging a space for a foundation will cause flooding.
"Obviously we don’t want it here. It’s a community center in the middle of two houses," said Terry Gangaram. "It was brought here so if they want to save it, don’t put it here. Put it somewhere else."
The current village hall is located in a small office in Manhasset, in a space that costs the village more than $50,000 in rent every year. The village is planning to take out a bond to pay for the move and installation of the house, which Butt estimates can be accomplished for $750,000.
"This is one slated for the chopping block and we felt it would be important for us to take the responsible approach and see what we can do to save this house," Butt said.
The future of the Richardson House should be decided by April.
