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Creepy house on a hill in Hyde Park to be replaced
By adamg on Tue, 10/31/2017 - 12:33pm
A rotting, boarded up eyesore long a haven of local drug users, teenagers and Curry College students on Fairmount Hill in Hyde Park will be razed and replaced by two two-family houses under plans approved by the Board of Appeal today.
Nearby residents said they were grateful that after 12 years of ownership by an out of towner with no apparent interest in doing anything but letting the property fall apart, somebody was willing to do something about 54 Williams Ave.
But at a board hearing, they expressed concern about the way the developer would put one house in front of the other, something a rezoning a few years ago prohibited, and said they were concerned about traffic and parking impacts.
John Pulgini, attorney for the developer, said the proposal was split into two buildings to minimize the effect on neighbors to the rear of the parcel and that the 25,000-square-foot lot, much larger than surrounding properties, would have a deed restriction added to prevent additional development.
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Comments
Aww...
I realize it is most likely too far gone to be restored but such a shame.
Now to look forward to the owner throwing up a new cheap box or a cheaper faux-historic building made with osb and plastic trim misapplied.
Where have you been for the
Where have you been for the past 12 years of ownership by an out of towner? Waiting for someone to finally knock it down so you could lament?
Every litttle bit ...
... of green space and beauty that is ruined, no matter how small, is to be mourned. I hope the neighborhood mounts a resistance. I doubt the housing proposed is affordable to most or of a modest design that would take into consideration the preservation of green space and fresh air.
Some old things are just that - old things
And green space is nice - provided the resources are there to maintain it.
Plus, it's not like they're building a 60 story skyscraper on this site. Personally, I think having two occupied single family houses on this site will be far better than keeping a decaying and decrepit structure. Even if we have to sacrifice a small bit of green space (which Boston is hardly devoid of) to do so.
I hear you
I would tend to agree if modern buildings had anywhere near the quality or character of even the most basic older building. That house had to have been neglected for a LONG time to get to the point of no repair (and even so there is probably still a ton of intact and usable trimwork and lumber left in there. Hopefully it will all be salvaged.)
Trimwork and lumber
Doubt it. You have to remove it without damaging it, then strip the (probably) lead paint to re-use it. Cheaper to just get new wood.
Not necessarily true
Lead paint depends on the date of construction - Eg, our house had very very little lead paint in it. It was built, along with a lot of the housing in Roslindale et al sw neighborhoods, from an ordered kit in the early years of the 20th cen. The original owners didn't have the moolah to pay for expensive lead pigment paint, so it had wall paper and milk paint, and the trim was mostly clear finished southern gumwood.
That wood is no longer commercially produced, and when old buildings around here get demo'ed, there are more than a few renovation companies that eagerly buy up the trim and floors.
Trim can be recovered pretty easily, if you don't care about the walls behind it. And lead paint can be stripped off-site very effectively (and as green-ly as it is possible to do such work) at companies that specialize in the process.
Greenspace?
Its not like its public land - its private property with a decaying eyesore on it and they are proposing two-two family homes on it to replace it (on quite a large lot). I doubt that the existing house would be 'affordable' either - the cost of rehabbing it (if even possible) would be pretty high.
You hope the neighborhood
You hope the neighborhood will mount a resistance to replacing a fire hazard? And your alternative proposal that's supported by sufficient money and resources of your own is what?
To paraphrase a sentiment from the immigration debate
Perhaps they should have thought about green space before your house was built.
Boston needs more housing. I would rather 2 houses here than 2 houses out in the deep suburbs where there would in fact be a greater environmental impact.
Yes, green space is important, which why residents in the area can be grateful that the Stony Brook and Blue Hills Reservations are nearby. Those will never be built upon, which was the point of their creation. This house was built as a residence, and it will be replaced by residences.
Oh look
The Lorax has a log in. How touching.
Its a free country still
You should feel free to buy the place, renovate it into affordable pieces, and garden your heart out.
Oh, wait ... this is about forcing others to do what you want them to do, not you taking actual risks with your own money.
A real shame
I remember that house and the family that lived there back in the 1970s. We had family that lived just next door and were always welcome to play in their yard.
They Say
If you listen real close on a cool autumn morning, you can hear them whispering on the wind saying "Please don't tear down my abandoned eye sore."
Abutters revolt
abutters are planning their resistance.....curious to see if it goes forward. Has been an ongoing battle for over ten years. would like to see something productive there, not sure 2 two families are the right answer....I think the original house was a 4 family but so long vacant it reverts back to the current by right development which is a 1 or 2 family I think.
Zoned for two family
Enough to split into two lots.
If you want to live in Weston, go live in Weston.
What legal recourse does the
What legal recourse does the city have to deal with blighted abandoned properties?