SOUTHAMPTON — The fate of a 1767 house on Fomer Road will be discussed at a public hearing Wednesday night.
The house may have historic significance, but owner Steven Silverman, who wants to demolish it, said the 250-year-old structure has issues with mold and requires maintenance.
The town’s Historical Commission will determine whether to impose a demolition delay on the property at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Town Hall, 210 College Hwy.
Historical Commission Chairman Robert Kozub said the home is the only one remaining from the West Part neighborhood of Southampton and is listed on the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Inventory System. Other than the home, only the West Part Cemetery remains.
In 1898, the state Legislature approved a request by Holyoke to take water from the Manhan River in West Part, according to the book “Southampton” by Ted and Maxine Hendrick.
“After acquiring a few farms and several wood lots, the state built the Foamer Reservoir,” the book states. “In 1912, Holyoke needed even more water, so, after several more farms were taken along with a few hundred more acres, the White Reservoir was constructed.”
In 1957, the Tighe-Carmody Reservoir was constructed due to the demand for water.
“A prosperous farming community, the West Part, then ceased to exist,” the book states.
Kozub said he isn’t sure how around 40 homes were destroyed. Some may have burned, he said, while others may have collapsed over time. Several cellar doors and some foundations remain in the area, he said.
Silverman, 53, lived in the home on 268 Fomer Road for 13 years. He said he and his wife fell in love with the land, rather than the home, where they have room for an orchard, gardens and chickens. They built another home on the property this year which they now live in.
When the family purchased the 1767 house, Silverman said it was in bad shape. He said the real estate agent told him he shouldn’t even look at the property if he was a builder.
Silverman, a remodeling contractor, said he spent about $100,000 on renovations for the home, such as a screen porch and a new heating system, but the home still had problems.
Over the years, rain seeped in to parts of the building such as the basement, causing mold, he said.
“But we ultimately felt the issue with the mold was too great to overcome,” Silverman said.
There were also issues with animals such as mice and the occasional snake or chipmunk getting inside the house, he said. Silverman said a past owner had a large number of cats and the smell of animal urine never left.
With a new home on the property, Silverman said he doesn’t have a way to maintain the old home.
He wants to demolish the building, possibly giving away the timbers.
The Historical Commission will seek to determine whether the building is of historic significance, and may vote to delay the demolition by one year to allow alternative options to be considered.
The demolition delay bylaw was approved by voters at a special Town Meeting in October 2015 and by the attorney general in January 2016. So far, there have been no delays in demolition.
Kozub said if the bylaw were in place in the past, it could have impacted the fate of Grange Hall, which was demolished in 1997. The former Methodist Church had Tiffany-style stained glass windows, which were sold before the building was torn down. It was also listed in 1994 as one of the state’s most endangered historic buildings.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.