Historic Baxter House Demolished; Owner To Appear In Court

The historic Baxter House, which was deemed a "total loss" after being destroyed by a massive fire in February, was demolished on Monday morning.

Many residents who were in support of preserving the Baxter House told Patch they were not informed by the Village of Baxter Estates the demolition was going to happen at this time. The demolition process began around 8 a.m.

Michael Scotto, an admin for the "Save The Baxter House" Facebook group, said the Village gave no notice. Jill Morrison said she contacted the Village a few weeks ago regarding the status of the Baxter House and was not given any details.

"It's disgusting how the Village of Baxter Estates and their Landmark Preservation Committee held back from public disclosure on the fate of one of the oldest landmarks in NYS and their namesake!" Morrison said.

Village of Baxter Estates Trustee Chris Ficalora told Patch the Village did not have to tell residents when the demolition would occur and officials did not withhold any information from Morrison. At the time of Morrison's inquiry, the demo permit had not been issued, he said.

Baxter House owner Sabrina Wu has flip-flopped in her decisions whether to preserve or demolish the historic landmark. She submitted a demolition application in April and the building inspector rejected Wu’s demolition application. However, a demolition order was issued for the property in May.

Ficalora said Wu "didn't move very fast" on the demolition order; she was issued a violation notice on June 26 and her demolition paperwork deadline was extended to Sept. 11 with a demolition deadline of Sept. 25, which she also missed. On Sept. 27, Wu submitted the paperwork and was issued an appearance ticket for failing to meet the deadline. She will have to appear in court before a judge to discuss why she didn't meet the deadline on Oct. 24, Ficalora said.

Wu likely missed the deadlines because she faced several jurisdiction issues, particularly with the sewer district, Ficalora said. "It appears there were some local politics that punished Ms. Wu for letting the house get to where it was," he said. "[The sewer district] has never gone that route before."

The street in front of the Baxter House still needs to be dug up to deal with the sewer lines in the home. Ficalora does not know when the street will be dug up, he said.

The Village does not know what Wu's plans are for the property. Wu did not have to issue a site plan regarding the property since the Village building inspector issued a demolition order for health and safety reasons. If the demolition application was approved through the Landmark Preservation Commission, Wu would have been required to issue a site plan, Ficalora said.

Ficalora has been to the Baxter House demolition site and said "it appears they are following the guidelines required for demolition."

In March, concerned community members were packed inside a room in the Port Washington Public Library to discuss the fate of the Baxter House and to rally for its preservation. Several residents at the meeting accused Wu of neglecting the outside of the home, causing it to look dilapidated.

A Village Landmarks Preservation Commission meeting on April 24 determined the owner's neglect caused the conditions which had a detrimental impact on the structure.

About one week after the February fire, Village Building Inspector Joseph Saladino and independent structural engineer Dean Koutsoubis evaluated the building from behind a 6-foot chain-link fence and determined the building should be demolished. On Feb. 22, the building was inspected by officials who concluded the house was a “total loss," Wu's attorney Thomas Levin said.

"We don't want kids going there," Ficalora said. "Even though there's a fence, we want the building to come down."

Should the Village have been required to inform residents of the demolition? Sound off in the comments below.

Image via Michael Scotto