Check Out News Journal Video: 1760 Dutch House And DE Wild Lands Demolition Permit - HRB Meeting 5PM Tonight In New Castle

I am confident the NCC Historic Review Board will require a 9 month delay in the demolition process. There is a good chance that money can be raised in that time to keep the house intact. Delaware Wild Lands did not reach out far enough for relief and now that the greater historic-minded community is aware of the crisis, it appears that a solution is in the making.

(News Journal) robin brown reports ~ Wrecking ball may demolish historic site (with Video)

The stately brick Alrichs House, standing since about 1760 on hundreds of acres south of Port Penn, soon could meet the wrecking ball.........Wes Jones, president of the Port Penn Area Historical Society, along with Kim Burdick, Dela­ware advisor emeritus for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and charter board member of Preservation Dela­ware, are rallying support to save it.........Burdick says the Alrich family’s owner­ship of the property “predates William Penn’s arrival in Amer­ica by more than a gen­eration.”........The house in Port Penn was sold on a small lot, deed restricted to ensure preservation, she said. But that can’t be done with the Alrichs House, Hackett said, because it is in the middle of more than 250 acres that the group leases for hunting – a fact also raising the safety issue. DWL some time ago offered the house – free – to anyone who could move it elsewhere, but got no takers. Hackett said the “free to good home” offer stands. But the longer the house is vacant, the worse its condition gets. 

The Historic Review Board cannot stop the demolition, but can delay permits up to nine months, to allow time to explore alternatives. Burdick and others opposing the demolition say the fact the house is owned by the well-re­spected Delaware Wild Lands Inc. gives them hope. Jones of the historical society said his group works “to preserve, pro­tect and educate the public about the natural history of the region and the lifestyles and history of the people who lived here. Likewise, Delaware Wild Lands has worked for more than 50 years to protect land from devel­opment and save it for future generations,” he said, adding that the situation “is an exciting opportunity for these two groups, and others, to preserve a valuable house and property that pre-dates the Revolu­tionary War.”

Public Hearing Agenda Historic Review Board

Meeting Date:Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Meeting Time:5:00 p.m.
Location:NCC Government Center, 87 Reads Way, New Castle Corporate Commons

NEW BUSINESS

App. 2013-08723: 14 Farm Lane, south of Port Penn. Demolition Permit application for c.1760 brick dwelling at “Kux Farm” aka “Peter Alrichs House”. (Delaware Wild Lands, Inc.) CD 12

Information on all applications is available for public review in the Land Use Department, New Castle County Government Center, 87 Reads Way, Corporate Commons, New Castle, DE, from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday.

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