Another historic structure bites the dust!

[Rita]

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I love big old trees! The tree in the picture does not look healthy though. The photo makes it look like it is suffering from die back.

50 years isn't very old for a house (except maybe in FL).

My Mom's house in IL, which is now sitting vacant, is around 100 years old, has some character here and there, additions, changes and would never be considered for the historical registry in Illinois. It is just an old house with old house problems, lots of great memories and our family can't seem to part with it - yet. Who knows down the road what we will do?! The emotional attachment is only with the family - others would see it for what it is, an old house that would take a lot of $$ to change it to what a family would want to live in.


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[kkddbb]

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i love big old trees! The tree in the picture does not look healthy though. The photo makes it look like it is suffering from die back.

50 years isn't very old for a house (except maybe in fl).

My mom's house in il, which is now sitting vacant, is around 100 years old, has some character here and there, additions, changes and would never be considered for the historical registry in illinois. It is just an old house with old house problems, lots of great memories and our family can't seem to part with it - yet. Who knows down the road what we will do?! The emotional attachment is only with the family - others would see it for what it is, an old house that would take a lot of $$ to change it to what a family would want to live in.


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good point. And your right, the tree doesnt look like it has many more days ahead of it and that simply sux. Ive seen all to many big oaks taken down for ugly development

 

[DCFinSCB]

There is a house that look something like this that was moved to Old Point Washington within the past month. It's now located on a cul de sac at the end of a newly paved street off of Eden Drive. The name of the actual street it is on escapes me.

If a wrap around porch was added at some point, this could be what you are looking for. Sorry for any false hope if it is not.

 

[ChillPill]

There is a house that look something like this that was moved to Old Point Washington within the past month. It's now located on a cul de sac at the end of a newly paved street off of Eden Drive. The name of the actual street it is on escapes me.

If a wrap around porch was added at some point, this could be what you are looking for. Sorry for any false hope if it is not.

Thats right I forgot about that. About 3-4 weeks ago I was driving on Eden Drive and witnessed a house being delivered on two huge flatbeds. The lot it is now located on is Garden Court Lane I think. It was very cool to witness it. (And sort of a funny story. A house just drove by!?)

 

[ShallowsNole]

I think the point that is being made here is that nothing seems to be sacred. Y'know, most of us couldn't give a flying flip over architectural styles or new urbanism or whatever. What matters to us is that our ancestry, and the places that remind us of the people we loved (who happened to be VERY important to the history of SoWal) are regarded with much the same interest as dogpoop on a developer's shoe.

My road is named for my dad, and everytime the sign gets changed I have to call to tell the road office (whom I love dearly) they spelled my maiden name wrong, again. This time they left out a letter and we joked that it was due to budget cuts. But it still isn't fixed, and it's not that difficult. (As an aside, I once had a lady in my church inform me that I spelled the name of my road incorrectly but that she would fix it for the church directory. Grrr.)

Few are the families still around from the early parts of this century. Many who were left just 10-15 years ago became overwhelmed and sold out (for a profit, yes) and relocated to NoWal, Bonifay, etc. I am thinking that's what I should have done, but noooo, I wanted to move back.

FG, I'm sorry this happened.

 

[florida girl]

Don't forget your historic collection of trailers.

I actually have one that's a 1955. http://www.allmanufacturedhomes.com/html/html/1955_pacemaker_091103.htm

 

[scooterbug44]

I think the point that is being made here is that nothing seems to be sacred. Y'know, most of us couldn't give a flying flip over architectural styles or new urbanism or whatever. What matters to us is that our ancestry, and the places that remind us of the people we loved (who happened to be VERY important to the history of SoWal) are regarded with much the same interest as dogpoop on a developer's shoe.

I am sorry, but if these things are so important to you, YOU need to do things to preserve them.

Many historic buildings are still here because someone felt they were so important that they put a great deal of time and effort (and frequently their own money and sweat) into preserving, restoring, and maintaining them.

I asked if the building had historic significance - no one told me of any. I asked if there was something architecturally significant about it - only its age. I asked if any effort had been made to obtain the property or move the house - nada.

The reason many communities remember significant residents with parks and road names is because there is not enough money to buy, rehab, and maintain every old building so they need to be selective.

There are many people in Sowal who are passionate about preserving the unique history of the area - they blog about it on Sowal, they volunteer, they write books and articles, they collect items of significance, they publicize events, they make their friends, family, and neighbors aware of any issues, they take us on field trips to special places, and if a building is REALLY important to them, they find a way to save it.

The only effort I am aware of in this case is the minimal amount FG used to biatch and complain.....................but not do anything productive.

 

[ShallowsNole]

In other words, he who has the dough controls the flow.

I am lucky in that I am a Point Washington resident, and we have an organization that is dedicated to making others aware of our rich history. There is no such organization for Santa Rosa Beach. The Coastal Heritage Foundation was last active under Chick Huettel's leadership, and even he has now moved east.

A local charity now occupies the building that once housed the South Walton Superette, which was Santa Rosa Beach's only grocery store for decades. FG's kin ran the store for a time, Vernon Bishop's family ran it for years, and my family ran it for about 15 years. It has historical significance for me and my formative years. Yet, it's only a matter of time. The charity is even declaring in their newpaper ads that the building is ugly.

It's just the fact that not only do people not realize what they destroy, it is also that they don't care. Did anyone stop and say, "oh gee, look at the abstract, this is the house that J.D. Miller lived in, perhaps that is where the road got its name? I'd like to know more about that!" NO. And I just don't understand that.

I suppose FG and I just have to be content with the beach access named for her father and the road named for my father, and be grateful for that. She and I don't always see eye-to-eye, but I FULLY understand where she is coming from on this.

 

[TreeFrog]

Stepping back and taking a larger view...

It's very difficult to succeed at historic preservation on a case-by-case basis. But, it's far easier with legal protections.

My former neighborhood received National Historic District protection in 1984. There are now legal protections against demolition, inappropriate remodelling, and inappropriate new development. Owners must agree to the convenants when they buy property there. New construction must meet architectural guidelines to insure it fits the area. And, by some folks standards, they aren't particularly old houses, most dating from 1910 to 1925.

With this protection, just last year a developer was stopped from a teardown to put in a high-density replacement - four houses on a lot formerly containing one.

Pt. Washington, Grayton, you can do this too, if you wish. Not easy, but worth it.

 

[ShallowsNole]

Stepping back and taking a larger view...

It's very difficult to succeed at historic preservation on a case-by-case basis. But, it's far easier with legal protections.

My former neighborhood received National Historic District protection in 1984. There are now legal protections against demolition, inappropriate remodelling, and inappropriate new development. Owners must agree to the convenants when they buy property there. New construction must meet architectural guidelines to insure it fits the area. And, by some folks standards, they aren't particularly old houses, most dating from 1910 to 1925.

With this protection, just last year a developer was stopped from a teardown to put in a high-density replacement - four houses on a lot formerly containing one.

Pt. Washington, Grayton, you can do this too, if you wish. Not easy, but worth it.

PW tried the historic district route, but it did more to turn people against each other than anything. However, we are still seeking density restrictions in "old" PW. The county has been developing an EAR that will be presented at the HPWA's quarterly public meeting on Sunday Sept 16...