WAXHAW, N.C. -- Two homes listed on the National Registry of Historic Places were bulldozed Wednesday, over the objection of town leaders who'd hoped to have them saved.
"It was less than half a hour. Done. Kaput. Gone," Waxhaw's mayor Daune Gardner said.
One of the homes at the intersection of W. Price St. and N. Church St. was built in 1905. The other, next door, dates back to 1910. Both were empty at the time of the demolition. They were owned by Historic Ventures, LLC, a development group that hopes to get approval for a multi-use development on Broome Street in downtown Waxhaw.
Lisa Giovanniello, a realtor and partner with the project, told Newschannel 36 the tear-down had been scheduled for some time. She said their group had aggressively explored the option of moving the homes, but decided the pricetag--$80,000--and the risk that they wouldn't survive demolition made it impossible.
The newly formed Waxhaw Historic Commission and Society disagreed. "These are project houses no doubt, but they are certainly in good enough shape for rehabbing," Mayor Gardner said.
With Historic Ventures blessing, Gardner had even posted an ad in the local paper, hoping to get someone interested in fronting the money to save the homes. More recently, the Commission began communicating with Giovanniello again to try to hold off the destruction of the homes. Demolition, scheduled for Saturday, was pushed back.
"There were 3 people who had indicated that they were interested in moving them," society member Donna Gamble-Thorne told Newschannel 36. She had been e-mailing Giovanniello and believed that there was more time. "Then boom, gone."
Giovanniello told Newschannel 36 the actual date of demolition was a surprise to her, but that demolition had already been stalled for a year. The development group had obtained permitting some time ago. We were unable to get in touch with her partners on the project.
The Waxhaw Town Center, a multi-use development that would include a hotel, retail space, a fitness center, and more, is not just approved by the town council.
"Especially when there is any possibility that we could have worked something out to preserve them, it's painful," Mayor Gardner said.
