We'll Miss Her

I have been watching them raze this old house on Richmond Terrace with great disappointment. The house was not especially grand but it was pretty and its location on the water made it so wonderful and rare. It appears that a few more of these waterfront houses are going to have the same fate. See the blurb below. For the full article click on the headline above. Happily, if you want to own a house like this that IS landmarked scroll down to my last Prodigal House For Sale Pick.

From the Staten Island Advance:

"The developer who bought a 138-year-old house on Richmond Terrace in St. George and tore it down plans to build in its place a six-story, 12-unit condominium that will take advantage of the spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline. The president of the Preservation League of Staten Island, a former owner of the house who lovingly restored it in the late 1990s, called it a window onto Staten Island's past that deserved to be saved through landmarking, despite an emerging development boom in the area. On a day when scores of preservationists gathered on the steps of City Hall to call for more funding for the city Landmarks Preservation Commission to save historic homes from the wrecking ball, James Ferreri, who supports such efforts, said he didn't know if more money and more Landmarks staff would have saved 208 Richmond Terr.
He was sure of one thing, though. 'St. George is the worse for the loss of this building,' Ferreri said of the demolition of his former home. 'It's pathetic.' Over the years, the Landmarks Commission has refused to grant protective historic status to the house, either through individual landmarking or by adding it and others on the same block to an existing landmark district in St. George. Resistance to incorporating the buildings in the St. George Historic District first came more than a dozen years ago from owners on the block who recognized the development potential of their waterfront properties.

Today, some of that potential is finally being realized. An eight-story, 40-unit condominium dubbed "The View" is planned for the corner, next door to the recently obliterated 208 Richmond Terr. Bill Tuli, who with a partner purchased the house for $1 million in 2005, said he hopes to start construction on his 12-unit condominium by the end of June. 'It's a beautiful area and that's why we want to make a beautiful building,' said Tuli. Ms. Levin said the same broker who handled the sale of 208 Richmond Terr. offered $1 million for her home, another Second Empire-style building. She declined the offer because she believes her unobstructed view of Manhattan makes her property more valuable, especially as a much anticipated burst of development in the area begins. Ms. Levin said she hopes to sell to a developer in the future -- for the right price. "It would not be possible if it were landmarked," she added."

CVB says: Argh!
Click the headline for the full artcile.