Friday, January 11, 2002
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Friday, January 11, 2002 |
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Historic home saved from the wrecking ball By JOHN
THOMPSON Senoia's new administration got off to a rousing start Monday night by refusing to let the historic "Blue House" be demolished. With nearly 100 people looking on, the council voted unanimously to deny Chuck Smith permission to tear down his house at 49 Broad St. so BellSouth could buy the property for expansion of its facility. The issue has swirled through the east Coweta town for the last two months as historical preservationists fought to save the late 1800s home from demolition. Smith had argued that he was not aware of the city's historic district, which requires council approval of any major change to any structure in the district. He said he had been trying to sell the home for two years after he realized it would cost too much to repair it. He entered into a contract with BellSouth for the half-acre lot and BellSouth said the property would serve its future expansion needs without the home. Senoia Area Historical Society President Perry Benson said he didn't want to deprive Smith of his property rights, but said the home represents one of the reasons so many people are moving into the area. "People are moving here because of the homes. What will the destruction do to property values?" He said. Newnan's Jan Davis, who specializes in home reconstruction, said he would purchase the home for $90,000 and move it to another site to rebuild it. But his preference would be to renovate it at the current site, since "the site is an integral part of the house." After the discussion dragged on for more than an hour, City Attorney Drew Whalen said the council should probably discuss some of the issues in executive session, since the outcome could result in a suit against the city. When the council reconvened after a 20-minute executive session, it turned down Smith's request to demolish the house and many of the town's history lovers left the meeting with smiles on their faces.
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