Historic South Windsor House Slated For Demolition

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — Plans to demolish an historic Ellington Road house to make way for a driveway at the new Pleasant Valley School are being met with resistance by the South Windsor Historic District Commission (HDC).

Demolition of the house at 647 Ellington Road has been delayed until Oct. 31 "to see if there is any public interest, ability or desire to save the house and barn," according to HDC chair Beth Burgess.

The 2,008 square-foot house was built in the early 1700s, and a barn on the property, built of mortise and tenon construction, dates to the early 19th century. According to town land records, the property was owned by the Burnham family for many years, and was purchased by the town in June 2019 for $425,000.

Burgess said the buildings are in good enough condition to possibly be moved, rather than torn down.

"Is there an alternative site for the driveway and use for the house, or could the house be moved?" she said. "[The barn] is large, sturdy, in good condition and could be moved to another site."

Documents on file with the town indicate the house is currently occupied, but will be vacated this month.

"At this point, I am not sure what might be possible in this area," Mayor Andrew Paterna said. "I am involved in making an effort to find out what the cost would be to dismantle and move the barn to another location, and have not received the estimate as of this date."

Voters overwhelmingly approved a $58.5 million rebuild of Pleasant Valley School at referendum in March 2020. Construction is expected to begin in January 2022, and should be completed by the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.

Burgess said the problem of historic properties vs. new development is not unique to South Windsor.

"As land becomes scarcer and zoning regulates where specific activities can take place, the choice for something new very often overtakes the choice to save a historic building," she said. "These are often difficult decisions, since the old building is familiar, has always been there and according to a prospective developer, would require a lot of money and effort to adapt to a new use. Once historic structures are gone, the built environment becomes homogenous; everything begins to look alike, with no reminders of South Windsor’s origins, with few 'points of interest' left."

Anyone interested in learning more about the Ellington Road property and efforts to preserve it may contact the Public Building Commission at town hall at 860-644-2511.

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