Site of former Baxter House listed for sale

Luke Torrance
A small section of the Baxter House remained standing after fire damage. (Photo by Luke Torrance)

There is a new property for sale in Baxter Estates, located on Shore Road with views of Manhasset Bay. It is a great location for a home, and it was the location of one for more than 200 years.

The Baxter House, constructed on the property in the 18th century and the namesake of Baxter Estates, was razed last week. Now the property is being listed for sale.

The land has been listed with the DY Realty Services LLC in New York City but there is no price given. The current owner, Sabrina Wu, purchased the property in 2003 for $990,000.

After the Baxter House was demolished last week, Levin said that Wu was still considering what she would build on the property, should she build at all. When contacted this week, Levin said there was no new information.

Wu will be required to notify the village if and when she planned to build, but Baxter Estates Trustee Chris Ficalora said he had not heard of any new plans for the property. The property is still a historic landmark, even though the house is gone.

Ficalora also said there is no plan for the village to step in and buy the property.

“We had done a survey of our residents and we gave them the information on what it would cost,” he said, noting that the village would have used a five-year bond to purchase the home, similar to how Baxter Estates acquired the house that now serves as Village Hall. “About 80 percent said they were not interested in using taxpayer money to pay for the house.”

For residents who hoped to save the Baxter House, the sale was just another disappointing development.

“We’ll just wait and see what the owners do, but we’re just heartbroken about this,” said Baxter Estates resident Michael Scotto.

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