Historic Baxter House heavily damaged by fire

Stephen Romano

The historic Baxter House was heavily damaged in a fire early Sunday morning in Baxter Estates.

No one was injured in the blaze at 15 Shore Road that started around 3:30 a.m. and took firefighters four hours to get under control, said Brian Waterson, chief of the Port Washington Fire Department.

The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s office said the cause of the fire could not be determined.

James Hickman, Investigations Division supervisor for the fire marshal’s office, said the formal report has not been filed yet, but the investigation could not determine a cause.

Hickman said the north side of the house was unsafe to enter because of the extensive damage, but the south side, which wasn’t damaged as badly, was safe.

“The north end of the house sustained major damage,” Hickman said. “I would say the north end is not salvageable.”

The village retained an engineer to conduct a condition survey of the property.

Because the house is fenced-off with a temporary chain-linked fence, the engineer will conduct the survey from outside the home, officials said.

“Given the amount of fire, I am unsure how much can be salvaged,” Waterson said.

The house, which was built in the 1700s and once sat on the Baxter Homestead, which dates back to 1673, is still standing but both the interior and exterior are significantly damaged.

“We are deeply saddened to report that there was a fire at 15 Shore Road, the Baxter House at approximately 3:45 a.m. this morning,” the Village of Baxter Estates said in a statement. “We are grateful to the Port Washington Police Department, the Port Washington Fire Department, all the mutual aid units and all first responders,” the village’s statement said. “As this is a locally landmarked historic site, we will be doing everything we can to see what can be saved.”

The village said it contacted the home’s owner, Sabrina Wu, who doesn’t live at the property, but recently submitted an application to demolish and rebuild an exact replica of the house.

“This is a tragedy of unfathomable depth,” said Stephanie Hall, a resident. “We were three weeks short of a Historic Preservation Commission. I want to know what the Village of Baxter Estates Board is going to do that what is left is saved or that an exact replica is built.”

The Port Washington Fire Department was assisted by the Manhasset Lakeville Fire Department, the Roslyn Highlands and Rescue Companies, the Great Neck Vigilants Fire Company, the Plandome Fire Department, the East Norwich Fire Department, the Williston Park Fire Department and the Glenwood Fire Company.

“If it wasn’t for the negligence of the owner, this house would still be standing,” said Michael Scotto, who lives a couple houses away and has been an outspoken resident against Wu’s decision to demolish and rebuild the house.

“However it happened, it’s at the feet of the owner,” Scotto said.

Scotto and other residents said they saw Wu cleaning up the front yard of the house on Saturday, hours before the fire started.

“This was really an avoidable tragedy,” said Chris Bain, president of the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society. “It was allowed to decline with no one living there. The owner didn’t care.”

The application to demolish and rebuild the home, which Wu submitted last month, was set to be reviewed by the village’s Landmarks Preservation Commission on March 1.

But last Friday, Wu’s attorney, A. Thomas Levin, told the village that Wu would amend the application to restore and alter the property instead of demolishing it, Chrissy Kiernan, the village clerk said.

“We were advised to expect an amended proposal to restore and alter, rather than demolish and replace the structure, pending a site inspection by the owner’s architect and our Village Building Inspector,” Kiernan said. “The Village joins the community in their feeling of grief over the damage to this beloved and historic landmark, which has played a central role in our community’s identity.”

Before Wu submitted the application, the house remained the subject of controversy in the village with residents and village officials unhappy over Wu’s preservation of the home — the only landmarked property in the village.

The village issued Wu three Order to Remedy violations — the last of the three for the blue tarp she covered the windows with falling on neighbors’ lawns and near the Baxter Pond.

Wu purchased the house in 2003 for $990,000 and the village landmarked the property in 2005 — a decision appealed by Wu.

During the Revolutionary War, the British housed Hessian mercenaries, who fought alongside the Red Coats, in the Baxter House and other homes across Long Island.

In 1895, the Baxter House was declared Port Washington’s first lending library, according to Bain.16508358_1463534457024222_3977083828044240856_n 2

For months, residents have attended village board meetings to protest Wu’s neglect of the house, voicing their concerns on a Facebook page, “Save the Baxter House,” with over 600 members, signing petitions and discussing crowdfunding ideas to pay for the possible litigation.

Residents from all over Long Island have shown their support for the house on the page, including neighbors and politicians.

Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton called the event “Absolutely heartbreaking.”

Anthony Esposito, a Port Washington firefighter, said on the page “I literally almost cried when we pulled up yesterday morning.”

“The P.W.F.D. and neighboring departments did everything they could to save the house,” he said

On Jan. 10, Wu appealed the fair market value of the house with Nassau County, according to records.

It was originally accessed at $1,879, which would be multiplied by .25 percent. She claimed the property should be assessed at $500, which would make the fair market value $200,000.

Wu once listed the house for $3 million, according to village officials.

 

 

 

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