After months of an turbulent conversations with the Village of Baxter Estates Board of Trustees, the owner of the historic Baxter House has agreed to tear down the house and build an exact replica.
“We all came to an agreement that allows her to tear down the house and build it exactly as it was,” Trustee Chris Ficalora said.
An assessment of the property conducted in September by an engineering firm hired by the village cited the deterioration of many parts of the home, including its foundation, roof, wood floor framing and chimney.
The trustees and the property owner, Sabrina Wu, discussed the possibility of renovating the house or tearing it down, but ultimately agreed to tear it down and rebuild it, Ficalora said.
Wu had an architect complete a rendering of the exterior of the house, and Ficalora said the board will have a the blueprints in two weeks, and then it will hold a special meeting to approve variances for the construction.
“Our goal is to have everything approved by the end of the year,” Ficalora said. “We also prefer her to begin the demolition in the spring, so the rubble isn’t there throughout the winter.”
Ficalora said a price hasn’t been discussed yet, because Wu still needs to pick out designs for the interior of the house.
The house, which was built in 1790, is located at 15 Shore Road.
According to Nassau County land records, its current fair market value is $751,600. Wu purchased the property for $990,000 in 2003.
Wu is responsible for rebuilding the exterior of the house as an exact replica, because only the exterior is landmarked by the village’s landmark commission, village officials said.
The village will take out a bond to assure Wu complies with the agreement and rebuilds the house according to the original plans.
While Wu is required to build and exact replica, some of the roof line will be different to comply with village code, so the roof will change slightly, Ficalora said.
Ficalora said the village has done everything it can legally to protect the village and make sure she maintains the property.
“This is progress because we’re going from a very foul relationship to an amicable one where we are getting things done and figuring out solutions,” Ficalora said.
Before she agreed to knock down and rebuild the house, Wu began renovations over the summer and placed blue garbage bags, which caused residents to complain about the presentation of the house and how it impacted the village.
Trustees said on Thursday at the board meeting that Wu is currently in the process of cleaning up parts of the property and they are discussing the removal of the bags, which, according to the engineer’s report, are covering breaches that allow water and animals into the house.
