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Another Historic Lancaster County Home Is Destroyed

By Jeff R. Geoghan

Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Realty

October 02, 2007 03:18 AM

Today, as I write this post, a historic home at the corner of Fruitville Pike and Petersburg Road is being demolished to make way for a tract of new homes. This 4,200 square foot structure, built in 1900, was truly a rare home in the Manheim Township tapestry of historic properties. Last used as an apartment house, the home had the misfortune to sit on a desirable 24-acre piece of ground that was purchase for development a while back. In fact, most of the area surrounding the aforementioned intersection is being resculpted to meet the developer's vision. So much for the pristine landscape that made the county so desirable in the first place...

As a real estate professional, I am in no way opposed to intelligent development (called "infill") of ground already surrounded by home tracts. What bothers me, however, is the lack of true vision that typifies the destruction of existing historic structures for commercial gain. This house could have been integrated into the plan. Instead, another landmark home is lost forever.

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For Lancaster PA homes for sale click here. Jeff Geoghan is a top real estate expert in Lancaster County, PA, and an involved community member. Jeff's work has been featured in the Lancaster Newspapers, WGAL Channel 8, PA Business Journal and Wall Street Journal. Jeff's blog on Lancaster County and its homes is nationally-featured. Contact Jeff for more help with your Lancaster PA Real Estate needs. Jeff is also a photographer - view some of his portfolio. Comments are welcome!

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Mana Tulberg

805 County Real Estate - Camarillo, CA

Real Estate Agent - Camarillo CA

Jeff, That is so sad. Did anyone objected or campaigned against the developer?

Oct 02, 2007 03:42 AM

Jeff R. Geoghan

Coldwell Banker Realty - Lancaster, PA

REALTOR, Marketing Manager

Not to my knowledge. This is not the only time this sort of thing happens in our area. On the whole, developers are given a free hand by the governing bodies involved.

Oct 02, 2007 03:56 AM

Lysa Napolitano

Daytona Beach, FL

How sad. I love historic homes. I can't imagine them just being torn down instead of moved. They recently put a huge historic home on a barge to move it a good ways to keep it safe in Clearwater.

Oct 02, 2007 06:34 AM

Stephanie Edwards-Musa

thredUP.com - The Woodlands, TX

knitwit at thred UP

Jeff, I agree..that is so sad. I would not be hard at all to keep it there. Geez. I hate to see that.

Oct 02, 2007 12:16 PM

Jeannie Kontis

Lancaster, PA

Heartbreaking. :-(

Oct 02, 2007 03:18 PM

Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

Jeff, I had passed this home many times. I liked the way it connected the countryside to the past. The old barn was also demolished some time ago, too, which was a shame in its own right..

You're absolutely right - a home that large, in relatively good condition, could easily have been upgraded and made a part of the new subdivision. The farmhouse at Woods Edge is a good example of how that can be done. There's no excuse for such insensitive development.

Oct 03, 2007 12:55 AM

Todd Clark - Retired

eXp Realty LLC - Tigard, OR

Principle Broker Oregon

I'm with you! I wish they would save more of these homes! We are slowly losing our history for something that looks like a monopoly board at the end of a game.

Oct 03, 2007 05:19 PM

Patricia Kennedy

RLAH@properties - Washington, DC

Home in the Capital

It would be hard for me to bring buyers to the new houses! The old home looks like it was beautiful and certainly worthy of a restoration. A lot of the time they try to move these old homes to a different location. Too bad about this one.

Oct 03, 2007 08:53 PM

This was the house that was listed for sale for a while for $350K, wasn't it? It's a shame they couldn't lower the price to make it affordable for someone, rather than tearing it down. I'm 99% sure it's the same house that I'm thinking of. If it is the same house, it was a 4,200 SF home built in 1900. I thought since it was listed for sale that they were going to incorporate it into the development, and I was so glad about that. Guess I was wrong, unfortunately.

What a magnificent home it would have made. It could have put all the new homes to shame.

Oct 04, 2007 03:44 PM

Lysa - THAT would have made a great post - a barge trip!

Oct 05, 2007 03:55 AM

Stephanie -I agree. It's frustrating.

Oct 05, 2007 03:56 AM

Brian - that's a great point - they did it over at Woods Edge - maybe the builder/developer just wasn't up to the task of saving an historic home. Too bad.

Oct 05, 2007 03:57 AM

Your monopoly analogy is very appropriate, Todd. It's all about the money. Tearing that house down will cost the builder about $30,000. Renovating the home & grounds - well, it'd be a lot more. But I would argue that the end product would be worth it for the community.

Oct 05, 2007 04:00 AM

Patricia - you know that's a conflict I have. I want to work with builders - they are doing great work in many instances - but I also am fairly anti-development inasmuch as it destroys the rural fabric of our region. I used to live in southern califormia, where everything is pavement and phony landscaped vistas. I don't want that for Lancaster.

Oct 05, 2007 04:02 AM

Jeannie - yes that was the same house, Listed by a Re/Max agent who is related to the developer, I believe. $350K was a silly price that I imagine was just to see if someone was financially willing to save the house.

Oct 05, 2007 04:04 AM

Katerina Gasset

The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services - Provo, UT

Amplify Your Real Estate & Life Dreams!

Jeff- That home would have made a great focal point of the new development. Where was your historical society during all of this? It is a tough balance that we need to have between preserving the old and welcoming the new. Katerina

Oct 06, 2007 04:15 AM

Katerina, here are some photos from this past Saturday. They are just about done taking it down. While I was snapping these shots a passerby pulled over to lament how sad it was that they were destroying it.

Oct 08, 2007 06:36 AM

Jeff- too sad, tears came to my eyes as I saw this. Katerina

Oct 08, 2007 06:39 AM

It really was a nice home...

Oct 08, 2007 06:47 AM

Another Historic Lancaster County Home Is Destroyed

Comments(19)

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