November marked the final month in the existence of this 251-year-old Colonial on Cider Hill Road. The historic home was demolished on Dec. 10 to make way for a new house.
Courtesy photos
Going, going, gone
This paper has written before on the tenuous existence of historic properties in York, warning that without some closer degree of oversight, the town could easily see much of its historic character bulldozed away in the middle of the night. For those readers who may have dismissed that notion, we point you to our article, wherein a 251-year-old home out on Cider Hill Road was demolished on Dec. 10 in order to make way for a new home to be built on the same spot.
We believe in the importance of private property rights. We likewise believe in the importance of controlled growth. But we also believe in stewardship. York, as a community of legitimate historic value, is entrusted, for now, to the people who live here. When the Cider Hill home in question was leveled without even the slightest opportunity for salvage or alternative, that was a test, of sorts, for us as a community. By any reasonably objective view, we should understand that, in this instance, we failed.
Given the pressures placed on property owners to utilize the tear-down approach in order to speed up the building process, we are likely to see more instances like this, rather than less. Fortunately, there are examples that provide solutions here. York is not the first community to have to deal with this issue. As our local historic preservationists have pointed out, there are workable alternatives that can be implemented. In the new year, let's get on with them.
Happy holidays
With the close of the year we would like to extend our warmest holiday greetings to all of our readers and advertisers who have helped to make our paper a living part of our communities. Our next issue will be out on Jan. 18, 2008. Until then, we wish you all the best, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your support.
