100-Year-Old Stone Harbor Home Slated for Demolition

STONE HARBOR — A late Victorian-era home here is slated for demolition next week, just after reaching the 100-year-old mark.
Built in 1908, the property at 8626 First Avenue is featured in Stone Harbor Museum’s Self-Guided Walking/Biking Tour of Historic Stone Harbor.
A museum pamphlet states the home was once called “The Lady Down the Block” but was renamed “Twin Turrets” by owners who restored it close to its original appearance.
“The turrets, wrapped porch and central fireplace are true to the last years of the Victorian era,” the tour pamphlet states.
Photos show its wrap-around porch was enclosed in 1997 and was later renovated to an open-air porch.
Stone Harbor does not have a Historical Preservation Commission. There is no definitive historic district. Older structures are speckled throughout the borough.
The U.S. Lifesaving Station on Second Avenue, built in 1895 and restored by American Legion Post 331, is the only borough property listed on state and national registers of historic places, the borough’s 2009 master plan states.
“Loss of smaller homes is redefining the character of neighborhoods by increasing the average scale of buildings and reducing diverse and temporal elements of the landscape,” it states.
“This is not only motivated by the trend towards larger housing but is a consequence of borough’s land values that have increased in exponential proportion to the value of buildings.”
Historic Preservation is listed as an objective and a plan is recommended to preserve heritage and reduce demolition waste.
A demolition sale is taking place Aug. 20-22 during which all contents, including doors, windows, furniture and appliances will be sold before “Twin Turrets” meets the wreking ball.
Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 ext. 24 or at: ltruluck@cmcherald.com.