WANTED: A New Owner for Endangered Historic Property
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| Butler Family C. 1900, Essex, VT
Photo Courtesy of the
Essex Community Historical Society
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The Preservation Trust of Vermont is looking for a new owner for the Molloy-Delano House, prominently located on Route 15 in Essex, Vermont. The current property owner has all the permits in place to demolish this historic building but has given us a few months to attempt to find a new owner before tearing it down. It is an ideal location for office or other commercial use. A new road into the Essex Town Center development is adjacent to the property, greatly improving access and therefore the commercial viability of the property.
The Preservation Trust of Vermont is using a new tool - the Historic Places Revolving Fund - to help save historic buildings like this one that are threatened or underutilized. Thanks to a grant from the 1772 Foundation, we are acquiring options on selected historic properties hoping to find new owners and new uses before they disappear from the Vermont landscape forever.
Please spread the word by sharing this email with people you know who may be interested in saving this property.
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On a beautiful Saturday in mid-September, over 20 volunteers converged on the site with rakes, shovels, clippers and paint brushes to clean up the interior and exterior of the building and put a primer on the front façade to save it from further deterioration.
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Background: The Historic Places Revolving Fund purchased an option on the Molloy-Delano House this summer from Homestead Design, Inc. HDI has attempted to sell the property over the years, with no success. After we acquired the option, we went to work immediately to remove years of debris and scrub brush that had overtaken the property.
The Molloy - Delano House has a long history in Essex and has seen the landscape around it change radically from farmland to a densely developed commercial area. This house has survived all these years, but it needs help. Butler's Corners, where it is located, was an early settlement site in Essex. It appears that this house and the adjacent brick house were built by brothers Roswell and William A Butler who, with their sons, were engaged in several enterprises in the area, primarily lumber and mercantile operations. They also built a store, which no longer stands, located between the two homes. At the intersection of Route 15 and Old Stage Road, Butler's Corners was an important crossroads, connecting Burlington and Winooski to St. Albans, and east to Underhill, Cambridge and Johnson. The settlement once consisted of several houses, the store, a blacksmith shop, a school and a handful of farms.
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Molloy-Delano House 2011, Essex, VT
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Description: The Molloy-Delano House is a circa 1820 Federal Style wood frame house with garage. The house is approximately 1900 square feet and the barn is approximately 435 square feet not including the loft. There is the possibility constructing an addition on to the back of the house. It has sat vacant for many years and will need to be substantially rehabilitated, but it is salvageable and, once rehabilitated, could stand on this site for another 200 years
The Molloy-Delano House is distinctive architecturally. It is a 1 1/2 story wood clapboard building with 3" vertical wood plank wall construction and a wide gable roof. An early and rare example of an arcaded, recessed front porch with five arched openings extends across the full width of the front façade. Click here for more photos and information...
Contact information:
Emily Wadhams, Director, Historic Places Revolving Fund, Preservation Trust of Vermont
802.658.9535
ewadhams@gmail.com
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