Should a Chestnut Street Home Be Demolished?

Amidst one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Boston, a debate is raging about what should happen to a home whose owners have received an order to demolish it.

On Thursday, the Beacon Hill Architectural Commission will hold a public hearing on plans for 124 Chestnut St., according to their agenda, that include a new single-family house.

Owner Dean Stratouly started his own website, 124ChestnutStreet.com, to update locals on the project involving the late-1800s home he purchased in February.

Stratouly wrote that upon buying the home, he and his wife realized the home would require "a complete gut" and being in the real estate business, he and his wife were "excited about the opportunity to restore this building to its original condition."

But upon inspection, Stratouly said there were problems that ran deep regarding the home's condition, including "visible signs of foundation failure" as well as "signs of significant and continuous water infiltration into the exterior walls" among other safety and structural deficiencies.

From there, Boston inspections officials deemed the structure to be worthy of a Violation Notice "which directed us to immediately demolish it," Stratouly wrote. The violation notice, dated March 28, can be viewed here.

The Boston Globe reported that a previous BHAC meeting drew a large crowd of preservationists who asked for an independent review of the building, but the commission complied with the city's ruling. 

Stratouly wrote that he's able to "recognize the significance of this situation and the magnitude of the impact it has on the abutters and the entire neighborhood" and wants no dimensional or use variances for a new home.

Are you comfortable with the plans for the demolition of 124 Chestnut St.? Are you worried about the impact such a precedent could have on future projects? Or do you think the demolition should go ahead? Leave your thoughts below.