Preservationists’ last hopes came crashing down when Harvey, Hanna & Associates demolished the fire-gutted Mundy farmhouse on Lancaster Pike, without a demolition permit and in violation of a stop work order.
A code enforcement officer posted the stop work order on the historic structure March 2, but the building was demolished overnight anyway, despite an open arson investigation being conducted by the Delaware State Fire Marshal’s office.
“The vacant house was consumed by a fire during the last snowstorm on February 10. This situation created a serious public safety hazard. New Castle County Code enforcement was contacted about the situation and our plans to remove what was left of the unstable gutted building. We are happy to address any questions the County may have at the scheduled hearing,” Bill Lower, director of environmental and political affairs for Harvey Hanna, wrote in an e-mail.
For GHADA President Fran Swift, who called New Castle County code enforcement on March 1 when he saw demolition begin, the destruction is most upsetting because it puts an end to a fledgling preservation effort he and other Hockessin community leaders had begun.
“I’m really upset about it,” he said. “It seemed like as soon as someone was aware we were trying to save that building, it caught fire and then it was torn down.”
Harvey, Hanna & Associates could face penalties from the Historic Review Board, which has scheduled an April 20 meeting to hear evidence from the property owner and community members, said Christine Quinn, historic preservation planner.
If the Historic Review Board determines that a historic structure was demolished without a permit, the board can withhold building permits on the site for one to three years and recommend New Castle County prosecute the property owners, she said. The board has withheld building permits in the past, she said, but no one has ever been prosecuted.
Because of its status on the National Register of Historic Places, there is a record of the house, which dates to 1812, and its history as the site of the first Catholic Church in Delaware, she said, but no measured drawings are on file and other artifacts are likely buried in the rubble.
For violating the stop work order, Harvey Hanna may have to answer to the Department of Land Use, which could issue a fine of up to $1,000, refuse to issue building permits or certificates of occupancy or revoke contractors’ licenses.
