The Cunningham House at the Villas of Newtown.
Credit: Google Maps
The controversy over the dilapidated farmhouse at the Villas of Newtown site on Upper Silver Lake Road continues.
Last week, Newtown Township officials said representatives from McGrath Homes could present revised plans for the farmhouse, also known as the Cunningham House, at their March 23 meeting.
Peggy Driscoll, who is vice chairperson of the Newtown Township Planning Commission, recently said they reviewed the second amended plans that include disassembling the farmhouse and rebuilding with an addition. The structure would be worked in the Villas of Newtown.
In addition to rebuilding the farmhouse that has been at the site since the mid-1800s, three new twin-style buildings with two living units each are proposed, Driscoll said.
The vice chairwoman said the plan for the dilapidated farmhouse shows McGrath “using much of the original material on a new foundation.” The inside of the farmhouse would be restored with the oversight of the Newtown Historical Architectural Review Board and Heritage Conservancy.
Driscoll said she was concerned about the method used to rebuild the house and whether renovations would keep the historic nature of the house.
Bill Mahler, chairman of the Newtown Historical Architectural Review Board, said he was concerned that the building, which he feels was historically significant to the area, would not be restored properly.
The house was part of a large nursery and built by the Cunningham family, who were wealthy timber merchants from New England, Mahler said. He added that the home was built with wood from New England and is rare example of that style in Newtown.
Mahler said he appreciated McGrath’s efforts to repair the house. He encouraged McGrath to follow the Department of the Interior’s guide of restoring historic buildings.
Harriet Becker, also a member of the Newtown Historical Architectural Review Board, raised concerns about the manner in which the building would be rebuilt. She also said taking the building down and rebuilding it with some new materials added in would not be a historic renovation.
“We would be opposed to changing the material … you can’t use modern materials that look like old materials. You have to use what is there,” Becker said.
The farmhouse has been a point of controversy since the Villas of Newtown site was approved in 2006. Disagreements about the fate of the farmhouse have come up over the years. The original plans showed for the house to saved but that changed in the following years. Residents of the age-restricted Villas of Newtown have voiced concerns about the dilapidated wooden farmhouse in the past.
The township board of supervisors would have to approve any revisions to the site plans.
