Agreement To Save Old Farmhouse Reached

An agreement to renovate a historic farmhouse at the Villas of Newtown has been reached by developer McGrath Homes, the homeowners association and Newtown Township.

The agreement was approved 3-2 by the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors Wednesday evening. Supervisors Jennifer Dix and Phillip Calabro voted against the agreement.

As part of the agreement, the house will be lifted until a modern foundation can be poured. In addition, the interior and exterior will be “restored” and a garage, elevator and modern kitchen will be added.

McGrath will also construct three new buildings with two units each at the age-restricted community off Upper Silver Lake Road. The three new buildings will match the style of the more than 150-plus units already at the Villas of Newtown.

Attorney Ed Murphy, who represented the developers, said the plans have come after a “great deal of conversations.”

The developer’s plan to take down a six-foot by six-foot kitchen that is connected to the house. The historic nature of the kitchen was debated briefly at the meeting.

As part of the agreement, Jeffery Marshall from the Heritage Conservancy and the township building inspector will oversee the partial restoration. Marshall and his organization will work with developers to document all of the original materials used in the renovations.

Several conditions were agreed to by the township and developer. Among them: the township will not issue an occupancy certificate until the work on the house is done, no new waivers will be granted, escrow money will be used to restore the home if the developer fails to within a certain period of time and the partial restoration will follow what was discussed at the meeting.

An elated McGrath told NewtownPANow.com following the meeting that he will work to bring the farmhouse, known as the The Cunningham House, up to modern standards while saving as much of the building as possible.

“I can’t be supportive of this,” Dix said of the agreement. She raised concerns that the house, which was constructed in the 1830s or 1840s, would not be undergoing a full restoration due to the upgrades planned and removal of the kitchen.

“Jesus Christ,” one man in the audience said when Dix voiced concerns about the restoration process.

Newtown Area Joint Historical Commission Chairman Warren Woldorf said the agreement would allow a historical element of the farmhouse to be “sacrificed.” He pointed to several features that make the small kitchen unique.

Once the agreement was approved 3-2, the majority of the public in attendance at the meeting broke into applause and cheers.

“I think we can all agree that it’s good to see some finality here,” Supervisor Ryan Gallagher said.

The battle over the farmhouse has heated up in the past two years. A 2006 agreement for the Villas of Newtown involved the house being restored. Due to several factors, including the economic downturn, the plan for restoration fell apart and McGrath took out permits to demolish the building in 2014.

Dix said McGrath dishonored the spirit of the original agreement that would have had the farmhouse being restored.

McGrath, who lives in the Villas of Newtown, said he felt the agreement was fair.

Bill Mahler, chairman of the Newtown Historical Architectural Review Board, said earlier this month that the house was part of a large nursery and built by the Cunningham family, who were wealthy timber merchants from New England. He added that the home was built with wood from New England and is rare example of that style in Newtown.

Work to bring the house up to modern standards in expected to take several months, McGrath said.