nothin Developer Wins Lot, Vows To Move Historic Home | New Haven Independent

Developer Wins Lot, Vows To Move Historic Home

Melissa Bailey Photo

Thomas MacMillan Photo

Chapel West developer Randy Salvatore beat the Korean government in a battle for an empty lot — and pledged to follow through on a promise to save a historic home from destruction.

Salvatore (pictured) made the pledge as he moves forward with plans to build a 136-unit apartment complex on a 53,000 square-foot site at the corner of Chapel and Howe.

Plans originally called for tearing down a historic Queen Anne/ Colonial Revival two-family home at 1249 Chapel (pictured above) to make way for the development.

After outcry from neighbors and historic preservationists, Salvatore agreed to buy an adjacent empty lot and move the house there instead of destroying it.

The lot proved hard to get: Salvatore first lost a bidding war with the Korean-American Society of Connecticut, which sought to build a cultural center affiliated with the South Korean government. The Korean group secured the rights to buy the lot for $250,000, but never followed through with the money, sending the property back to the auction block. Salvatore bought it in another bidding war in late April, clearing the way for his rescue plan.

I’m honoring a commitment that I made to the community to try to save the house,” Salvatore proclaimed in an interview.

He said he plans to hire a contractor to lift up the house with a crane and move it next door to 1255 Chapel in three or four months.” A few final pieces still must fall into place: final approval from Superior Court, a city building permit, and execution of an option to buy the historic home.

Salvatore won the lot (pictured) after a 34-step bidding war at an April 27 foreclosure auction. He ended up paying $187,000 for the vacant 0.15-acre property, which a court appraiser had valued at $90,000. The deal was clearly not an economic positive event for me,” he said, but he did it to honor the commitment” he made to the neighborhood. Salvatore’s plan also calls for preserving two other historic homes at 169 and 175 Dwight St. 

John Herzan, preservation services officer for The New Haven Preservation Trust, which has challenged the density of Salvatore’s development, welcomed Salvatore’s effort to rescue the house.

No matter how anybody feels about the development and its design,” Herzan said, that piece of the puzzle is very commendable.”

The trust has been very concerned that 1249 be saved,” Herzan said. He called it a very well-preserved property” and an important part of the Dwight Street Historic District.

1249 Chapel (right) and its landing pad (at left).

The house was built in 1905 in the Queen Anne/ Colonial Revival style. It’s important not because it’s a well-known landmark, Herzan argued, but because it’s a very good example of that time period.”

The building has integrity and distinctive architectural features” such as an elaborate frame around the gable window,” he said. The details around the window, the second-floor bay window, and the simple Doric columns” on the porch all enhance the style” of the utilitarian structure.

It’s very evident from the materials used, the attention given to detailing, that there was a lot of pride in that house’s construction,” Herzan said.

He proclaimed it wonderful” that Salvatore decided to move the house next door instead of tearing it down. Moving it one lot away still keeps its still orientation to the street and strengthens the historic fabric of the area.”

Neighbor and former Alderwoman Olivia Martson of the Friends of Dwight Street Historic District also welcomed the move.

He’s kept his word that he would do this. I felt really good about that,” she said.

Martson said her next quest is to convince Salvatore to renovate 1249 Chapel, as well as two homes on Dwight, according to the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for historic renovation. If he does, he can qualify for up to $75,000 in state tax credits for both the renovation and the relocation of the home, according to Herzan.

Salvatore said he is considering the suggestion: We’re just starting to look into that.”

Bidding Wars

Salvatore’s purchase caps a long journey for 1255 Chapel St.

The property is the former home of Schatz Furrier, owned by the late Evelyn Schatz (at left in photo with Deputy City/Town Clerk Sally Brown) and her husband, Morris. She was a civic leader and a founder of the Chapel West Special Services District. The name of the block — Evelyn Schatz Way” — offers a hint at her influence in the neighborhood.

A dramatic fire tore through the building in 2009, prompting the city to order an emergency demolition. That left the property saddled with a $147,463 demolition lien from Cherry Hill Construction, according to court records.

Melissa Bailey Photo

1255 Chapel right after the fire.

Claiming years of back taxes, the city filed for foreclosure in September of 2010 against the Estate of Evelyn Schatz and David Davidson, believed to be the sole heir to the estate. The court encountered numerous hurdles as it sought to dispose of the property through a foreclosure auction. The first sale had to be postponed when court officials discovered Davidson had been dead for some time, and thus was erroneously named as a defendant.

Salvatore sent an agent to a foreclosure sale on Aug. 4, 2012. It turned out to be a vigorous bidding war. After 69 bids, the Korean-American Society of Connecticut won the property for $250,000. The society aimed to build a cultural center there on behalf of the South Korean government, according to Brian McGrath, director of the Chapel West Special Services District. The group put down a $7,500 deposit, but never followed through with the rest of the money within the requisite 30 days, court records show. The property went back on the auction block on Jan. 12.

This time, Salvatore won the lot for a bargain basement $32,250. That’s because there were only two bidders, and one of them showed up too late. Cherry Hill, the demolition company that had thousands of dollars riding on the sale, contested the sale in court, arguing the price was too low.

Salvatore again sent an agent to a final sale on April 27. This time, Cherry Hill showed up on time and forced Salvatore’s bids up to a point where the company could recoup its $147,463 lien. Salvatore walked away with the property for $187,000. The sale still needs approval in Superior Court.

Once that sale clears, Salvatore plans to get a building permit for a new foundation to be built on the grave of the Schatz estate. He has an option to buy 1249 Chapel St. from its current owner, Joel Schiavone. Once those components fall into place, he plans to hire a contractor who specializes in moving houses.

The big move will require detaching the house’s utility lines, lifting it up on steel beams, then swinging it onto its new foundation, likely with a crane, said Salvatore.

Six tenants live in the two-family home. They have made plans to be safely relocated before their house is lifted into the air, according to tenant Rosa Ayala.

We are sad to leave our home,” said Ayala, who has lived in the Dwight neighborhood since 2009. One of her housemates, Celeste Greer, spoke up at a public hearing in effort to save the house.

Thomas MacMillan Photo

A rendering of Salvatore’s proposed development, as presented last fall.

Michelle Shortsleeve, another housemate, joined neighborhood concern for Salvatore’s larger plans for the block.

I have enjoyed living in this neighborhood and definitely support development in the area,” she wrote in an email, but I would love to see the city insist on a well-built brick building with requisite open space.”

Salvatore recently won a key zoning change that will pave the way for his plans. He still needs a site plan approval from the City Plan Commission.

Salvatore said he is currently working on drafting the detailed site plan for the four-or-five-story development, which he said will include 136 apartments as well as retail.

We’ve already gotten a lot of feedback,” he said. We think we have a clear idea of what the neighborhood and the city is looking for. We’re confident we can create something that is economically viable” and addresses the concerns about density and open space.

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