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HLPC approves demolition and site‑restoration conditions for 451–453 Beale Street homes deemed eligible for state and national registers
Summary
The commission approved a certificate of appropriateness to demolish a severely degraded, register‑eligible dwelling at 451/453 Beale Street, accepting the applicant’s documentation that demolition is the only viable option and requiring the site be regraded to grass and documented for the commission record.
The Historic Landmark Preservation Commission on Feb. 6 approved a certificate of appropriateness to allow demolition of a deteriorated two‑story wood‑frame dwelling at 451–453 Beale Street that staff and historical consultants had previously identified as eligible for listing on the state and National Register of Historic Places.
Owner Mary Alice Waipols told the commission the structure lacks plumbing, electricity and a usable foundation and that “demolition is the only viable action.” Waipols provided photographs and documentation to show the building’s degraded condition; commission staff referenced a 2002 inventory prepared by Walter Wheeler that had earlier deemed the structure eligible under architectural‑history criteria and noted prior demolition of a western half of the house in 1983.
In discussing the property, the commission noted the site’s historical record: survey reports and Sanborn mapping cited in the finding trace the building’s presence to the early nineteenth century. Because the parcel lies within an archaeologically sensitive area, staff previously advised maintaining a complete file of submitted materials as a textual and visual record; the commission’s motion instructs staff to retain that record.
The commission voted to declare a negative declaration of environmental significance and then voted to grant a COA for demolition “if done according to the plans reviewed at this meeting,” subject to conditions that the applicant dispose of materials legally, regrade the site and return it to grassland, and that no new structure or landscape features be built at this time. The COA also states that any future changes will require further commission review and reiterates that the commission’s approval does not remove the need for building or demolition permits from the City of Kingston Building Safety Division.
Commissioners acknowledged the property’s historic interest but said its compromised integrity and the owner’s documentation supporting demolition supported the commission finding and conditioned the demolition on the administrative steps and records retention described in the motion.
