AUGDON HOUSE Poland mulls options for saving old building

The matter will be addressed at a meeting Tuesday.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- The wrecking ball already has greeted two less-historic sections of the Augdon House as village officials and local preservationist determine how to save the rest.
The Augdon House has stood on Main Street here since it was built in 1850. Council and members of the preservation society have been involved in long and sometimes heated discussions over whether the house should be saved from the wrecking ball and moved to village-owned property.
A developer said he will raze the house to make way for condominiums if is not moved soon.
Councilman Joe Mazur made a motion Tuesday night that would allow the Poland Preservation Society and Streetscapes, a group of concerned citizens, to move the house to land occupied by village hall.
Ron Eiselstein and Robert Mastriana, both of Streetscapes, told council both groups wanted to move the house to the section of village hall property closest to the state Route 170 bridge, directly across from the Poland library. The house would sit close to the street.
"It would look like it has always been there," Mastriana said. "In time, you would not even remember that it wasn't originally at that location."
Eiselstein said the house would be "driven" across Yellow Creek to get the proposed location in the most cost-efficient manner.
Mazur's motion was tabled, however, until a special council meeting Tuesday.
What's next
Councilman Bob Limmer said the motion was premature until an independent person checks the house's integrity and historical value and the village finance committee looks at the long-term cost of maintaining the structure.
Mastriana said the preservation society has located someone willing to vouch for the house's integrity and historical value.
Anyone driving by the Augdon House lately will notice that much of it has been removed. An attached garage and another living section have been demolished.
Eiselstein said both sections had been added over the years and the preservation groups wish to save only the home's original section.
Eiselstein presented council with what he said was a Civil War-era cannon ball unearthed during the removal of the garage from the house. He said it was a symbol of what would be lost if the house is destroyed.
The cannon ball was donated to the village.
Mastriana said the long fight to save the house is an effort to maintain a portion of the village's heritage.
"We just don't want another mistake to happen. We let President McKinley's house go for a parking lot. How absurd was that? These historic structures are irreplaceable and need to be preserved," he said.
Mastriana said the move and exterior restoration would cost $42,000. He said one-third of the cost already has been pledged.
jgoodwin@vindy.com