IHT will demolish house to make way for new housing

Posted November 10, 2005

The Island Housing Trust (IHT) is planning to demolish a sprawling ranch house at 150 State Road in Tisbury, formerly owned by George Schiffer, to make way for new affordable housing units. Work is expected to begin early next week on the building, located across from Morrice Florist.

Sometime later this month a building located at 7 Beach Road, formerly the studio of artist Travis Tuck and now owned by Michael Kidder and donated to IHT, will be moved to the cleared site.

Philippe Jordi, IHT executive director, said the trust purchased the Schiffer house earlier this year at a significant discount from Eva Schiffer, sister of the late George Schiffer and aunt of Kathryn Roessel, former Island Steamship Authority member, who was given the house after her uncle's death and died last year and wanted the property to be used for affordable housing.

The original plan to convert the Schiffer house into duplex condominiums was dropped due to the condition of the house and the high costs involved in any conversion. Instead, the lot will become the new home of the Kidder building, which will be converted into two affordable condominium units. Plans call for the construction of another two-unit building on the one-acre site in the future.

Mr. Jordi said a woodstove and other items from the house have been donated to a Habitat for Humanity family and all other reusable items in the house have been stripped and will be reused for future projects.