Should it be moved? Should it stay where it is? Should it be torn down? The Martha’s Vineyard Commission grappled with these three questions Thursday night, but came away with few answers after closing the public hearing on the historic Caleb Prouty House in Vineyard Haven.
The building is currently owned by Stop & Shop, whose Vineyard Haven store abuts the historic house. Despite the proposal to demolish the 19th century home for development, Stop & Shop would like to move the house, according to Stop & Shop’s attorney, Geoghan Coogan.
Stop & Shop is working on a plan to develop the site, but wants to find out if the house can or cannot be moved, which will then determine future development plans for the existing Stop & Shop store. There is no MVC review trigger for moving a house, so Coogan requested a demolition so the project would have review.
“I’m kind of here voluntarily, because it should have some oversight,” Coogan said. “I’m not looking to squeak it by.”
The property has a long history in town. It was acquired by Charles Smith in 1835 from Samuel Claghorn for $200. Smith did not make improvements to the property, which he then sold to Prouty in 1844 for $150, according to the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Dukes County Registry of Deeds records show the two-story Greek Revival home was likely constructed or remodeled by Prouty between 1844 and 1851 as a residence for his family.
Prouty was a mariner who worked for the U.S. Revenue Service, a maritime law enforcement organization that was active between 1790 and 1915. Prouty’s son, Everett, was also a mariner. His wife, Nancy, was the daughter of Elijah Hillman, a prominent Island merchant and previous owner of the Hillman House, an 1810 home demolished in 1961.
The home famously survived the 1883 fire that destroyed most buildings on both sides of Main Street, Beach Street, and Union Street. The house has not been occupied since it was purchased by Stop & Shop in 2012.
The home is eligible to be on the National Register of Historic Places, which is the highest level of federally designated protection, but was never designated. A 2013 Public Archaeology Laboratory (PAL) archaeological sensitivity assessment found the house to be an “excellent local example” of a Greek Revival house.
The historic demolition of the home was previously referred to the commission in 2013 and 2015.
Thursday’s public hearing, which had no public testimony, revolved around denying a demolition request while putting conditions on it for it to be moved. Commissioners also wanted to make sure there were plans for the house to be secured so it would not fall into further deterioration.
Coogan told the commission that Stop & Shop was open to coming back to the commission with more details about the move.
In a Feb. 20 letter to the MVC, Tisbury historical commission (THC) chairman Harold Chapdelaine wrote that the house is of great historical value. “The THC respectfully requests and recommends any activity by Stop & Shop and/or implementation of the DRI process by the MVC involving the Caleb Prouty House include preservation and complete historical renovation of the Caleb Prouty House at its present address, or a location to be determined in concert with the THC,” Chapdelaine wrote.
Some commissioners, like Ben Robinson, felt there was information missing to make a decision on whether the building should stay or be moved.
“That information is how is it going to be moved, and where it’s going to be moved to,” Robinson said. “Until you can weigh out those things against the value of it staying in its current location, how can we make this decision? I mean, we’re giving sort of incremental approval.”
After more than an hour of discussion on the procedural aspects of whether the commission could or should deny a demolition, but place conditions on it for it to be moved, commissioner Kathy Newman called the situation “horse-and-cartish.” Other commissioners wanted to move the project along.
“Why don’t we just try to be efficient here and save everybody a lot of time; deny the demolition and put some conditions upon its removal, and get the damn thing done?” commissioner Robert Doyle said. “We’re just arguing over a lot of nonsense when this is just efficiency.”
Commissioners voted to close the hearing, but left the written record open until March 12. A date has not been set for deliberation.
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