Neighbors want to save 1925 Colonial Revival home in Wantagh

The white Colonial Revival home has stood in a Wantagh neighborhood for 95 years.

But so far, officials have found no evidence to preserve it as a historical landmark.

The Nassau County Planning Commission is reviewing an application by the developers that would allow builders to demolish the home at Elm Place and Jones Avenue and divide the lot and build two new houses on the half-acre property.

Wantagh resident Joan Kemnitzer said she planned to request landmark status with the Hempstead Landmark Preservation Commission as a last-gasp effort to save the home.

“In Wantagh, every year something else beautiful gets destroyed,” Kemnitzer said. "We think people bought houses in this neighborhood because of the atmosphere, of large trees and gorgeous older homes. Little by little someone cuts down trees or a builder subdivides the property. We’re losing the beauty of the neighborhood.”

The Nassau County Planning Commission is accepting public comment on the project until 4 p.m. Monday  by phone and email.

The planning commission met Thursday to review the application by developer Fairwater Builders to divide the property. The nearly 20,000-square-foot property was granted a letter of zoning compliance  by the Town of Hempstead. Developers purchased the property at an estate sale in May for $1 million. Developers said the property needed to be divided to turn a profit.

“This is just right in keeping with the nature of the neighborhood,” developers’ Uniondale-based attorney Christian Browne said. “I understand people don’t like to see what they regard as a nice old home being torn down, but there is no legal basis to find this home cannot be altered or demolished … The builders have been through this before and always ended up having an excellent relationship with the neighbors surrounding the project.”

Planning department officials said they have received several public comments from residents seeking to preserve the home.

The seven-bedroom and 3.5-bathroom home was built in 1925 with a backyard swimming pool and tennis court in the style of early-20th century Colonial Revival architecture, planning officials said. The home was deemed ineligible for the New York State registry of historical places, officials said.

The home was previously owned by the Verity family, who was known at the turn of the century for various industries in Wantagh and Seaford, including a shipping company and building small boats on the Great South Bay. It was later sold to the Motschwiller family.

The Wantagh Preservation Society, which typically preserves homes that are 200 to 300 years old, has not deemed the home to be historical.

“We don’t believe it has any historical value,” Wantagh Preservation vice president Bob Meagher said. “It’s a beautiful home. People are upset that developers do not update some older homes. They just knock them down and build new houses.”

Residents have posted flyers around the neighborhood about the planning commission and plans by developers and encouraging public comment. The home now sits behind a chain-link fence in front of its brick walkway.

Kemnitzer acknowledged that the development would likely go forward, but she hoped the home could be saved.

“You choose a neighborhood because of the atmosphere and when that atmosphere is in danger, you have to speak up," she said.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.