Editor,
A century old home on Singleton was torn down this morning without even a whimper. It was sad, really, that nothing was done to try and save it. Singleton loses our designation as the only street in Eureka that had houses all over a century old. I cannot understand why nothing was done to try and save it years ago, when there was still a chance to restore it. I cannot understand why, when the decision was made to allow it to be torn down, no effort was made to salvage anything – solid core handmade doors, antique windows, door knobs, handmade nails, molding, trim, nothing was saved. It was all loaded to the dump. It saddened me to hear it go.
I admire those at 8 Washington that have saved that old house, and the house diagonal to it that has received new life after I was certain it would be torn down. Eureka and its historic district, commissions, and councils need to take notice. It is easier to leave a house to be deemed “unrepairable” than it is to get permission to restore a house.
A stop work order is put in place on a house under restoration for one window being two inches shorter than the original, but there was little deliberation before tearing down an historic house.
Christi Wagner, Singleton resident