Thank you for publishing your story, “Residents Oppose Demolishing 113-year old Buildings” in your March 8th issue. I would like to make a couple of clarifications.
The house at 725 Elden Street is 135 years old, not 113 years old. It is the second oldest home in downtown Herndon. This house is considered a historic/contributing structure and has protected status. Before such a structure can be demolished the applicants are supposed to show that the house is not structurally sound, or cannot be relocated, modified or sold, which the applicants have not demonstrated. Although the house is a residential building, the applicant has only made little effort to sell it as a commercial property, at a very high price, without commissions offered to real estate agents.
The 465-square foot building that the applicant’s representative described as a “storage shed” is actually a historic carriage house that dates with the home. It is also considered a historic/contributing structure.
Attached is a photo that shows the home in the early 1900s. The horse-drawn funeral carriage shown in the photo is still stored in the historic carriage house today.