Unfortunately, this home had no legal protections as an historic resource.
It was not situated within an historic district, nor listed on National or State Registers, nor subject to any preservation easements.
The City of Derby now has some work to do it if it’s serious about conserving its remaining historic building stock, including implementing a demolition delay ordinance, as well as a municipal-wide historic preservation ordinance, similar to the one recently enacted by the City of Milford.
And hopefully, private owners of historic properties will give consent to National or State register nominations for their buildings, which, in addition to affording better long-term protection against future demolition, also carries other benefits, such as eligibility for state or federal historic tax credits.
The writer is a Derby resident.
