A once revered home at 21 High Acres Road was torn down in about 30 minutes Monday morning.
The two-story, four bedroom home, built in about 1953 by architect Harrison E. Baldwin for his family, was known locally for having ramps instead of stairs in its interior.
The Baldwins were well-known in the city. In fact, Baldwin was one of the Ansonia residents who helped organize the Hilltop Hose Co. No. 5.
He died in 1987. The homestead was left to his family, but the home and property fell into severe disrepair.
In addition to being a neighborhood eyesore — the owners fell far behind on taxes.
In December 2011, $99,624 was owed on the property — so much so that the city put the property out to auction.
Local contractors Frank Pepe and Joe Moscato purchased the property for $25,000. They’ll be redeveloping it as a single-family home.
On Monday morning, Moscato and Pepe invited Mayor James Della Volpe to hop into an excavator and get the first shot at tearing the old home down.
The bucket smashed into an exterior wall at just about 9 a.m., drawing cheers from a few of the 10 or so neighbors in attendance.
Pepe then continued demolishing the building, with assistance from employee Tom McEvoy, 21, of Derby.
Neighbors were happy to see the old building go down.
“I’m so happy,” said Jean Trusewicz, who had lived with her husband, John, on High Acres Road for 14 years.
The property stuck out like a sore thumb amid the quaint single-family homes in the neighborhood.
“We’re very happy because if we were to ever sell our home, it certainly would be a deterrent to buyers,” Trusewicz said.
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Bob Zuraw has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years. The house was once a local landmark.
“If you were giving directions, you’d just say we’re right past the square house,” Zuraw said.
But in recent years the yard became severely overgrown and the house itself rotted.
“It’s good that it’s coming down. It was an eyesore,” Zuraw said.
Pepe said it’ll take a few days to haul away the rubble. Construction on the new home should be underway in a matter of months.
