The interior reflects a recent renovation of the Andrews House. The city has set aside $300,000 toward moving the 117-year-old structure. Photo provided by Tom Warnke
By Tao Woolfe
People hoping to see Boynton Beach’s oldest home preserved and relocated have fresh hope, now that the city has set aside $300,000 for historic preservation.
The city commissioners, acting in their roles as Community Redevelopment Agency board members, decided to set aside those preservation funds after a lengthy discussion on Feb. 11 about how to save the 117-year-old Andrews House that once belonged to the family of Major Nathan S. Boynton, the city’s founding father.
The unanimous decision came after many residents asked the commissioners through the CRA to save the little wooden house, which had been on the verge of demolition a few months ago.
Setting aside money to move and preserve the Andrews House would allow the city to “do the right thing” by saving the home, creating positive media coverage, and reminding the public that “those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it,” said longtime resident Susan Oyer.
“Let’s not repeat our past mistakes of destroying our city’s unique history by not preserving it when we have the time and the funding to do so,” Oyer added. “Now is the time to lead by example.”
Barbara Ready, chair of the Boynton Beach Historic Preservation Board, agreed.
“It is sad that historic preservation in our city has taken a back seat for almost a decade now,” Ready said. “I am incredibly hopeful that these unallocated funds … would save a physical portion of Boynton Beach’s history for the future, revive that part of Ocean Avenue, and give your residents a bit of the quaint fishing village they crave.”
Ready was speaking about some $2 million in unallocated CRA money, most of which will be used for property acquisition in the CRA district, said Vicki Hill, the CRA’s finance director.
The CRA board members decided to redirect $300,000 of that money for historic preservation. Some of the money could be used to restore the Magnuson House, another historic property that has suffered from neglect, and possibly to move the Andrews House to the Magnuson parcel.
CRA Attorney Kathryn Rossmell said the board members did not have to be specific about the purposes of the historic preservation fund to set it up.
“You have the opportunity to adjust the plan so the CRA can work with historic properties,” Rossmell said.
Mayor Ty Penserga said the $300,000 was “seed money” and that more could be set aside in the future once the CRA staff has determined the exact relocation and renovation costs for the Andrews House.
Acting CRA Director Tim Tack said his organization is allowed to consider historic properties in the CRA zone under the category of “adaptive reuse,” which allows new uses for vacant, heritage properties.
The Andrews House was almost demolished just before Thanksgiving, but neighborhood residents noticed the yellow demolition excavator sitting on its current site at 306 SE First Ave. and raised the alarm. The neighbors pleaded with the mayor and commissioners to call off the execution.
The city obliged and worked with the property owner to delay any demolition. The house has been a hot topic of conversation ever since.
At a Jan. 14 City Commission meeting, Assistant Public Works Director Richard Hoffer said the city and CRA staff are looking at three potential locations for the Andrews House: a city park at Northeast Sixth Avenue and Northeast Sixth Court; the 211 E. Ocean Ave. site occupied by the Magnuson House; and a large CRA-owned lot at North Seacrest Boulevard and Northeast Third Avenue.
Hoffer added that city staff had consulted with contractors and had determined that it would cost $100,000 to $150,000 to move the home to a new site; $75,000 to $100,000 in construction costs; and $50,000 in consultant fees for a total of about $375,000, which includes a 25% contingency.
The project would take at least 14 to 16 months to complete — including the design, permitting and ultimately procuring historic designation, Hoffer said.
Residents who spoke in favor of preservation said they would prefer having the Andrews House on the same parcel as the Magnuson House to create a historic enclave downtown.
That sentiment resurfaced at the Feb. 11 CRA meeting.
“The Move Historic Andrews House Committee is proposing ideas to move the Andrews House beside the Magnuson House to create a downtown heritage district,” Ready told the board members. “This would represent a new and interesting destination, as well as an economic development strategy that would activate the area by the historic Magnuson House that the CRA already owns.”
For more on the committee’s ideas, visit movehistoricandrewshouse.org.
The Andrews House, built in 1907 by Dutch pioneer Bert Kapp, has some unusual features — including built-in steel rods that can be tightened to hold the house together during a hurricane.
The house has survived several hurricanes. It was completely renovated several years ago, restored to its former glory, and updated for modern use.
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