County to Demolish Historic West Hempstead Home

A large piece of West Hempstead's history will soon be torn down.

The Bedell House, a modest 18th century colonial built by Hiram Bedell that once stood on Hempstead Turnpike, just west of Mayfair Avenue, is slated for demolition, reports Newsday. Although the home has been spending the past thirty years at the Old Bethpage Restoration Village, it's considered West Hempstead's oldest home, but officials say it can not be saved.

According to the blog, "West Hempstead Now and Then," master architect Carl Otto, and his wife, Lena, purchased the home and in the early 1900s, moved it north toward the Garden City border, where he restored it. But in 1982, after Carl's passing, his widow, then 100 years old, donated the home to the Nassau County Parks Department, which transported it to Old Bethpage. That's where it has sat for the past three decades, awaiting "a restoration that never happened."

A spokeswoman for Nassau County told Patch that the home was in poor condition when it arrived in Old Bethpage, explaining that when the chimneys were removed to faciliate the transport, the building was compromised.

The Department of Public Works' historic architects evaluated the building in 2008 and determined that it was unfit for public use. Now, the County plans to tear down the home, saving some parts such as the front door and other key architectural items, to then rebuild an exact replica.

The replacement building, designed by JHS Architects, would cost approximately $700,000, but it will have to go out to bid again and won't be built until funding is found.

Right now, the County is open to the idea of partnering with not-for-profits or historical societies to work together to investigate possibilities for the future of this structure, its components and its history.

What do you think of the County's decision?