Development by demolition in Bourne

Two more old Bourne homes face the wrecking ball.

The first house is at Shore Road just below Trading Post Corners, Bourne village. It is known as The Rev. Herman Perry House. Its days are numbered. A demolition permit has been secured.

The second structure sits hard by 270 Scraggy Neck Road, Cataumet, along the approach to the causeway. Built in 1890 and assessed at $785,400, it too is on the way out.

The Bourne Historical Commission, reluctantly but unanimously, voted to approve demolition requests for both homesteads.

The Perry house dates to the early 19th century and once served as a parsonage for the Bourne Methodist Church, nearby at Sandwich Road.

Lynne C. Smith of Hingham owns the Cataumet house. It has served the family for generations as a summer place.

The historical commission conducted in-depth hearings into both requests. It finds itself caught by its charge to act on the side of preservation while listening to persuasive arguments that historic old homes all too often have fallen into such disrepair that they would be far too costly to repair.

The commission has a certain reach in such matters; then a form of dissatisfaction sets in, bordered by uncertainty as to the limits of preservation work. In the end, the respect for the past is trumped by the cost of the future. And commission members past and present agree that Bourne has an extraordinary diversity of architectural styles worthy of protection.

The plan at 270 Scraggy Neck Road is to raze the house and build a new energy-compliant home. The commission was told last week it would cost $350,000 to otherwise restore the structure and make it livable year-round. Beyond that, the house is too big and too tall to move from the lot.

The plan at Shore Road is to raze the Perry house and sell the tract on the south side of the roadway; in order to clear an estate through probate.

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Development by demolition in Bourne