Demolition of a nearly 100-year-old home ignites passionate battle in Highland Park
HIGHLAND PARK (CBSNewsTexas.com) — The demolition of a nearly 100-year-old home has ignited a passionate battle in Highland Park.
First, neighbors gathered for a block party on Fairfax Avenue as a sign of solidarity and protest for a house with a death sentence.
"It was a wonderful family home for many, many years. It was perfect scale for the neighborhood," said Amy Beale, the president of Preservation Park Cities.
Last week, the wrecking ball arrived.
"It's heartbreaking anytime we lose an old house. They've been a part of our community for such a long time," she said. "And we want that home to continue our traditions of quality architecture and beautiful, well-thought-out design."
But the builders said when they saw the inside, they learned that most of the architectural elements were removed decades ago.
"This house was chopped up back in the 70s," said Rozie Samei, co-founder of Avida Custom Homes. "Half of the house was broken down, added all the modern two-story sliding doors, modern windows, different doors."
Rozie Samei said she and her husband, who have been building homes for 30 years, intended to renovate to create their retirement home.
"The house that everyone says is an architecturally historic house? It's not an architecturally historic house," she said.
Samei, who is Persian-American, said what's most disappointing are the racist attacks she's received on social media, with comments like, "White people would never tear down a beautiful house like this. I just knew it would be people like you."
Beale said her goal is only that this house and others will be rebuilt to last another hundred years. "It is our hope that she looks at the block, that she looks at the scale, that she looks at the community and builds something that's a high-quality design."
