03/28/2024
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By Erin Smith

A once stately home in Elizabethtown could soon be facing the wrecking ball depending on the outcome of an administrative inspection on Thursday morning. The warrant for the Administrative Inspection was served on the property located at 1501 West Broad Street at 10:30 a.m.

The home has stood vacant for a number of years. The town of Elizabethtown has been working to try to have the property cleaned up and secured by the current owner, John Currie. Town Manager Eddie Madden said attempts by the town to contact Mr. Currie regarding the condition of the property have been unsuccessful.

“The town contacted him this morning to let him know we were entering the property,” said Madden.

The purpose of Thursday’s inspection was to enter and inspect the home for potential health hazards, fire hazards, mold, structural integrity of the house, and other dangerous conditions. “With it being unsecured, it is a chance for vagrants to be here,” said Elizabethtown Fire Chief Nick West. The group entered through an unsecured rear entry door.

Code Enforcement Inspectors with the Elizabethtown Fire Department, Christopher Adams with CA AIA, and Town Manager Eddie Madden and Elizabethtown Planning Technician Billie Hall all walked through the home looking at damage, mold growth and the overall structural integrity of the house.

Walking through the home, it was littered with boxes of old books, record albums, musical instruments, sparse furnishings, a wrought iron bed frame and vintage clothing. There was evidence of mold growing on the walls in several rooms on the first floor and on the ceilings on the first and second floor. The ceiling in one room was caving in and insulation was dangling from the opening. On the second floor, there was evidence of animals living in the house. In one room, inspectors found a handwritten grade report card and a collection of vinyl 78 rpm record albums.

The exterior of the home was overgrown with weeds and vines were beginning to devour the structure. On the front door hangs a notice for the Administrative Inspection.

Following the inspection, the inspectors all agreed the home, in its current condition, does not meet the current regulations for standard housing.

The next steps in the process will include receiving the written recommendations and photographs from the inspectors. “We have got to determine whether it is something that should be torn down or not,” said Madden.

Hall added the reports will be assembled and Mr. Currie will be notified of the findings of Thursday’s inspection. She said the town will then schedule a public hearing on the matter which Mr. Currie will be invited to attend.

“If demolition occurs, the bill for that goes to Mr. Currie,” said Hall. If the bill for the demolition is not paid, the town could place a lien on the property and eventually foreclose on it if the bill remains unpaid. Madden said a mortgage is currently owed on the property and if a foreclosure were to occur the proceeds from any sale of the property would go towards paying the mortgage and if any funds remain, they would be put towards any other debts owed such as a lien.

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