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Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Demolition permit denied for Milliken Farmhouse
By LAURA FITZGERALD
[email protected]
The Town of Montgomery Historic
Preservation Commission denied the
request for demolition of the Milliken
Farmhouse at 18 Coleman Road by the
Bruderhof community.
The house was placed on the local
historic register in 2006, so any demolition
or modification to the house requires
approval of a certificate of appropriateness
(COA) from the commission.
Commission chair Mary Ellen Matise
said the commission had very little to
go off for a structural assessment, and
town building inspector Walter Schmidt
determined the house was not in danger
of collapse in an assessment in August of
2018.
In the absence of a structural
assessment, Matise said the commission
had to follow its mission statement, which
is, “to protect, enhance and perpetuate
our heritage so as to ensure the quality
of life in the Town of Montgomery for
present and future generations.”
Matise said while the house doesn’t
need to be inhabited again, it can be
restored and used for whatever purpose
An undated photo of the farmhouse at 18 Coleman Road.
the Bruderhof may need. Commission
member Susan Cockburn recommended
several uses for the community, such
as a farm market, or for a community
organization the Bruderhof is involved
in, such as Hope Not Handcuffs.
“From a historic point of view and
because there is really nothing structural
to go on, there are possibilities, and there
are possibilities to go with your mission,”
Matise said to Bruderhof representative
David Palau.
The commission must also uphold the
law, Matise said. The Town of Montgomery
1997 Historic Preservation Law provides
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for the, “protection, enhancement and
perpetuation of landmarks,” and puts the
responsibility of maintenance from the
point of historic register designation on
the owner.
“Once [the historic designation] goes
forward, you’re binding yourself to the
letter of the law,” Matise said.
Palau said the house is uninhabitable
and beyond repair. With vandals
breaking in, it presented a liability to the
community.
The house has no use for the
community, Palau said. He would prefer
to the see it demolished and the land
returned to open space.
The Bruderhof may appeal the
commission’s decision to the town board
or appeal to the commission for relief on
the grounds of hardship. Matise said the
Bruderhof might be able to submit a COA
application to the commission for the
demolition of the newer addition to the
house.
The Milliken Farmhouse housed
several prominent families and early
settlers in the area, including Captain
Peter Milliken, who was the son of Captain
James Milliken. James was killed in the
Revolutionary War at Fort Montgomery.
Peter Milliken served in the War of 1812
and was a New York State Assemblyman.
In 1851, Peter Milliken deeded the house
to his nephew, Peter Eager. Peter Eager
was a descendant of William Bulls and
Sarah Wells, two of the most prominent
settlers in Orange County.
The Bruderhof purchased the Milliken
House in 2000, and lived in five subdivided
apartments until 2006, when the house
was granted landmark status. It was also
in 2006 that an attorney letter mentions
demolition of the Milliken house addition,
but no COA application was submitted.