Weston Historical Commission Imposes Demolition Delays on Two Historic Properties

WESTON — January 10, 2023 — Weston Historical Commission imposed 12-month demolition delays on a 1933 brick Colonial at 29 Sunset Road and a condemned 1750 farmhouse at 109 Lexington Street. The commission voted 6-1 to delay demolition at 29 Sunset Road after owners identified as the Dushan family said they intended to replace the house with a contemporary structure but presented no architectural plans; neighbors Wendy Kaplan, a Zoning Board of Appeals member at 21 Sunset Road, and Alicia Primo of 179 Church Street urged the panel not to yield. At 109 Lexington Street, Cambridge School of Weston Board Chair Anne Gorson told the commission the condemned White Farm building is structurally unsound, that renovation costs now exceed $2 million, and that the school proposes a period-accurate reconstruction; member Henry S. Stone, Jr. warned that "demolition by neglect is not acceptable," and the commission voted 5-0 with trustee John Thompson recused. The commission also found the 1785 Artemis Ward House at 543 Boston Post Road significant and referred a window-replacement application to a public hearing after members said they wanted the owner, not a contractor, to discuss original window restoration options. Both demolition-delay hearings continue February 7.