This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
05/25/2021 02:46 PMWith the fate of the historic house located at 151-153 East Main Street garnering significant attention in recent months, a Clinton resident has stepped up to preserve the Corn Crib that was located on that property.
Earlier this year, an application to demolish a historic home and build a condo complex on two parcels of land across from the Clinton Police Department caused a stir. Advocates for preserving the house objected to the possibility it might be demolished, and they got the state’s historic preservation office involved. That led to a compromise where the house will not be demolished. However, the house isn’t the only historic structure on the property that will now be saved.
In addition to the house, the property is home to the structure known as the Corn Crib. The crib is in poor condition and was determined to not have significant historic value as it was built sometime in the second half of the 20th century, so there was not as much fight put into saving it from demolition by the state or local advocates.
Clinton resident Laurie McGrath read about the impending destruction of the structure and decided to reach out to see if she could take possession of the crib. McGrath was able to eventually get in contact with Jay Kurup, the developer behind the condo application, who agreed to let McGrath move the building to her property.
“He was very easy to work with and he was very helpful,” McGrath said.
History is something McGrath and her family enjoy. McGrath lives in a house on Old Nod Road that she said was built in the mid 1700s and she added she was just drawn to the idea of keeping the Corn Crib on her property.
“We have a historic property here and we wanted it here if we could have it. The history of this stuff electrifies us,” McGrath said.
Coincidentally, McGrath’s home was once owned by a member of the Dowd family, the same family that owned the historic house that was saved from demolition and where the Corn Crib was located. In fact, McGrath said she recalls taking trips to the Corn Crib to purchase goods when she was younger. During one of these trips, one of the members of the Dowd family mentioned that the crib may have been moved from another property the Dowds had owned, which McGrath said suggests that the structure may be older than people give it credit for.
Presently, the Corn Crib is under tarps on McGrath’s property. Due to the fragile nature of the building, it had to be taken apart to be moved and will be reassembled at its new home. McGrath said she had to make about 10 phone calls until she found Dave Goodrich, a contractor who was qualified and able to take on the project.
As for the future, McGrath said that she and her family have not come up with a plan for a new use for the crib at press time. When it is put back together, McGrath said it will need a new roof and some other work. Still, McGrath says she felt fortunate that she was able to preserve the building.
“It wasn’t easy and it was hard to plan but it came together and we’re grateful to the developer who was very helpful and I know it was a hard time for him,” McGrath said.
“These old places, if we don’t preserve them, they won’t be here anymore.”