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10/06/2021 08:15 AMAfter months of work, the Corn Crib from 151-153 East Main Street that was going to be destroyed has been renovated and given a new home in Clinton thanks to resident Laurie McGrath.
Earlier in 2021, a developer filed an application to build condominiumss at 151-153 East Main Street. As part of that application, a historic house on the property was set to be demolished, along with a structure known as the Corn Crib. Due to a petition from interested parties, the house was saved from demolition.
The crib on the other hand, was 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 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.
It has now been reassembled.
“The Corn Crib really looks good—we couldn’t be happier,” said McGrath.
The crib was disassembled in May and brought to McGrath’s property, where she hired contractor Dave Goodrich.
“It was laid out where it was going to go at out house. A lot of work had to be done. As he had time, he came back worked on it,” said McGrath.
McGrath said that her husband and grandson had to dig out the land to make room in the yard for the crib, which needed a stone base to keep out moisture.
“It really came together very well,” said McGrath.
McGrath lives in a house on Old Nod Road that she said was built in the mid-1700s so keeping the crib seemed like a natural fit.
“I just feel connected to this piece. Especially as our house was built in the 1700s and we found an old deed that said the Dowds had once owned the house and the Dowds are who owned the property the crib was moved from,’ said McGrath.
McGrath said she recalls taking trips to the Corn Crib to purchase goods when she was younger and that during one of those trips, a member 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 crib may be older than people give it credit for.
McGrath said that as of now she doesn’t have plans for what to do with the renovated crib, other than to admire it.
“It’s more about observing and enjoying it. I just really loved it,” McGrath said.
McGrath said some items that were found on the floor of the crib before it was moved were able to be salvaged and cleaned and now decorate the inside.
“I just felt an affinity for it,” McGrath said.