Dilapidated Brewster House In Flanders To Be Demolished

FLANDERS, NY —A long-dilapidated blue house on Flanders Road that has stood for generations and was known as a symbol of Flanders' rich past is now slated for demolition.

The Southampton town board voted on Tuesday to approve the acquisition of the 1.8 acre parcel upon which the former Brewster House now stands; the land will be purchased with $400,000 in Community Preservation Funds for water quality improvement purposes.

The acquisition signals the end of the road for the storied structure, located at 1380 Flanders Road, which dates back to 1880.

"The house will be demolished," Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman told Patch. "It's too far gone."

At the town board meeting, the supervisor said he realized that over the years, many had fought to save the now-blighted structure. "I know that some people in the community were hoping that somehow, this house could be saved, but it is beyond the point of salvation. It does need to come down," he said.

The open space acquisition will mean that the town can utilize the parcel for planned neighborhood sewage treatment plant infrastructure, groundwater protection, and other environmental issues, he said.

In addition to the $400,000 cost of acquisition, the Community Preservation Fund will also handle demolition costs, Schneiderman said.

The town board agreed that the time had come to close the door on a chapter of Flanders history. Reports of vandalism have surfaced at the house again, leading to safety concerns.

The house, now owned by SSG RE Holdings LLC, was the center of discussions for possible revitalization in recent years as a previous owner pitched plans for a boutique hotel that never came to fruition.

But the Brewster House will forever hold a place in Flanders history. According to the Flanders Hamlet Heritage Area Report, published in April, 2014, during the "boarding house era," Flanders was known as a retreat for sportsmen.

"In 1891, eager to take advantage of the abundance of fish and game that was available, the exclusive Flanders Club erected their headquarters and lodge adjacent to one of the settlement’s grandest hotels, Captain Robert W. Penney’s 'Grove House,' which had been in operation since 1880."

The Grove House later became known as The Brewster House, which has stood for decades, falling into its current state of disrepair.

In about 1922 the Flanders Club building was moved to the back of the building to function as a kitchen. In the early 1950s it functioned as a police headquarters; Police Chief William Ashauer committed suicide in the building in 1959, the report said.

'It is a large three-story tall structure with central cross-gabled dormers accenting the front and side elevations and appendages to each side and the rear. It has been added onto and changed over the years and once had a full-width front porch. It is clad with asbestos shingles and has double-hung windows throughout," the heritage area report said.