So you're in the market for a new home in Concord but want to avoid footing pesky mortgage payments?
Consider buying the Lavery house on Pleasant Street. Dartmouth-Hitchcock is selling the 1850s-era farmhouse for a buck. Seriously, folks, it's being sold for $1.
There is, of course, a catch: Whoever purchases the historic dwelling must be capable of relocating it from its current spot in front of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic. And they've got just over two months to do so.
The farmhouse, now slated for the chopping block, was purchased by the hospital in '89 on the condition its owner, Mary Lavery, was allowed live there until she died. Lavery passed away in 2003, and in April the hospital asked the city for a demolition permit to take it down. Preservationists took issue with that decision, citing the building's architectural significance.
Last week, the hospital announced its intent to sell the building. There's a bit more in the fine print: The buyers must show it has the resources to relocate the building; they must move it from the current site before Nov. 12; and they must treat for asbestos and any other hazardous materials that exist at the site, among other stipulations.
May we suggest the city purchase the building and turn it into an Insider clubhouse? Better yet, an Insider clubhouse on the State House lawn?
We could hold classy parties for Concord elites and common folk alike, serving delicious snacks and cheap booze. Just a thought. Think it over, Tom Aspell.
If you've got a better idea for the house, let us know. Or you can send real bids and information requests to this guy:
Christopher Bergeron
Dartmouth-Hitchcock
1 Bedford Farms
Bedford, NH 03110
E-mail: Christopher.a.Bergeron@Hitchcock.org.
