NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The historic Grandy House in the Freemason neighborhood of Norfolk has not been touched since it was torched by an arsonist in December of 2016.
The City of Norfolk condemned the home on the corner of West Freemason Street and Botetourt and gave owner Mark Sinesi 10 days to either repair it or demolish it.
The local civic league took the matter to court, getting a 14-day injunction to hold off the emergency demolition. Attorney Joe Sherman, who represents the civic league and is a resident of the neighborhood, says, “We are going to put on evidence that it is not an emergency and that it is not a threat to the public health or safety…we shouldn’t be in a rush to do anything.”
Sinesi was in the process of restoring the historic home when it was set on fire, but hasn’t done anything with the home since. He said, “I will comply with exactly what the city wants me to do. I was first told to demolish it, and now I must wait to demolish it.”
Which Sherman agrees with, “I agree with him. We need to get the city involved, and it should go through the city’s normal channels of architectural review board, the planning commission and the city council and if they all say tear it down, so be it… but the neighbors should have a say in what happens.”
Sherman wants to slow down the process of what to do with the house and force a discussion on the importance of the historic house to the historic neighborhood. “If it comes back the normal bureaucratic process requires it to come down, that’s fine. We just want to make sure this is not done in a way that circumvents the process, and doesn’t allow the neighborhood to have a say.”
Senesi told 10 On Your Side it was his dream to restore the old home, but what’s left of the home is no longer restorable. “It would be very costly to restore the building. It was well over a million dollars before the fire. It would not be possible for me or anyone else to restore it.”
All sides will be back in court on Sept. 19, after the injunction expires.
