Irwin House is expected to be demolished in late-August or September, officials said last week.
Located in the Weed Street park of the same name, the brick Irwin House was built between 1961 and 1963 after the original 1920’s shingle-style house—once owned by IBM founder Thomas Watson, Sr.—burned down in a fire.
Noting that the structure needs an estimated $1.3 million in exterior work alone, town officials publicly discussed the prospect of demolishing Irwin House during this year’s budget process. The Board of Selectmen in April approved a $58,000 contract with an environmental services firm to find out what hazardous materials are inside Irwin House, and advise on how best to get rid of them so the full demo can go forward.
During the July 8 Board of Selectmen meeting, Public Works Director Tiger Mann said that the town “got the initial environmental assessment back” and that DPW is “still working on the specifications.”
“And once that comes in, then we’ll get a good feel as to our number for environmental,” Mann told the selectmen during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “Then we’ll go out to bid and look to get the people that are there currently out and housed where they need and take the building down some time in late-August-September-ish.”
Specifically, work must be done at Irwin Barn, he said (a separate structure that is not under threat of demolition).
“We’ve already done some work at Irwin Barn as far as the waste and water lines, to be able to then relocate Butch, our maintenance man, from the garage to the Irwin Barn and give him a palace where he can wash his hands and go to the bathroom,” Mann said. “Which actually works because it used to be an apartment, so we have some piping already. It’s just that it was old, the waste piping was crushed so we need to replace it. So that’s moving forward.”
The comments came during a general DPW update from Mann, in response to First Selectman Dionna Carlson’s request for a specific update on Irwin House.
Asked whether the former “apartment” area at Irwin Barn will have heat, Mann responded that it must be temperature-controlled to keep The Planning & Zoning Commission had voted unanimously in May in finding that the demolition of Irwin House is consistent with the guiding document for planning in New Canaan, as part of a state law-required review.