HISTORY LESSONS

Some residents express concern over fate of historic Linden Hall

Even as the fate of two local historical properties changed for the better over the past few weeks, one property in East Whiteland remains at the forefront in some residents minds over its fate.

According to historical documents, Linden Hall, built circa 1809, was originally called the General Wayne Tavern and served as an inn for travelers along what was originally known as Lancaster Pike, now Route 30.

Now in a state of disrepair, construction on the property has some residents worried it may get torn down. Resident Carla Zambelli has written a series of blog posts about the current state of Linden Hall and has consistently asked what will happen to the historic structure.

Tim Caban, chairman of the East Whiteland Historical Commission, said Linden Hall fell into a state of disrepair when its previous set of residents moved out in the early

1980s.

Now the property is currently under development by the Benson Companies. According to Caban, the developer plans to build residences on the property and preserve Linden Hall.

“It’s not going to be torn down,” he said.

Caban pointed out the developers had already torn down other parts of the property, and are now continuing with construction. He said if they were going to tear down Linden Hall, they would have done it already.

Recently two other local historical buildings, the Loch Aerie mansion in East Whiteland and The Covered Wagon Inn in Tredyffrin, were the subject of attention

over the past several months about their potential demolition.

The Covered Wagon Inn, built in the late 1780s, was originally slated for demolition by developer Summit Realty, but following public outcry they decided to incorporate the building into their construction plans and preserve the structure.

The other building, Loch Aerie, which was built in 1865, recently went up for auction last month when C.Z. Patel paid $710,000 for the property. Prior to the auction, local residents were concerned about the fate of the building.

Zambelli wrote in her blog that Patel reportedly said after the auction he plans to turn the building into a hotel, and stated no plans for its demolition.

“That is welcome news to all who were worried about her facing a wrecking ball,” she wrote in her April 21 blog post.

Caban said the best way to preserve a historical property is through adaptive re-use, where a business owner is willing to incorporate it into his or her business model. As an example, he pointed out the Reitenbaugh barn in East Whiteland, which was built in 1839.

“It’s the best example of adaptive re-use because it was in such a state of disrepair,” he said.

He said the barn’s previous owners left it to deteriorate for roughly 20 years before P2 Controls, a company specializing in security and correctional systems, fixed up the property.

ADAM FARENCE — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Linden Hall has been the focus of concern in the local community over its current state of disrepair and what ultimately will become of the historic structure.

ADAM FARENCE — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Loch Aerie was recently sold to a hotel builder, C.Z. Patel, at an auction in April for $710,000.