School board condemned historic home; now, all are relics of past
Today’s article concludes our series about the 1965 condemnation of the century-old Isaac C. Woodward house by the Luzerne Township School Board. In December, 1963, the school board stated that it planned to build an elementary school on the 78-acre Woodward farm, but would spare the historic brick home built on the property by Woodward, a riverboat captain and civic leader.
In February, 1965, then-school district solicitor A. J. Kuzdenyi notified Ann Frondorf, one of the two owners of the property, that the board had changed its mind about sparing the house and was “contemplating the taking by eminent domain, for school purposes, of a tract of land containing 15.0006 acres, which will include the farm house and other improvements.”
Robert Webster, an attorney retained by the Frondorfs, began negotiating the amount of compensation that Ann Frondorf and her sister, Jo Hess, should receive. Webster had two appraisals done. Appraiser Frank J. Coppolino estimated the value of the property and house at $28,600, while appraiser Wylie S. Rittenhouse’s estimate was $24,600.
The school district also had two appraisals done. Webster reported to Ann Frondorf that “the highest value placed on the property by the school district’s appraisers was $19,000. After extended negotiation with Mr. Kuzdenyi, the board has authorized the settlement for the sum of $22,000.”
Webster recommended that the board’s offer be accepted, reasoning that a board of review would probably split the difference between the board’s highest appraisal ($19,000) and the Frondorfs’ lowest appraisal ($24,600). Bargaining over the amount continued for months, but the main issue was no longer whether the board would take some of the Woodward farm. The issue now was whether the school board could be persuaded to spare the house.
The Frondorfs sought help from state education officials, but in a June 15, 1965, letter to Ann Frondorf, Harold O. Speidel, acting deputy superintendent of the Department of Education, offered little hope of state intervention.
“It does not appear the board has exceeded its legal rights in the matter,” Speidel wrote. “It may be possible to save the old house by locating the school building at another point on the site, if there is a greater acreage, as you indicate in your letter.”
On July 9, 1965, Ann’s husband, Bill, wrote to then-Gov. William Scranton.
“This is our second appeal for help to prevent a miscarriage of justice,” Bill Frondorf wrote, “by the needless destruction of our home. The home is over 100 years old, in good condition and has been in the family since construction.”
Frondorf mentioned the board’s original Dec. 11, 1963, letter in which the board had expressed its concern that the house might become an “eyesore.”
“As far as the ‘eyesore’ bit,” Frondorf noted, “naturally the architecture of the house does not blend with the adjacent small homes, but is this our fault? The house is completely furnished and has a year-round caretaker. The house is used during the summer for vacations and reunions. A strange thing about the ‘eyesore’ bit is that two of the nearby homes are owned by the school board chairman’s brother [Roger Garofalo, administrator of Luzerne township schools] and the other by the school board’s attorney, Mr. Kuzdenyi.
“If anything can be done, it would be deeply appreciated. Time is running out fast.”
Matters were coming to a head.
On July 20, the Brownsville Telegraph published a full-page story about the impending condemnation of the Woodward house, featuring many photographs of the home’s restored interior.
“It is a shame,” commented the Telegraph, “that those in authority have seen fit to condemn this fine old home, in such a fine state of preservation. We would hope that the local historical society might get behind this old structure and see that it remains intact.”
What was the position of the Brownsville Historical Society on this matter? Loise White, secretary of the historical society, wrote a letter of explanation to the Telegraph.
“Let me assure you that an attempt was made at the last general meeting of the society to do something about preserving the old home,” White wrote.
“However, due to the fact that the president of the Luzerne Township Board of Education and the president of the Brownsville Historical Society are one and the same [Dr. Ralph F. Garofalo], nothing was accomplished.
“The following motion was introduced by one of the members and properly seconded:
“‘Because the Brownsville Historical Society was founded to create an interest in and for the protection of locally historical buildings, landmarks and artifacts, I would like to move that the historical society petition the Luzerne School Board to reconsider the razing of the Park Farm residence; to review the possibility of its use as a museum and for a historical library and meeting place for school-affiliated units and groups.’
“At the conclusion of the discussion which followed, the president said that he could not entertain the motion as he was also president of the Luzerne Township School Board. Since he did not, as he should have done, according to parliamentary procedure, step down from the chair and turn it over to the vice president so that the motion could be brought to a vote, it died right there. This is why the Brownsville Historical Society has not made its voice heard for the preservation of the home.”
On July 23, 1965, Robert Webster informed Ann Frondorf that the board, anxious to complete the condemnation proceedings, had offered a settlement of $25,000. Webster, realizing the board could not be stopped from condemning the property and house, recommended acceptance.
That week, numerous letters to the editor appeared in the Telegraph, their authors expressing concern and puzzlement at the school district’s determination to destroy the historic house instead of building the school on a different part of the property.
“Were this home in the city of Philadelphia or the state of Virginia, public officials would make every effort to see that it would be preserved,” one writer observed. “It does not appear that any logical process was followed in determining that the home should be razed. I wonder why the action was taken.”
Another letter-writer asked, “Why was the land on which the house stands chosen in the first place, when there were 73 acres available and only 16 acres are required? Why are the taxpayers of Luzerne condoning the senseless destruction of a property that brings them approximately $220 per year in taxes? Why are these same taxpayers willing to pay the $20,000 value of the house? Isn’t $20,000 a rather high price to pay just to destroy something?”
On July 29, William G. Murphy, secretary to Scranton, replied to Bill Frondorf’s appeal for help by merely reaffirming that the Luzerne Township School Board’s action were within the board’s legal rights.
Six days later, Kuzdenyi sent Webster a school district check for $25,000 as payment for the condemned 15-plus acres and the buildings on the property. In an accompanying letter, Kuzdenyi made it clear that the board expected “vacation of premises on or before Sept. 3, 1965.”
Time was running out.
Still hoping to save the house from destruction, Bill Frondorf air-mailed another plea to William Murphy, secretary to the governor.
“Regarding your reply of July 29,” Frondorf wrote, “I am again asking that someone investigate the subject condemnation to prevent a gross injustice.”
Still angry that the school district had stated as late as March, 1964, that the house would be spared, but only if it were used for “proper purposes,” Frondorf asked Murphy, “Is not a home a proper purpose? How about the other houses which are far closer than ours (to the proposed building site)? Are they to be condemned unless their owners give assurance they will be used for ‘proper purposes?'”
Finally, on Aug. 10, Frondorf again wrote directly to Scranton.
“This is our final appeal,” he wrote, “to try and save the Woodward homestead in Brownsville from needless destruction. The Luzerne Township School Board is now the official owner by condemnation, despite our long, expensive and losing fight.
“The only chance now is for the board to donate the homestead to the Brownsville Historical Society, which, by the way, they wanted us to do in 1963.
The Brownsville Historical Society would be glad to have the building. You could contact the secretary, Mrs. Loise R. White, for further details.”
Knowing that demolition of the house could begin within weeks, Frondorf emphasized that any help the governor could offer was urgently needed.
The days of August ebbed, but there was no last-minute reprieve from the governor.
The battle to save the Isaac C. Woodward homestead was over.
On Aug. 28, in a sad postscript to a hopeless cause, a letter from Ann Frondorf appeared in the Telegraph. After penning a final plea that her family’s ancestral home not be destroyed, Ann addressed her remarks to the residents of the town.
“Oh, Brownsville, look to your heritage,” she wrote. “There are many lovely old houses in your midst that should be retained. The setting of your town is of picture-book quality. Approaching it at sundown, the town comes alive with lights flickering on its hillsides that should welcome travelers today, as it did in days of yore.
“New towns can be built with ease and a sameness today, but you have something that has taken centuries to acquire. Let not these years be wasted. Remember the part your town has played in the development of America. Keep faith in your old town and capitalize on its potential.”
Today, near the spot where the Isaac C. Woodward house stood for 102 years, stands the former Hiller Elementary School. The sprawling brick building now houses only the administrative offices of the Brownsville Area School District, into which the Luzerne Township School District was merged not long after the building was constructed in 1966.
The Luzerne Township School District no longer exists.
The Hiller Elementary School is no longer a school.
And the historic Isaac C. Woodward homestead, which would have celebrated its 140th anniversary this year, is gone forever.
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Glenn Tunney may be contacted at 724-785-3201, glenatun@hhs.net or 6068 National Pike East, Grindstone, PA 15442. Comments about these weekly articles may be sent to Mark O’Keefe (Managing Editor – Day), 8 – 18 East Church Street, Uniontown, Pa. or e-mailed to mo’keefe@heraldstandard.com . All past articles are on the Web at http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~glenntunneycolumn/