By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — A 4,400-square-foot house overlooking Gray’s Creek and the Compo boat basin is coming down.

Demolition has begun at 2 Owenoke Park.

A portion of the handsome home dated to 1910, according to town records. But it had been substantially updated in the mid-1990s, and raised.

When announced, plans to take it down and replace it with a new structure raised eyebrows.

The property traded June 27 for $3.1 million. It previously traded for $1.3 million in 1998.

The new plans call for a structure raised higher because of flood elevations.

At a July 15 site inspection by the Conservation Commission, Conservation Director Alicia Mozian told members the house to be demolished was below the flood elevation for a 100-year storm in the area. That’s 13 feet above mean high tide level.

The new plans would raise it about nine more feet, to 17 and a half feet, she said.

The new, single-family house is to be two-and-a-half stories, and include a two-car garage, patio and outdoor pool.

The plans required a range of approvals and sign-offs from town agencies.

Monday, most of the structure had been reduced to rubble. Heavy machinery was parked on site, as was a large refuse bin. Not much more but what appeared to be a bathroom still stood at ground level. On the floor above it sat a toilet and what might have been a sink.

Thane Grauel, executive editor, grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond more than three decades. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.