By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — When a demolition notice was put up outside 174 Hillspoint Road, neighbors cheered.

The town’s Historic District Commission, often the last hope for preservation appreciation, essentially said, “Go toward the light.”

The commission did not invoke a 180-day period delaying demolition, as it sometimes does for structures of interest.

Discussion likened the unusual 1968 construction — with its terracotta mansard roof, greenhouse windows and stucco exterior — to the offspring of a Burger King and a diner.

More than six months have gone by and the ostracized edifice still stands.

But plans recently have been filed to perhaps put the Sherwood Mill Pond/Old Mill Beach neighborhood’s white elephant out of its architectural misery.

Applications for the project will soon be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission, Flood and Erosion Control Board and the Conservation Commission.

After knocking down the old structure, a new house with a driveway, pool, terrace, steps, retaining walls and walkways is planned. A range of sign-offs will be needed from the various town bodies before that can happen.

The Flood and Erosion Control Board will discuss the application at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7, online.

The Planning and Zoning Commission has not yet placed the application on an agenda, so it will not likely be discussed before October.

The Conservation Commission will discuss the plan at its next meeting, 7 p.m. Sept. 14, online.

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.