BLACK HAWK, Colo. -- A Black Hawk home built in 1890 is full of history.
It's also full of mold and asbestos.
Now, town leaders plan to tear down the 500-square foot home and put in an 11-space parking lot.
It's in such bad condition, we took video from the outside looking in.
The town of Black Hawk recently purchased the home. Rather than fixing it up, the town board of alderman voted to tear it down.
The tiny house sits on High Street. It has curb appeal, but inside it’s a different story. The previous owner allowed the house to fall into disrepair. It has black mold, the walls are crumbling and there’s an asbestos issue.
In fact, the home was so badly neglected by the previous owner, the city won’t allow surveyors and workers to enter the house without full hazmat suits and masks.
The town manager said you have to determine the worth of history.
"Is it fair to our taxpayers to spend half a million dollars to fix it up? It's a tough call," said Black Hawk town manager Mike Copp.
But the house is listed as a contributing resource to the Black Hawk historic district, according to the Colorado Historical Society.
And some argue history is worth saving at any cost, especially in Black Hawk.
“In fact, a house just up the street was completely taken apart this past year and rebuilt due to mold,” said one resident.
Still, despite its historic designation, the house has no protections from being demolished.
This story comes on the heels of a Call 7 Investigation in Black Hawk that found Black Hawk’s entire housing renewal grant program to be highly controversial.
That investigation found historic preservation funds being used to install granite countertops in city officials’ homes. One official even used the funds to put in a “doggie door.”
Copp said it would be nice to restore the house on High Street, but the estimated cost to fix it up exceeds $500,000. And he said it wouldn’t be prudent to spend taxpayer money on such a dilapidated structure.
He said the property in question was purchased by the city with general fund money and will be demolished with general fund money.
“We absolutely haven’t used any historic preservation funds for this project,” said Copp.
And even the state historical society can’t stop it.
“While it is certainly unfortunate when historic resources are demolished; neither the National Register nor the State Register place any restrictions on what private property owners do with their property,” read a statement from the Colorado Historical Society.
