The family that intended to save it now says it is unsavable.
By Noah Bookstein
Original Air Date: June 10, 2026
Host: Half a year ago, a buyer spent more than $1 million on a historically designated home in the Hudson Bayou neighborhood near downtown Sarasota. Now they’re asking the city to allow a teardown. What gives? Noah Bookstein is looking for answers.
Noah Bookstein: A historic Sarasota home may soon be demolished—not by a developer but by a family who said they bought it specifically to save it. The Chadwick family purchased 908 Pomelo Avenue in December for $1.2 million from the previous owner’s estate trust. The property has been on Sarasota’s local historic register since 1994. It was the home of Augustus Wilson, Sarasota’s first postmaster. At a Historic Preservation Board hearing on June 9, Kinsey Chadwick, one of the owners, described how they came to buy the property.
Kinsey Chadwick: How we came upon this house was we fell in love with it. We were very excited to be in this area of Sarasota. We decided to tell the owner that we could restore it. She had already found a buyer, so it actually was bought, and we were super sad. We met Susan and asked her her opinion, and we become sad because we lost the house. Then it came back on the market, and we were so excited. We heard the deal fell through, but the owner actually took it off the market, and she said, “I’m not selling it. I’m going for a demolition permit because this house isn’t saveable.” That was the owner of the house. And we were like, “What? No. Give us a chance. We want to save it. So she did, so it didn’t go back on the market, but she did a deal with us because she knew our hearts.
NB: They pointed to an ongoing restoration project in Ireland as evidence of their intention to preserve.
KC: We’re very sad to be sitting before you today, because we are in the middle of restoring a 1903 home in Ireland, and with restoring, it takes time and money. We really thought that we could take this house and buy it.
NB: But now after purchasing the property, they say the cost to restore it is simply too high, presenting estimates of almost $3 million for restoration versus potentially $1 million for new construction. They’re asking the Historic Preservation Board to approve demolition, according to the Chadwicks’ attorney, Amy Consigilio.
Amy Consigilio: Rehabbing or renovating the property would cost over three times the new construction cost.
KC: And when the cost came back over and over and again and again, that’s why we’re sitting here before you. We simply can’t afford it.
908 Pomelo in 2026
NB: Not everyone at the hearing was convinced. Erin DeFazio of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation questioned whether those restoration numbers were accurate.
Erin DeFazio: There’s no reason it should cost more than new construction. I am also happy to provide referrals if they need access to professionals.
NB: Victoria Gunter, a neighbor who shares the property line, was also skeptical.
Victoria Gunter: I just wanted to express my concerns and my hope that the promises that have been made might be maintained, but I’m sorry; I have lived too long in Sarasota to honestly be able to take everyone’s word, especially with no plans for another home.
NB: The property sits in FEMA Flood Zone AE—meaning any new construction must be elevated, adding significant cost to a new build. Even so, the Chadwick family’s lawyer was emphatic they have no plans to sell.
AC: They are not flippers. They are not developers. They are not going to make a big white box. They want a home that’s going to belong in the community and contribute to the community.
NB: The board voted 5-0 to approve demolition but with conditions. The Chadwick family must provide a permanent historical marker honoring the site’s history and cannot proceed with demolition until the board reviews their replacement construction plans.
For WSLR News, Noah Bookstein.
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