To the Editor:

We are writing to express our opposition to the proposed plan by a local builder to demolish the antique home at 76 Main Street, built in 1794.

We purchased our home at 78 Main Street in 1997. Over the past 22 years we have lovingly done everything that we could to restore our home, inside and out, to the grandeur it once had. Nothing compares with the charm, beauty and architecture of an antique home. The workmanship found in an antique home cannot be duplicated today.

The antique home at 76 Main Street not only has beauty, but also historical significance. At 225 years old, it is one of the oldest homes in this area and it has a storied past, occupied by some prominent figures in Hopkinton history. To allow this building to be demolished wipes out a piece of our history that can never be retrieved. This house is not dilapidated, and it can continue to reflect a cherished part of our town’s history.

We do not feel that the builder’s vision of the downtown’s revitalization is consistent with preserving the town’s history. As abutters to the property in question, we obviously are concerned with what structure may eventually be built next to us, but our greater concern is the potential loss of a significant piece of history.

We encourage all of you to come to the Town Meeting on May 6th and vote to preserve the Aaron and Lucy Claflin House.

— Susan and Peter Hellberg