Daisey house demolition begins in Lewes

The Daisey family fought long and hard for the right to tear down some of their family’s history in order to preserve it.

On March 13, Dionne Daisey-Williford and her sister Sarah Daisey-Minor watched as a backhoe struck the first blows to their home at 331 Chestnut St. in Lewes.

This is the start of another chapter in the family’s 250-year legacy in the city. William H. Daisey, father of the Daisey siblings, bought the Chestnut Street house in 1960. 

“This will allow our family to continue our presence in Lewes, and that’s what our dad wanted, not this house,” Daisey-Minor said. “We talked to him before he passed away [in 2021] and he was on board with that.”

Daisey-Williford, who has a background in construction demolition, showed off the rotting window frames, termite damage and damage from a fire in the attic long ago.

“We’ve seen exactly what we suspected, crumbling walls that could not have been salvaged, exactly what our arguments were,” said Daisey-Williford.

She and her siblings fought an often-contentious battle with the Lewes Historic Preservation Architectural Review Commission for almost a year for their right to tear down the house and build a new one.

HPARC first denied their application, claiming the house was contributing to the city’s historic district.

Darryl and Darnell Daisey went before the commission last summer with a detailed presentation that showed how the structure had been changed many times over the decades and that it no longer resembled the original. Therefore, it could not be considered contributing, they argued. 

They proved their case.

In August, HPARC declared the house non-contributing and later voted to approve the demolition.

The beginning of the Daiseys’ relationship with the property was also not an easy process.

“My father had to go before a board and actually get permission to buy the home. He had support from a white local dentist who backed him up,” said Daisey-Williford. 

In February, the Daiseys received HPARC approval for renovations and an addition to their property at 111 Coleman Ave. 

The family is also planning to file an application to refurbish their home on Savannah Road, where William H. Daisey was born.

Wendy Bandewater from Wade Kimball Construction said it will take less than a week for them to knock down the Chestnut Street house. 

The new house will be built on the area that is now the side yard at the corner of Orr and Chestnut. That will give much-needed separation from the house next door.

“It’s going to be four-and-a-half baths, four bedrooms, living space and dining area with a nice big table [for all of us]. It will be a muted blue to fit in with the rest of the neighborhood,” said Daisey-Williford.

James Burgess, architect and president of Elite Homes, designed the new Daisey home. He said it might be finished by Christmas, depending on weather and other factors.

Burgess is the first Black homebuilder to work in the Lewes Historic District.

The family plans to repurpose the brick from the base of the old house and some wooden trim on a peak over the front porch. 

The Daiseys’ nephew owns the lot directly across Chestnut Street and plans to build a house there.

“I wish my dad were here to see [the demolition], but you always feel that he knows,” Daisey-Williford said.