UPDATE: Woodmont Apple Farm Icehouse: GONE!

Yes, it is true. The Woodmont Apple Farm Icehouse, a true landmark, is gone.

After publishing this post on August 8, I got the following emails from Selectmen of Hollis:

Dear Tracy Lee:

Thank you for sharing this information with me. I am one of the five selectmen who will be discussing this tonight. I am also the person who encouraged my late mother's private foundation to provide the necessary funds to repair and restore the ice house for the benefit of our current residents as well as future generations.

I can not speak for all of the board, but my sense is that there is not a considerable appetite to demolish this historic building - but rather one to repair and restore.

Kind regards,

Mark A. LeDoux

and

Tracy,

Thanks very much for letting me know about this discussion of the Woodmont Orchards Ice House. Many of the comments reflect my own sentiments. I can assure you that the Woodmont Orchard Ice House is not going to be demolished on my watch.

Regards,

Mark Johnson
Selectman, Town of Hollis

and

Hi Tracy,

Thank you for your email. I believe there has been some miscommunication in the newspapers. The intent was never to demolish the Ice House. The intent was to restore or reconstruct an exact replica. Either way it is the intent of the Board of Selectmen to ensure that the Woodmont Orchard Ice house will remain a Hollis Landmark in perpetuity.

David Petry
Vice Chairman, Board of Selectmen
Town of Hollis

I think it is interesting that David Petry said, "The intent was never to demolish the Ice House."

Today I was saddened to receive the following email:

Tracy,

As you may know (and I am sorry to tell you if you don't know), the ice house has been demolished. I resigned from office in late August because I will be relocating out of state. Before I resigned, I made sure that there was a contractor to repair the ice house and money to pay for it. I also lined up selectmen support for this plan. Immediately after I resigned the town reversed course. A "replica" is being built at a cost of five times the bid for the repairs.

Mark Everett Johnson

What???

The repairs are going to cost FIVE TIMES the bid for repairs? Huh? WHY was this landmark demolished? I find this totally irresponsible, especially in a state where fiscal responsibility has always been a time honoured tradition. Forget for a moment that the building had become a historic landmark in the eyes of the people in the area and that many have chosen to honour this building in paintings and photographs, but what about Yankee Frugality? FIVE TIMES the bid for repairs, money that was already set aside for these repairs. FIVE TIMES as much. If I were a resident of Hollis I would be asking the selectmen WHY?

Woodmont Apple Farm Icehouse: Threatened?

Article published Aug 8, 2008
Icon's fate has panels at odds

By HATTIE BERNSTEIN Staff Writer

HOLLIS – The fate of the iconic Ice House, in the Woodmont Orchards town-owned conservation land off Route 122, could be decided by the end of the month, or sooner, according to officials and members of the town Heritage Commission.

The rickety structure, designed to hold ice in an era before refrigeration, was built at the turn of the last century. For years, it has been the subject of photographs and paintings.

Selectmen and commission members disagree over how to preserve the historic landmark.

Ultimately, the board of selectmen will make the decision, based on input from the commission, community members and experts.

Honi Glover, Heritage Commission chairwoman, favors razing the building, saying it is likely to require continuing repairs given its current condition.

By contrast, some selectmen have argued that restoration makes more sense.

The building is propped up with cables that hold it together from the inside, while two-by-fours support it from the outside. One corner droops into an adjacent pond.

"The heritage commission in the past year has shored it up two times. It's literally falling into the water," Selectman Frank Cadwell, the board's representative to the heritage commission, said during a telephone interview.

Cadwell said commission members have expressed concerns about restoring the building, given the erosion on the bank where the ice stand leans into the water.

But Selectman Mark Johnson argues that "one of the most admired scenes in rural Hollis" deserves to remain in its original state, albeit with repairs that preserve the building's integrity.

"People I've had look at the building feel clearly that it can be saved," Johnson said.

Glover told selectmen recently that she had a plan for replacing the structure, at no cost to the town.

"I originally thought about resurrecting it," Glover said, explaining that she had changed her mind. "It's much safer and makes more sense to put up a replica."

Glover organized a crew of volunteers to demolish and replace the building, saying restoration would endanger workers and would be likely to invite future problems and expenses.

Discussion took a sharp turn last week during the selectmen's meeting, after Selectman Mark LeDoux announced that the private Marie LeDoux Foundation, started by his mother, was donating $2,000 to the town to pay for repairs to the icehouse.

In addition to the grant, the town has also received about $2,000 from local artist Steve Previte. Previte donated a portion of the proceeds from sales of his prints of the icehouse, about $2,000.

"It's an icon of Hollis, the most painted and photographed," Johnson said, adding that he wants to see the building repaired.

In May 2007, at a meeting of the heritage commission attended by several selectmen, the group discussed the pros and cons of repair and replacement of the icehouse. They also considered widening the discussion by querying the community through a survey posted in the local newspapers.

Last week, selectmen agreed to revisit the subject when it meets Monday.

Meanwhile, Glover has solicited three estimates for restoring the building and one for rebuilding it.

Town administrator Troy Brown said the town has received one quote for repair work, $1,850 from Innovative Concepts of Londonderry.

Selectman David Petry, an alternate representative to the heritage commission last year, said the award made last week "changes the options."

"It speeds up the process," Petry said.

Still, neither the board nor the Heritage Commission has reached a consensus.

"It's not right to put up a replica," Johnson argued, while Glover countered that the expense of repairs and upkeep isn't worth the investment.

"I had a plan organized that I thought was working out well and wouldn't cost the town anything, "Glover said. "If you brace it up, save it, it will happen again."

Hattie Bernstein can be reached at 673-3100, ext. 24, or hbernstein@cabinet.com.

© 2007, Telegraph Publishing Company, Nashua, New Hampshire