A MAN’S house was completely destroyed and reduced to a pile of rubble after a demolition company made a horrifying mix-up.
Robb Hagestad was stunned when his neighbours rang him to tell him his 97-year-old, World War Era Craftsman property, in Dallas, Texas, had been knocked down.
3
3
The sentimental home, known as The Pink House, had been passed down by long term friend Mary Ann Degataire, to both Robb and partner Jeremy Wenninger.
Hagestad said: “We had fought long and hard for two years to save this property.
“And now it was destroyed, because of human error. It was literally heartbreaking.”
The house had also meant a lot to everyone on the street, regularly hosting parties and bringing the community together.
“Everyone came and sat on the front porch and Mary Ann would always be there to meet people and throw a party or hold a conversation,” Hagestad told CBC Radio.
“Mary Ann and her family were really, sort of, the centrepiece of this neighbourhood,” he continued.
“That’s why this is really a tragedy.”
The homeowner, who was living in California at the time, said he would never forget being awoken by frantic calls from his neighbours telling him the beloved house was being destroyed.
“Now we’ve got nothing but a dirt lot,” he added.
Hagestad and Wenninger had taken ownership of the property in 2019 and had been planning to renovate it when tragedy struck on February, 19, 2020.
According to shocked eyewitnesses, the historic home was brought to the ground in just minutes.
Local resident David Walkington, speaking to KTVT, said: “I got a call from my neighbor who lived across the alley from the house and he said, ‘They’re tearing down a perfectly good house, do you know what’s going on?”
JR Demolition, the company that mistakenly destroyed the house on Richard Avenue, admitted fault for the incident.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Bobby Lindamood, the owner, said: “We made a mistake and thought we had the right property.
“JR’s Demolition is a small family business who has been in the demolition business for 15 years.
“I as the owner, have been in demolition over 35 years, and after many thousands of structure demolitions, this is the first incident wherein the wrong structure was demolished.”
He added that workers had removed several homes on the street as part of redevelopment in the area.
On the fateful day The Pink House was reduced to a pile of wood, Lindamood claimed its curb address was hidden by dirt and debris from recent storms.
The company owner also stated the home had been stripped of all plumbing, electrical and fixtures, making it appear similar to the homes they had previously demolished nearby,
There was also no foundation, and the doors were boarded up, according to Lindamood.
“In short, the property was similar in appearance and condition to many of the properties that JR’s demolished on Richard [Avenue],” he added as he defended his business.
The company was in contact with Wenninger and the pair were said to be working on a solution.
3
