Bayonne historic house demolished

BAYONNE – An historic downtown Bayonne house that a group of residents was trying to save has been demolished.
The colonial revival mansion at 124 West Fifth St. and Kennedy Boulevard was leveled on Monday, Dec. 21. The house was built in 1898 and was once owned by a member of the LaTourette family, famous in Bayonne history.
The structure was the main topic of discussion at the Bayonne Historic Preservation meeting on Dec. 1. City residents were trying to work out a compromise with developer Mitchell Burakovsky, who owns the property and was said to be considering building multiple houses on the site.
Baer Hanusz-Rajkowski, who was leading the effort to preserve the building, was at the demolition as it was taking place about 9 a.m. on Dec. 21.
“I would have liked to see people come in to buy it, to save what is a landmark property,” Hanusz-Rajkowski said.
Burakovsky said he had no comment on the Fifth Street property.