Historic Home Bulldozed To Make Way For Mansion

As neighbors gathered in front of the Graves estate -- named for former owner and archaeologist Gypsy Graves, founder of a Dania Beach museum that bears her name -- a bulldozer pulled into the circular driveway. "I lived there for 37 years," Kate Graves Gaskill, Gypsy's daughter said, fighting back tears. "I think it's very, very sad because the house is so special." City Commissioners rejected a historic designation in June, with Mayor Jim Naugle casting the sole dissenting vote. Owners immediately applied for a demolition permit, and held a salvage sale. Bargain hunters carter away stained glass windows, decorative columns and wooden floorboards. Neighbors expressed dismay. "A lot of people come in and don't understand the historic significance, said Shelby Brown, 41, who lives next door and grew up playing with the Graves children. "We're fast becoming a neighborhood where every house looks like every other house."

Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg