Blight Be Gone: Crumbling barns come down

The former barn of Meyer Klass Implements on the corner of Highway 42/57 in Sevastopol. Photo by Len Villano.

The struggle to remain standing is over for the handful of barns, sheds and homes at the intersection of Highways 42 and 57. The Town of Sevastopol recently had the slumped and dilapidated buildings demolished. 

Town Board Chair Dan Woelfel said the town condemned the buildings last year, and when the owner refused to clean up the property, the town was legally able to demolish the buildings on its own. The property still remains in private hands, and the costs of the demolition will be assessed to the property owner, Woelfel said. 

The site once housed Meyer Klass, a wheeler-dealer who traded horses, sold farm machinery and operated one of the largest dairy farms in the area for decades. Over the years, the property passed hands to relatives. The current owner is a niece, Nikki Henkin, who lives in New York City.