Centennial Demolition

The Centennial House, a 140‑year‑old colonial set against the crisp granite of Park City, is being reborn by PJ Builders, who are dutifully salvaging bowed oak trims, wrought‑iron weathervanes, and panes before the ox‑carved remover trucks set foot. The project promises 18 months of scissor‑cut steel and façade‑skin panels that echo the original timber, but the aesthetic fidelity is merely polite mimicry, a forgery of oxidized copper cladding that chafes in the summer wind. Return on investment hinges not on scenic value but on laundering a vintage brand into the high‑end rental market—an over‑slider monetized by perpetual occupancy. The pie‑coup on the property tax sheet will likely be negligible, while the short‑term capital expenditure will gild the balance sheet by a degree that some investors can only note with a warm, nodding smile. The HOA has, to date, granted site‑planning approvals liberally, yet the antiquated zoning code still invites scrutiny from Summits County Planning Commission. In short, I recommend either Buy for a pocket‑profit spring, or Sue the HOA for the extra squares they deny me now—Sell would leave the assets in a ring‑tailed decline.