Board To Debate Demolishing General Wayne Inn

Hidden behind overgrown shrubbery and knee-high grass at the very end of Main Bayview Road in Southold sits the decaying and abandoned General Wayne Inn.

Superstorm Sandy and the winter blizzard have not been kind to the historic structure -- parts of the roof have fallen straight to the ground and sections of the walls have caved in or are missing entirely.

The Inn has an illustrious and storied past, but after the business closed, some teens in years' past have headed to the desolate site to drink late at night. Since then, the county has fenced off the property to prevent vagrants from entering the building, which is rotted in parts and unsafe for habitation.

The structure, which was built in the 1700s, belonged to Suffolk County after it was seized for non-payment of back taxes - -but on Tuesday, the town board is poised to hold an unsafe public building hearing on the General Wayne Inn, with an eye toward possibly razing the falling-down and blighted structure.

Currently, Michael Tsandilas of Liquidation Trustee Services is in the midst of foreclosure proceedings against the owner of the property, Ovlasid Realty LLC, who once again holds the lease after the back taxes were paid.

The hearing wil be held at Southold Town Hall at 9 a.m.

What do you think about the possibility of the General Wayne Inn being torn down? Do you think the Inn, with a link to Southold's rich past, should be saved? Or do you believe it's a dangerous and unsightly eyesore? Share your thoughts with Patch in the comments section.