Open floor plan: With no takers, library demolishes house offered for free
Demolition is first step toward library expansion
May 12, 2026
By John Boit
BLUE HILL–A house next to the Blue Hill Public Library is being demolished after nearly a year on the market failed to produce a buyer willing to relocate the structure.
The home, located adjacent to the library’s existing parking area, had been offered free to anyone willing to move it beginning in August 2025. Despite interest from roughly a dozen parties, no agreement was reached.
“There was one individual who was very, very interested, who came very close to pulling the trigger,” said Rich Boulet, the library’s director. “But at the end of the day, I think the numbers or whatever just didn’t work for them.”
Boulet described the process of moving the house as more complicated than many prospective takers anticipated.
“It would have been nice to see it be useful to somebody or some organization,” Boulet said. “But just picking it up and moving it was more complicated than anybody had the appetite for.”
The demolition marks the first visible step in a broader long-term redevelopment plan aimed at expanding outdoor amenities and parking around the library.
Preliminary plans for the newly cleared parcel include landscaping and an outdoor pavilion area designed for public gatherings and children’s programming. Current conceptual drawings also show benches, bike racks, electric bike charging stations and an outdoor storytime space.
“People love being outside of the library,” Boulet said. “There’s going to be some public art in the storytime area.”
The redesign would also reconfigure traffic flow and parking around the library. Boulet said the current lot often creates confusion for drivers who must turn around in the tight parking area when no spaces are available.
Under the proposed plan, the lot would become a one-way traffic pattern with a designated drop-off area near the entrance.
The library currently has 18 parking spaces on the main side of the street. Plans call for that number to increase to 24, with another 20 to 24 spaces potentially added across the street at 10 Parker Point Road, a property the library previously purchased with future parking expansion in mind.
Boulet emphasized the project remains in the planning stages and no construction timeline has been established.
“What we’re doing today is really just the baby step to sort of show people what the additional land can do,” he said.
The library board recently approved a final conceptual version of the project for cost-estimating purposes. Boulet said those estimates will help determine whether the project is financially feasible and what portions the library may pursue.
“No contractor chosen yet,” he said. “We’ll get our estimates done, and then we’ll decide what we have appetite for.”
The project would ultimately require fundraising before construction could begin, Boulet said.