Sam Moraco is angry.
After months of stabilizing the structure and beginning renovations on the McCord-Stickney home, Moraco arrived at the property this past Saturday morning, July 29, to learn vandals had destroyed not one, but 13 of what he feels was the home’s best features.
‘I got to the property and found out someone had broken into the home and smashed almost all the antique glass from the home’s original windows,? said Moraco. ‘Unfortunately, this glass is very hard to replace. It provided a lot of character to the home with it’s imperfections and wavy appearance.?
Moraco purchased the property, located at 8815 Pine Knob Road, earlier this year from Independence Township. He agreed to restore the exterior of the home and the property’s barn to their original historical condition, as much as possible, and bring the interior of the home to building code.
For the past several months, Moraco’s work crews worked to support the foundation on both structures and protect the interiors from further weather damage.
‘We have been very busy and are finally in the up swing of the project,? said Moraco. ‘We finally have removed all the rotten parts including some walls, floors and even part of the basement is rebuilt.?
However, the windows are a set back Moraco was not expecting.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Police report, windows were damaged on both the first and second floors of the home sometime Thursday night, July 27, while work crews were away.
Moraco said he did not work on the home Thursday night and although work crews were on site on Friday, he was not.
‘They just assumed I knew about the damage and didn’t call me,? explained Moraco. ‘I found out on Saturday morning.?
Moraco said entry to the home is easily gained at the moment due to construction. Currently, several portions of the home are exposed as walls are reconstructed.
‘You have this with any new construction, which is what some of the work we are doing is,? explained Moraco. ‘Some areas are being completely rebuilt because of the damage caused over time.
‘Replacing these windows is going to be expensive. I didn’t budget to replace the glass in the main house,? Moraco added. ‘I would really like to know who would do this.?
Moraco is offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible for the damage. Anyone with information can call the Oakland County Sheriff’s Tip Line at 1-888-887-6146.
‘The neighbors have been very supportive of this project and I feel would also like to be informed of what is going on in their backyards,? said Moraco.