One of the most historic houses on Longboat Key is facing the wrecking ball after nearly 100 years.
The Rufus P. Jordan home in Longbeach on the island’s north end stood and survived the 1921 hurricane, and has been on the National Register of Historic Places for 13 years. But after standing since 1920, the house is now set to be demolished.
The owner, Ed Chiles, offered the house to the Longboat Key Historical Society free of charge if they rehabbed it and moved their offices to the historic home. But after an inspection, it was deemed unsafe and uninhabitable.