Demolition of Hancock House called off amid family protests

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Parts of the historic Hancock House were set to be torn down on Friday morning but were called back after the family voiced its opposition to the plan.

Roberta Hancock has been vocal about not agreeing with the city’s plan to break down parts of the historic Hancock House in Gallatin, TN.

The house was built in the 1890s and was built on the site of a former stagecoach stop.

Carl Hancock and his wife, Roberta, ran it as a bed and breakfast prior to a fire in August 2021.

Carl Hancock is in the hospital after suffering a heart attack and Roberta learned Thursday the house is set to be bulldozed at 7 a.m. Friday and she can’t believe it.

“It has so many possibilities. It is unbelievable the things that could be done with that house instead of tearing it down,” Roberta Hancock, who lived there for around 50 years, said. “To see everything we’ve worked for all our lives be bulldozed down breaks my heart.”

Roberta said she wasn’t told the house was to be bulldozed. She learned about it on Thursday when a worker stopped by the house to feed the cats and he saw the bulldozers outside.

Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown said only the burned portions of the house were supposed to be torn down and the rest of it was going to be fenced in.

Copyright 2022 WSMV. All rights reserved.