For 168 years, residents of the leafy St Louis suburb of Kirkwood have gazed in awe at the beauty of the Marquitz-Garesche House.

The elegant white clapboard home, whose 1858 construction predated the American Civil War by three years, is such an architectural gem it has been designed an official local landmark since 1982. 

Its presence as the oldest house in the North Taylor neighborhood was instrumental in the entire area being added to the National Register of Historic Places. 

So when health startup CEO Harlee Sorkin, 52, and his Pilates teacher wife Annelle, 51, bought the property for $635,000 last February, its former owner Mary Glen was delighted to hear them suggest they would be proud future stewards of the 19th century home.

But the Sorkins, who live with their three sons in an enormous $1.4 million mansion in nearby Topping Estates, now face a frosty welcome in their new neighborhood after unveiling an updated plan for the three bed, two bath home that will see it flattened.

A rendering obtained by the Daily Mail shows a larger replacement home, with a stone-clad exterior and ultra-modern black window frames of the sort made famous by reality TV homebuilders Chip and Joanna Gaines. 

Despite the Marquitz-Garesche House's storied history, there is no local ordnance preventing its destruction, although Glen and other locals have made repeated attempts to try and save the property from the Sorkins' wrecking ball. 

Glen, who lived in the Marquitz-Garesche House for 49 years between 1976 and 2025 with her late husband is so incensed that she wrote an angry local letter about the Sorkins to her local newspaper. 

She claims the couple initially told her they had planned to add an extension to the existing home that would preserve its historic looks and character.

Sorkin and Annelle countered by saying they were concerned about potential asbestos insulation in the attic, lead paint and piping, as well as a narrow staircase.

Sorkin, who leads heart health startup InterShunt Technologies, also complained that there is just seven inches of clearance between the door and bathtub in one of the home's two bathrooms, rendering it completely impractical. 

But Glen, who says she spent $1.3 million on maintaining the home during the half-century that she lived there, insisted she had the attic insulation tested - and that no asbestos was found.

Pointedly, she added: 'I conveyed this information to the Sorkins, so when they say they are unaware, that is either untrue or an oversight on their part.' 

Addressing the Sorkins' other concerns, Glen said that the 'narrow' staircase they complained of is a historic period feature and that it is structurally sound.

She said 'every square inch' of the house has since been repainted with unleaded paint and that the property does not suffer damp, any issues with its wiring or roof and that its lead pipes were replaced with copper ones. 

Speaking to the Webster-Kirkwood Times, the stricken widow added: 'I loved that place for 50 years. It's a shame it's being torn down.' 

Addressing a public hearing last July, Harlee Sorkin insisted he and his wife had initially planned to preserve the house, even hiring an architect and builder to do so, only to realize that the scale of work required would destroy its appearance anyway.

'Nobody looks at a historic house and says, "I want to tear this down,"' Sorkin said at the time. 'When we purchased the house, there was no expectation that we would live in it as is. The question was what would it take to make this workable for us...

'We ultimately determined it would be a challenge due to loss of historical integrity, incompatibility of modern living standards and, ultimately, safety.'

The Sorkins first applied to the Kirkwood Landmarks Commission to demolish their home in May last year, three months after buying it.

When locals caught wind of what was afoot, Kirkwood resident Erin Mariscal launched a Change.org petition to try and stop the demolition, which has so-far gained 1,500 signatures.

Mariscal, who works as a dentist, also questioned whether the Sorkins really tried to preserve the home.

'There was clearly no intent to restore this property,' she claimed. 

'The new owners’ lack of due diligence should not result in our community losing a landmark.

'The reasons cited by the new owners are not acceptable reasons to warrant demolition. 

'Many residents in Kirkwood live in old homes that are not up to modern code. What makes these homes old and unique is why they are landmarks.' 

Another neighbor called Reba Luhrs told the Daily Mail: 'There are a lot of us who are upset.'

Luhrs, who has lived in the area since 1994 and has a 'Protect Historic Kirkwood' yard sign said: '[Sorkin] claimed he bought the house then found out it was unlivable. He had no intentions of living in it, he just wanted to demolish it.'

When she was shown the renderings for the intended new build on the property, she scoffed that it didn’t fit in with the style of the neighborhood.

'We’re just so disappointed that they’re taking that house down. Those people can find another lot, but we can’t find another house that was built in 1858. It’s just selfish,' she added.

Another local, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘We’re not happy about it, it’s just very disappointing. It’s a trend that we are seeing that is upsetting. It’s a beautiful home.’

A month after Harlee Sorkin applied to demolish the home, the commission voted to withhold approval of his plan for the maximum amount of time allowed - 270 days.

They did so in a bid to encourage an alternative plan to preserve the property, but none emerged in the time frame, leaving the Sorkins free to hire a demolition crew.

A group of angry residents - including four immediate neighbors of the house - subsequently sued in a last-ditch attempt to force the City of Kirkwood to block any demolition.

That effort failed last Friday, when St Louis County Circuit Court Judge John N Borbonus ruled that those opposed to the demolition 'do not have the requisite standing' to prevent the Marquitz-Garesche House from being destroyed, the St Louis Post-Dispatch reported. 

Lawyers for the Sorkins defended the couple, highlighting that they had consistently stuck to the City of Kirkwood's own rules and done nothing wrong. 

The Sorkins declined to comment further when approached by the Daily Mail. 

No further details on when the Marquitz-Garesche House will be demolished have been shared. 

As the drama unfolds, the Sorkins remain ensconced in their enormous Topping Estates mansion, away from the disapproving glares of their new neighbors.

It is unclear whether Harlee and Annelle Sorkin still plan to move into the Kirkwood home themselves - and if they will sell their existing mansion when they do so. 

Earlier this week, the Daily Mail saw Annelle Sorkin driving her black Porsche Cayenne SUV from her Craftsman-style mansion to the Pilates studio where she teaches stretches and breathing techniques.

She and her husband may well require both in the coming months to help them cope with the stress of moving to an area where many locals now actively dislike them.