Historic Stockham Building Demolition Plans Expected to be Finalized in August, Morrisville Officials Say

Demolition plans for the Historic  Stockham building in Morrisville Borough  remain on track for this fall, following the completion of recent environmental testing officials said at the July Council meeting.

Borough engineer Jackob Brink of Gilmore & Associates, said environmental investigations were completed last month and revealed typical hazardous materials, including asbestos, lead, and basement storage items like old paint cans and trash, that must be remediated prior to razing the structure.

Technical specifications and plans for the project are expected to be completed in early August,

Following the completion of the specifications, officials plan to coordinate with the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County  to put the project out for bid in August, keeping the target demolition schedule for the fall.

Stockham Bldg – Back side
Credit: Joanne Ames-LBS

The timeline remains contingent on finalizing property acquisition details to place the parcel in the borough’s name, Brink said.

Addressing community questions regarding whether the building could be restored, officials noted a previous developer’s $2 million restoration estimate covered only cosmetic repairs and was completed without physical structural testing.

Credit: Joanne Ames-LBS

“The cost of repairing it [and] keeping it outweighs what it is to just demo and start over,” Jacob said, noting that unknown structural issues with the building’s beams and concrete could significantly drive up restoration costs beyond initial estimates.

Inspection teams, Brink said, also deemed the upper floors too dangerous to navigate.

The following is a descending timeline from spring 2025 to present day of stories covering developments involving the historic building.

Lower Bucks Source first reported in June 2025 that life-long resident,  Amy Yates Wuelfing, an accomplished publisher in her own right,was on a mission to save the building.  She created the Save the Stockham Building-Keep Morrisville’s Dignity Intact website and a change.org petition to help the cause.

Yates-Wuelfing is also a member of the borough’s zoning board.

She recently said she was deeply disappointed the building couldn’t be saved and restored.

It remains unclear presently what kind of coordination is taking place with the borough and the businesses that are on the same block.

A source told Lower Bucks Source the Borough engineers will be addressing  that issue in the coming days.