95-Year-Old Painter Threatened With Eviction From Cape Cod Shack Gets Reprieve

Dotted around Cape Cod are several small wooden shacks, one of which 95-year-old painter Salvatore Del Deo calls home. However, over the summer, both Salvatore and his family faced eviction as the National Park Service sought to repopulate several shacks. Recently, though, the family received a reprieve that will last them several years.

When confronted with the eviction notice, Salvatore and his family refused to leave their home and did not remove any of their possessions from the beachside shack. They partnered with a legal team that fought to keep them in their house – but they were working under the threat of an impending shutdown that could have severely delayed everything.

Elderly painter Salvatore Del Deo and his family fight an eviction notice to stay in their Cape Cod shack

Salvatore’s problem began when the National Park Service started a bidding process over the summer, allowing the public to apply for a lease in eight beachside shacks lasting as long as ten years. Salvatore’s actually hadn’t been part of the core eight but could have at any point been included in later bidding rounds.

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The shack rests on the Cape Cod National Seashore, in the Peaked Hill Bars Historic District of Provincetown. Though the shack, like its neighbors, has no plumbing or electricity, potential owners are drawn to them because of their tranquil atmosphere. Artists such as Salvatore, along with writers and other creative minds, have flocked to shacks such as these for over a century.

Speaking of Salvatore, the artist’s son Romolo Del Deo said, “He’s painted at that location for 77 years. His connection to the place is very, very deep.” So, the family fought the eviction notice.

For Salvatore, home is where the art is

The family stayed put and worked with pro bono lawyers. The impending government shutdown added a layer of urgency to negotiations; if they couldn’t reach a deal, Salvatore may have had to wait things out away from his home. Thankfully, the legal team managed to secure a deal allowing the family to lease the shack on an annual basis for five years.

The lawyers worked closely with the Interior Department to secure this plan.

“The beauty of these places is that they kind of surf the sand,” mused Romolo. Thankfully, Salvatore may bask in that sun and sand a bit longer, creating art as he has already for seven decades.

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