Mystic — In the end, a hammer might be the implement used to write the final chapter in the 20-year tug-of-war among Gretchen Chipperini, the Town of Groton and many of the residents of Mystic over an old house.

Friday morning, two men who declined to identify themselves or the company they work for used a hydraulic hammer to dismantle the chimney, which was the only visible evidence of the house and its decades-long saga.

The foundation, covered by plywood and cloaked in weeds, remains.

"The owner hired us," one of the men said when he descended from a hydraulic lift for a break. "She told us not to talk to anyone."

The man said the job would take a couple of days.

The property, 23 Library St., which spans the block to West Main Street (Route 1), became the subject of controversy soon after the Chipperini family bought it in 1989. Chipperini and her company, Ultegra LLC, began renovation projects that seemed to never reach completion.

"The integrity of the Mystic Historic District and the quality of life of the neighborhood have been degraded for so long that residents near the site have seen their property values decline," stated a petition to compel the family to complete its renovation projects. That was in 2000.

Chipperini, who could not be reached to comment Friday, was known to assert that her home and yard were none of the neighbors' business.

In 2004, the state Department of Transportation closed a section of sidewalk adjacent to the property because the walk has a 23-inch deep, 5-foot-wide void beneath the concrete thought to have been created when Chipperini built a retaining wall.

The problems were not resolved even when, in 2008, the house was destroyed by an arson fire. William Celtruda, a probationary firefighter in Mystic, was sentenced to 10 to 14 years in prison for one count of first-degree arson, two counts of second-degree arson and one count of first-degree criminal mischief.

Four days after the fire, the town ordered the Chipperinis to demolish the house for safety reasons.

Almost a year later, in March 2009, Groton town officials took Chipperini to court to enforce that order. In August of that year, Chipperini payed $130 for a demolition permit.

The chimney was the last evidence of all the work that had been done - and undone - on the house. This included the digging of ditches to install retaining walls, which may have put the adjoining sidewalk in jeopardy; the erecting of scaffolding that went unused for extended periods; the placing of large mounds of dirt on the property.

These and many other issues drew the attention of town officials and the ire of the neighbors.

"It's about time," said a passer-by Friday. Another suggested that the property, which is for sale, should be turned into a park.

Neither woman would give their names, saying they feared a lawsuit.

Chipperini and the town have traded lawsuits over the years. This spring, the town received the legal right to give Chipperini a 30-day notice that it would remove the chimney at the owner's expense if the chimney was still standing, or if the property had not been sold, by June 30.

c.potter@theday.com