Tara and Daniel Whiting have withdrawn their application to the West Tisbury historic district commission to demolish the Old Parsonage house.

On Wednesday historic district commission chairman Sean Conley said his board had received an e-mail from the Whitings earlier in the week effectively ending their pursuit of a demolition permit.

“It looks like Tara is pursuing something else besides demolition, which is great,” Mr. Conley said.

The request to demolish the house, which was built in the 1670s and is believed to be one of the oldest houses on the Vineyard, drew widespread expressions of concern two weeks ago from residents, preservationists and members of the Whiting family.

Last week Ms. Whiting met with the historic commission district, and several members of the board said they would not support a certificate of financial hardship as a reason to tear down the house.

Mr. Conley said the next step is up to the Whitings. At last week’s meeting a number of options were proposed, including having the Whitings apply to the zoning board of appeals for a variance to build another structure on the property while preserving the 17th century house, possibly with the help of private individuals or organizations.

No application has been filed, according to zoning board administrator Julie Keefe.

“The ZBA chairman [Tucker Hubbell] is aware that we are probably going to get an application, but it’s not at that point yet,” Ms. Keefe said yesterday.

Ms. Whiting had no comment. Mr. Conley surmised that last week’s historic district commission meeting was instructive for the family.

“I think she appreciated that she would have community support from emotionally to financially,” he said. “It’ll end up being a win-win for everybody.”