Girl, 14, To Dismantle Treehouse That Violated Zoning Code

AMBRIDGE, Pa. (KDKA) -- It was not your typical house party. Neighbors in Leet Township gathered to witness the removal of a tree house.

Elise Trunchan was in the eighth grade at Quaker Valley Middle School when she and her father built the tree house for a school project. KDKA's Dave Crawley paid a visit to the tree house in May. Elise's father, Jonathan Trunchan, says the story went viral on social media.

"You did your story, and it went everywhere," he said. "Everywhere. We found it in Poland, Zimbabwe, we found it in England, in Mexico, France."

Watch As Dave Crawley Gets Tour Of Treehouse

Closer to home, a neighbor complained, and the Leet Township council ordered it to be dismantled by the end of the year. Elise and her father waited until the last day.

As for the zoning ordinance against such front yard structures, Elise says, "I'm sad and mad about it, but it has to come down."

What started out as a school project in innovative creativity turned out to be a learning experience in local politics.

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A structure that took three months to build takes one day to remove. But tree house memories last forever.

"A lot of the good times have been sleepovers with friends and family," Elise recalls.

"We've had family game night, we've had dinner up there, we've had breakfast up there," her father adds.

The tree house builder learned she may want to be an architect someday. But politics? Her answer is emphatic.

"No!"