Author: medfordhistoricalcommission

October Hearing Materials

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Good morning! The Historical Commission will be at Thomas Brooks Park this morning working with the team from SWCA consultants on a second archaeological dig. Tonight, we have a hearing and will determine significance on two buildings.

October Hearing AgendaDownload

41 Mystic Avenue – Public Hearing
The Commission will take comments on if the demolition of 41 Mystic Avenue is detrimental to the historical or cultural assets of the City of Medford. The building is an 18th century structure moved in the late 19th century for Governor’s Avenue. The building is importantly associated with the Hall Family of Medford. Benjamin Hall was a noted rum distiller whose ships were actively involved in the Atlantic Triangle Trade. Beyond this, Hall’s brother-in-law was Timothy Fitch, a slave trader. The building also has some interesting history regarding its current location on Mystic Ave, the former Medford Turnpike. You can read all about that in the enclosed MHC Form B and extension form.

41 Mystic Ave – MHC Form BDownload
Continuation Sheet – 41 Mystic AvenueDownload

58 Myrtle Street – Determination of Significance
The Commission will determine if 58 Myrtle Street is significant. The building is a mid-19th-century structure that was likely part of the development laid out by Horatio Williams. The neighborhood consists of uniform gable-end houses that closely abut the street. The area was once known as Williamsburg for its connection to Williams, but the name has given way to Glenwood, which was the name of the nearby depot on Spring Street at the corner of Myrtle.

58 Myrtle – MHC Form BDownload

231 Park Street – Determination of Significance
The Commission will last take an application for the demolition of 231 Park Street. This mid-19th-century building is similar to Myrtle in many ways. It was documented during the East Medford Survey Project and is one of 3000 or so pre-1900 homes remaining city-wide.

231 Park Street – MHC Form BDownload

As always, comments are welcome by emailing the Historical Commission ahead of tonight’s meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!

October Meeting Materials

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Salutations and greetings on this fine fall day! The Medford Historical Commission has an early meeting on October 6, 2025. The agenda is included below so you can follow along. Meeting materials that the Commission will review are available further down in this post.

October 6, 2025 Meeting AgendaDownload

10 Irving Street – Public Hearing
The Commission will hold a public hearing to determine if the demolition of 10 Irving Street would be detrimental to the historic resources of the City of Medford. We do so by determining if the building is preferably preserved. This structure is Italianate in nature. Its large form suggests it is an earlier building that was moved to the site. The Commission will review the information in the Form B and hear public comments to determine if the building is preferably preserved.

10 Irving Street – MHC Form BDownload

41 Mystic Avenue – Determination of Significance
An application for demolition has been received for 41 Mystic Avenue. We will review the building for significance. The Benjamin and Hepzibah Jones Hall House was surveyed as part of the Medford Square South Project. This building is one of twelve surviving eighteenth-century buildings remaining in the City.

41 Mystic Avenue – MHC Form BDownload

121 Second Street – Determination of Significance
An application for demolition has been received for 121 Second Street. The Commission will review the information in the MHC Form B and determine significance. This is an early 20th century resource with some surviving original details. The building is slated for total demolition to be replaced by a duplex.

121 Second Street – MHC Form BDownload

Upcoming Demolition Reviews:
Although they did not make it to the agenda in time, there are two applications that will be received by the Commission. The first is 6 Hobbs Road, which proposes major renovations to a 20th-century residence in West Medford. The other is 58 Myrtle Street, which is being remodeled extensively to the point where the original structure will no longer be distinguishable.

Old Business:

The Commission will continue its meeting with the various monthly updates on projects underway.

Vacancies: We are still looking for new members. Please reach out to us if you are interested in serving on our board.
Historic District Commission Updates: Nothing at this time.
Properties Under Delay: No update at this time.
Form Bs: We received the Form B back from consultant John Clemson for the Kappy’s Building. We always try to share this information so that it is useful during planning discussions.

10 Revere Beach Parkway – MHC Form BDownload

Thomas Brooks Park
We’re pleased to announce we’re looking for volunteers for a second dig planned this fall. See our announcement for more information. With that underway, we can turn our attention to bidding the tree work. We secured a large amount of money to prune many of the historic trees in the park. We are looking to partner with the Planning Department, Parks, and DPW to collaborate efforts to make the green canopy safe. Work will happen in the winter when the vegetation is gone so any deadwood can be seen and removed. This is a pruning exercise and removal of the dead trees. We are hoping to replant a handful of the native trees in the spring. Once that major task is bid, we will return to looking at the sidewalks and crosswalks with the DPW and Engineering.

Hastings Heights Survey:
The Survey and Planning Project has gone out to bid. Procurement will release the documents on Monday, and responses are due in early November. If the City can turn around a contract quickly, work can begin in mid-November and extend through September of next year.

We will end our meeting with the approval of meeting minutes. As always, if you have questions, comments or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email us!

Volunteers Wanted for Archaeological Dig 2.0

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The Medford Historical Commission is looking for adventurous volunteers to help with the archaeological dig planned at Thomas Brooks Park!

Thomas Brooks Park is a landscape of deep cultural significance. It weaves together Medford’s local history, the legacy of slavery in New England, and the presence of Native American heritage—all preserved within this historic site. The current archaeological excavation is being conducted as part of due diligence in preparation for planned preservation and protection efforts. Please note that all unauthorized digging, metal detecting, or artifact collecting is strictly prohibited.

Unearth hidden stories from Medford’s past as you roll up your sleeves, dig into history, and help uncover artifacts that haven’t seen daylight in centuries. No experience is required – just curiosity, enthusiasm, and a readiness for discovery.  Here are some of the early details:

🗓 When: The end of October or early November. We will post the specific days as we get closer.
⏰ Schedule: Volunteers will come for one full day, 8:00 AM–4:00 PM (includes a 30-minute lunch break). We can have up to 6 volunteers per day.
📋 Orientation: All volunteers must attend a 1-hour orientation on a date in advance of the dig.

Volunteers must be 18 or older to participate. If you can’t make it to the dig itself, we’ll post about lab work (cleaning and cataloging what is recovered).

☀️ Rain or shine, the dig goes on!

No need to bring equipment — just wear sturdy, closed-toed boots or shoes with ankle support. (Sorry, no flip-flops!) You may bring your own gardening gloves and knee pads if you’d like. Be sure to pack your own lunch and water for the day.

Ready to make history?
📧 Email the Medford Historical Commission at historicalcommission@medford-ma.gov with your name, availability, and best contact method to be added to the list.

August Meeting Materials

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We have posted our meeting agenda and minutes on our meeting and agenda page. We have also posted the August agenda below.

August Meeting AgendaDownload

We have a busy month with a number of action items on the agenda.

For those that are following demolition delay cases, 18 Wedgemere Road has withdrawn their application.

Receive Demolition Applications and Ordering Form B’s:
The Commission will receive an application for the demolition of 18 Cherry Street.
The Commission will order MHC Form B’s for 18 Cherry, 110 Brooks Street, 39 Wilson Street, 39 Marion Street, and 106 Alexander Street. The later properties are being considered for demolition and the Commission will preemptively order forms to document their history.

Review Progress:
Commissioners will review the progress made on the mitigation at 38 Pearl Street and vote to release the property. Then, the Commissioners will review the progress at 56 Wareham Street to determine if the design is sufficient to release the delay. The demolition delay subcommittee will turn its attention to 27 Almont Street to work with the owner on the proposal for renovations.

Section 106 Reviews:
Amanda Centrella will provide an overview of a project planned for the Riverside Avenue Plaza. The Commission will provide comments as necessitated by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

CPC Updates:
Theresa Dupont will likewise provide an update to the Commission on various historic preservation projects in the works.

We will then have a normal array of business items that will take us through to the end of our meeting. As always, the public is welcome to attend and provide comments. We ask that if you have feedback ahead of time, please send us an email and we will be sure to distribute it with the agenda to all the Commissioners. We enjoy hearing from residents and hope to see you soon!

May Meeting Materials

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Today is a wonderful mid-spring day and the perfect time to update the community on our meeting on May 13, 2024. Our agenda has been posted to our website. Be sure to download it and review all the items the Commission plans to review. You can find the agenda by clicking here!

27 Almont Street Public Hearing
The Historical Commission will hold a Public Hearing to determine if the demolition of the well-preserved pre-1855 building at 27 Almont Street is detrimental to the historic resources of the City of Medford.

The Commission views this type of building as a rare and diminishing resource in our built landscape. We encourage residents to voice their opinions on if the preservation of this building is important to the community. You can learn more about the building by reading the MHC inventory form, and the determination of significance letter included below:

27 Almont – MHC Form BDownload
27 Almont – Determination of SignificanceDownload

Determinations of Significance

The Commission will determine the significance of the following buildings:

  • 18 Wedgemere Road
  • 9 Trout Avenue

As a reminder, our definition of significance is as follows:

As set forth in Section 48-78, a significant building is any structure, or a portion thereof, which is not within a local historic district subject to regulation under the provisions of MGLA c. 40C, but which:

  1. Has been listed in or is the subject of a pending application for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; or
  2. Has been listed in the Massachusetts Register of Historic Places; or
  3. Was built within 75 years or older and which is determined by the commission to be a significant building as provided by subsection 48-78(d) either because:

                a. It is importantly associated with one or more historic persons or events, or with the broad architectural, cultural, political, economic, or social history of the city or the commonwealth; or

                 b. It is historically or architecturally important in terms of period, style, method of building   construction, or association with an important architect or builder, either by itself or in the context of a group of buildings.

The Commission has inventory forms for each of the buildings and will utilize that information to make the determination. The forms are included below.

18 Wedgemere Road – MHC Form BDownload
9 Trout Ave – MHC Form BDownload

New Demolition Applications
Following the public hearing, the Commission will receive demolition applications for the properties located at:

  • 85 Morton Avenue

The Commission will have an MHC inventory form prepared for this building to learn more about it’s history and prepare to determine significance next month.

The Commission will also receive the application for partial demolition of the building located at 38 Pearl Street. This historic pre-1855 building has an MHC inventory form. It is also part of an area documented on an MHC form A. Both are included below.

George, Pearl, and Stearns Street – MHC Form ADownload
38 Pearl Street – MHC Form BDownload

The Commission will also receive the application for the fire-damaged building at 3-5 Pleasant Street. This building is a National Register property and as a result, it is automatically significant. The Commission will move right to a public hearing held next month to determine if the building is preferably preserved.

Site Plan Reviews

The Commission has two site plan reviews on the agenda. One is for 400 Mystic Avenue, and the other 280 Mystic Avenue. Details of the projects will be conveyed at the meeting and the Commission will review the projects and provide feedback as requested.

Ongoing Business

The meeting will conclude with an array of updates on existing projects that are moving forward. Be sure to listen in on all the great stuff that’s happening.

As always, we encourage residents to submit comments in advance of the meeting. The Commission receives these items and does read through them. They are entered into the record as well. Looking forward to seeing you there!

A celebration at Medford City Hall in the mid-20th century.

February Meeting Materials

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We are looking forward to seeing everyone this month! We have a light(ish) agenda that includes a determination of significance and then various project updates.

February Meeting AgendaDownload

314 Winthrop Street – Determination of Significance:

The Commission will review the MHC inventory form prepared by John Clemson for the property at 314 Winthrop Street. The building is slated to be altered beyond recognition and is reviewable under the ordinance.

314 Winthrop Street MHC Form BDownload

The Commission will then proceed with a review of the site plan application for the Fellsway Innovation Center. This project is coming before the Community Development Board and the Commission is afforded a chance to comment. The Commission will review plans and forward any comments to the board.

When that is complete, we will have a series of project updates. These will be quick but there’s lots of things happening. We hope to see you tonight!

A Discussion on Demolition Delay 2/6 @ 10AM

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The Medford Historical Commission is proud to promote the Eastern Massachusetts Historical Commission Coalition’s program titled “From Bylaw to Action: Understanding Demolition Delay Implementation” on Tuesday February 6, 2024 from 10-11:30AM. This is a digital presentation. Please be sure to register online with the EMHCC located here: bit.ly/46uh86I

EMHCC makes their presentations available online after the fact. If you can’t join us at that time, be sure to watch them on their archives. The Medford Historical Commission is pleased to speak at this event and we welcome anyone from the public to chime in on the benefits of this important community preservation tool.

January Meeting Materials

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Happy New Year! The Historical Commission is ready to kickoff 2024 with a robust agenda that moves a series of reviews and projects along. We look forward to seeing you at our meeting.

January AgendaDownload

We have a new Commissioner on the board. Welcome Eleni Glekas. You’ll be hearing more about her soon, as we’ll make sure we have her give us some background information and dedicate a whole post like what has been done for the previous Commissioners. On that note, we would like to thank Jessica Farrell for all she has done for the board.

43 Allston Street:
The Commission will receive the application and determine significance for the fire damaged structure on Allston Street. The Commission had an MHC inventory form prepared to document the building. We will review the information within and take action following comments by the Commissioners.

43 Allston Street MHC Form BDownload

314 Winthrop Street:
The Commission will next receive the application for 314 Winthrop Street. The paperwork came in late so we will determine the significance of the building next month. An inventory form has been prepared and is included below.

314 WInthrop Street MHC Form BDownload

Brooks Park Presentation:
Landscape Architect Peter Hedlund will give a brief presentation and solicit feedback from the Commissioners on the goals of the Thomas Brooks Park project. This is a kickoff meeting for the archaeological cap that will be placed atop the Brooks House site following additional archaeological investigations later this year. Peter previously prepared the master plan for the park and we are looking forward to working with him to protect one of the sites most important features.

Election of Officer and Meeting Dates:
This is a hold over from December, as we wanted to make sure we take the time to include all the commissioners in this discussion. We will set our meeting dates and elect officers for the season.

Annual Report:
We are almost ready to release our annual report for the 2023 year. We have a few edits to make and the Commissioners will hopefully approve the final document this evening. Once that is done, we will post it to our website for everyone to see!

We will conclude the meeting with general updates on various projects that are ongoing. If there are any questions or comments, do drop us a note by emailing us. We look forward to hearing from members of our community. Thanks!

Brooks Estate Seeks New President

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There is an incredible opportunity to help the Medford Brooks Estate Land Trust (M-BELT). The non-profit organization seeks a new President. You could be the right candidate! If your resolution is to volunteer, consider doing so in support of one of our treasured historic landmarks.

The Brooks Estate represents our history. Fifty acres of woodland and water protect the core of the former summer estates of Peter Chardon Brooks III and Shepherd Brooks. High atop Acorn Hill, the 21-room Manor and Carriage House overlooks the historic landscape. The red brick structures were designed by Peabody and Stearns and erected in 1880. They have been owned by the City since 1947 and are awaiting restoration. The goal is to rehabilitate the buildings to make them income-generating and self-sustaining.

M-BELT is providing the path for the future. For the last twenty-five years, the organization has stabilized and conserved both buildings. They developed a master plan to set a direction for success. The organization is restructuring to turn that dream into a reality. The new President will be responsible for taking charge and moving forward. They will be supported by the Board of Directors, long-time dedicated volunteers, and a planned part-time administrative assistant.

If this sounds exciting, please drop over to their website to learn more, and be sure to send them a letter of interest and resume. https://brooksestate.org/newpresident/

December Meeting Materials

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December will be a busy month for the Medford Historical Commission. We would like to take a minute to thank everyone for their support on our projects we undertake for the City of Medford. We would also like to wish everyone a happy holidays and new year. We are looking forward to a productive 2024. With that said, here is the agenda and a quick summary of everything that’s on it!

December Meeting AgendaDownload

56 Wareham Street Public Hearing:
There will be a public hearing on if the demolition of the significant building at 56 Wareham Street is detrimental to the City of Medford. We encourage comments ahead of time that will be entered into the record. We will hear from the Commissioners if they feel the building is preferably preserved. We are sometimes asked…what does that mean? It means that the building has enough integrity to warrant a pause in the demolition proceeding to seek out alternatives. Once a building is demolished, it is gone forever. We often look for ways to mitigate the loss. Sometimes buildings remain, other times they are demolished. The Commission reviews the integrity with public comments to decide if the building should be subject to a delay. We encourage participation. You can review the documentation for the case below.

56 Wareham MHC Form BDownload
Wareham Street MHC Form ADownload
Determination of Significance – 56 Wareham StreetDownload

Additional Demolition Delay Reviews:
At this time, 69 Court Street is postponed indefinitely until the requirements of the legal ad and yard sign are met. We are not sure if the applicant intends to proceed with the review.
We will be receiving a number of demolition applications. These include the properties at 43 Allston and 314 Winthrop Street. We will have MHC inventory forms prepared and post them as soon as they are ready!

https://images.vgsi.com/photos2/MedfordMAPhotos///01/02/25/96.jpg

Shiloh Baptist Church
The Community Preservation Committee has asked that the Commission determine significance for the building and then ask the Massachusetts Historical Commission for a finding of National Register eligibility. NRE statements are prepared with inventory forms by the state does not act on them until requested. Eligibility bears the same weight as listing on the register, and will assist with the preservation of the building. We will review the MHC inventory form below.

Shiloh Baptist Church MHC Form BDownload

Preparations for Next Year:
The Commission will set dates for 2024 and then elect officers and appoint standing committee members.
We will briefly discuss the Annual Report. Most of the work is done, but we just need to conclude our business in December before finalizing the documentation. It will be ready for review in January.

Old Business:
The Commission will provide a series of quick updates on all the ongoing projects. There’s a lot happening so be sure to stay to hear all the great things we’re doing! We will conclude with the approval of meeting minutes.

Be sure to reach out to us if you have any questions or comments. You can email us right through our website or sending an email to historicalcommission@medford-ma.gov. Thanks!