Demolition Delay

September Meeting Materials

/ Ryan D. Hayward

The September Meeting is looking to be a busy one with a number of determinations on the docket. As always, our meeting is conducted via Zoom. Please feel free to join us by clicking the link on the top of our homepage or on the agenda.

September Meeting AgendaDownload

18 Cherry Street – Determination of Significance
The Historical Commission will review the historical significance for this nineteenth century dwelling house together with the adjacent auto garages. The buildings are slated for total demolition to allow for townhouses. The Commission has a Form B prepared for the building which can be viewed by clicking the link below.

18 Cherry Street MHC Form BDownload

106 Alexander Street – Receive Demolition Application and Determine Significance
The Commission will receive an application for this early twentieth century dwelling house. We already have a Form B for this building so we will move right into determining significance. The form is linked below.

106 Alexander Ave MHC Form BDownload

110 Brooks Street – Receive Demolition Application and Determine Significance
The Commission will review the gut-rehab project at 110 Brooks Street. Substantial changes are planned and the board will start with determining if the building is significant. The structure has some nice detail consistent with its period of construction. The building also has a known builder.

110 Brooks Street MHC Form BDownload

Salem Street Burying Ground Flag Pole
The Commission has received a request to support the construction of a new flagpole at SSBG for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. We have requested the City hire an archaeologist to review any excavation that is made given the age of the grounds. The Commission supports efforts to celebrate our history and welcomes this new monument to the Massachusetts and New Hampshire citizen soldiers that gave their life for the creation of our country and preservation of our liberties.

Fall Programs
We will have a few quick updates for fall programs and collaborations that are in the works. We will also discuss continuing education events that bolster our preservation knowledge. We try to attend these whenever it will benefit the City of Medford.

Normal Updates
From here, we have our regular monthly updates of ongoing work. We were able to secure MHC inventory forms for two properties under threat of demolition. Four new applications for building permits are being reviewed and there’s a possibility we will have forms prepared preemptively.

Minutes
As always, we will wrap the meeting up with minutes from the last three meetings.

If there’s anything preservation related that’s on your mind and you would like to share with us, please do not hesitate to reach out via email. We are always happy to hear from residents.

August Meeting Materials

/ medfordhistoricalcommission

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

/ medfordhistoricalcommission

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

/ medfordhistoricalcommission

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!

January Meeting Materials

/ medfordhistoricalcommission

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!

December Meeting Materials

/ medfordhistoricalcommission

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!

October Meeting Materials

/ medfordhistoricalcommission

This month will be a busy meeting of the Medford Historical Commission. Please join us at 7PM via Zoom on Monday, October 16 to participate. We have a number of items on the agenda which can be found by clicking here.

56 Wareham Street Receive Demolition Application:

The Commission will receive an application for the demolition of 56 Wareham Street. The building is a 19th century structure and maintains a lot of its character. You can read the MHC Form B prepared by consultant John Clemson for more on the history and architecture. The Commission uses these inventory forms during its deliberations on if a structure is significant and preferably preserved.

56 Wareham Street MHC Form B.Download

67-69 Court Street House and Carriage House Determination of Significance:

The Commission will determine the significance of the house and carriage house located at 67-69 Court Street. The house dates to the mid-nineteenth century and is representative of those houses built for the working class residents. It has had a large addition placed to the rear and is now a two family structure. The carriage house remains. Its age is not known but it shows up on maps in the late nineteenth century. We will review the buildings for their historical and architectural history. If found significant, a public hearing would be required.

67-69 Court Street MHC Form BDownload

587 Winthrop Street Determination of Significance::

Slated to be altered beyond recognition, the residential building here will be reviewed for significance. This is one of the few 19th century buildings remaining in the northwest corner of Medford. Many in this area have recently been demolished for development. This structure is being gutted and the rear ell replaced with a large addition.

587 Winthrop Street MHC Form BDownload

64 Myrtle Street Determination of Significance:

The Commission will review an application for the demolition of 64 Myrtle Street. The building was gutted with permission. The owner intends to rebuild the structure rather than work within the confines of old construction. The Commission is required to review the demolition the same as any other structure. We will determine if this structure warrants further review by determining if it is significant.

64 Myrtle Street MHC Form BDownload

Other Items on Our Agenda:

We would like to remind everyone that our program with PAL is coming up soon. Please see the flyer for more information.

The Commission will provide a series of updates before approving minutes. Once minutes are approved, we’ll be done for this month! Please feel free to check back for an update as to how the meeting went.

June Meeting Materials and Updates

/ medfordhistoricalcommission

Summer has arrived and with it, our June meeting. You can find our latest agenda posted for our meeting here:

June Meeting AgendaDownload

We have a rather light meeting so we will be providing some updates on projects. The major one is work at Thomas Brooks Park is about 95% complete. The field stone wall has been entirely restored. Pomp’s wall is almost there and is missing a few stones to finish the top cap. That will be finished by next week. We will post finished photos when complete!

Hope to see you at tonight’s meeting.

May Meeting Materials

/ medfordhistoricalcommission

Our May meeting will have a bit of everything on the agenda. You will find that here:

May Meeting AgendaDownload

We will be discussing a bunch of properties and you can find the associated Massachusetts Historical Commission inventory forms below:

91 Winchester Street – MHC Form BDownload
17 Green Road – MHC Form BDownload
142-148 Mystic Avenue – MHC Form BDownload

We will also be receiving an application for the demolition of 37 Locus Street and reviewing progress at 28 Grove Street.

Toward the end of our meeting, we will conclude with updates on our survey projects, and the work at Thomas Brooks Park.

Hope to see you there!

April Meeting Recap

/ medfordhistoricalcommission

Here’s a quick recap of the decisions we made at the April meeting –

The Historical Commission found 222 Boston Avenue not preferably preserved, but we expect that the redevelopment of this historically significant site will continue to have public discussion and feedback as plans continue through the Community Development Board and other city offices.

Both 12 George Street and 28 Winter Street were voted NOT historically significant.  

The house at 17 Green Road was voted historically significant; the Commission agrees that it is an excellent and well-preserved late 19th century shingle-style home. Shingle-style, though now widespread throughout the country, began as a New England style of architecture influenced by domestic and commercial coastal buildings, and their use of shingle. The influence of New England shingle-style can be seen in many turn-of-the-century homes throughout Medford, but 17 Green Road is an especially good example of the style. Although the actual shingle is covered by a recent application of vinyl siding, the proportions, massing and roofline of a classic shingle-style are still evident. The house was built for a prominant Boston doctor as a summer home. Its large porches and placement on a rocky outcropping at the top of what was then called “Highland Avenue,” preserve a sense of the dramatic natural landscape, and the beginnings of that landscape’s development into residential use. More info is available in the Form B our architectural historians prepared.

Form B for 17 Green Road, MedfordDownload

We also received an application to begin the demo review process at 142 Mystic Avenue.  

Finally, we approved our annual report for 2022.