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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
If you missed the wonderful program by Vernon Chandler back on June 1 at the Medford Public Library, you’re in luck! Vern will be presenting his program again at the American Heritage Museum located in Hudson, Massachusetts with more information. This excellent venue is home to some of the best vintage memorabilia of the period. No doubt the program will be even more poignant among period artifacts. The program is December 8, 2023 at 2PM.
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.
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.
587 Winthrop StreetDetermination 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.
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.
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.
Almost done! The contractor for the field stone wall finished their work at the beginning of June. For the first time in perhaps a half-century, Thomas Brooks Park has a complete wall from end to end. There were some important discoveries which we wish to share with you! First, some photos of the work:
The wall at the southern end of the park is characteristically different than the stones beyond Pomp’s wall. These seem almost architectural and have been dressed square. They could be pieces of the Edward Brooks House. The mansion stood opposite the park until the early 20th century and was demolished to make way for the current neighborhood. The discovery of granite border blocks suggests these might be pieces of the former stone arched bridge over the Middlesex Canal. This structure was designed by George Rumford Baldwin, a son of Loammi Baldwin of Woburn. Father Baldwin designed the canal in 1790 and it cut through the Brooks Estates on its way from Somerville to Winchester. The bridge cost $1,000 and was made from Chelmsford Granite. It survived until the early 20th century and was once a planned focal piece for the residential development. That plan fell through and the structure was demolished. It was long believed that pieces made their way into adjacent foundations or were buried but the presence of a small arched capstone (now in the Brooks Park Wall) suggests these blocks are pieces of that bridge.
Pompeii’s Wall restoration is moving into its final phase. The cap flashing and stones are being installed to bring the project to a conclusion. The repairs are done in a manner that will allow the wall to be water tight and safe for the next century.
The contractor was kind enough to share with us that some of the bricks maintain the marks of their maker. We’re not sure if these are Pompeii’s hand prints but we can be sure the bricks are hand made and that a human crafted them for inclusion in the wall. Neat stuff!
Now for a word of warning. It has come to our attention that someone is dismantling the north end of the wall by Saltonstall Road. The contractor will return to repair this area of damage and he noted this is a deliberate act of destruction. The Commission was notified shortly after it happened (over the weekend) and we will monitor the site as this is destruction of a historic resource. This is the location of a desire path, and it is not a safe location for crossing Grove Street (no sight lines for pedestrians or autos). The wall blocks the end of the park for this reason and visitors should cross down at the entrance opposite Laird Road, a short distance to the south. We will be marking the new entrances and working with the City to make sure there are cross walks, curb cuts, and signage in the future to make crossing Grove Street easier.
Thank you to the Medford Community Preservation Commission for making this project happen. It helps move the Brooks Park Master Plan further along. Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we look toward the next project.
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!
Medford Historical Commission 