110brooks

October Meeting Materials

/ Ryan D. Hayward

The Commission has a full agenda for the month of October. You can download the agenda by clicking the link below: October 2024 Agenda.

110 Brooks Street prior to the removal of exterior fabric. The building was flagged for review because of the extensive renovations planned.

110 Brooks Street Public Hearing
The Historical Commission will hold a public hearing on the partial demolition of the significant building at 110 Brooks Street. The building has important associations with historic persons and builders, and is architecturally important in terms of period and style, both by itself and in the context of a group of buildings. The Commission will allow public comments on if the partial demolition of the building will be detrimental to the historic resources of the City of Medford.
You can read the Commission’s determination of significance here:

110 Brooks Street – Determination of SignificanceDownload
110 Brooks Street – MHC Form BDownload

Medford City Hall – Determination of Significance
The City of Medford is considering various preservation-minded projects for City Hall. The Community Preservation Commission requested that the Historical Commission review the building and to determine significance.

Medford City Hall is a Works Progress Administration project. It was constructed following years of dispute over where to build the heart and soul of the municipal government. It was designed and constructed by noted architect and builder Michael A Dyer. The building is a classical revival style and retains much of its original integrity, both inside and out. The Commission will use the enclosed inventory form as part of its determination.

MDF.118 – Medford City Hall – MHC Form BDownload

Information on this building and many others can be found in the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s MACRIS database. The Massachusetts Culutral Resource Information System contains all of the inventory forms prepared for properties across the Commonwealth. The public is welcome to use this amazing assemblage of information for research. You can access the database by visiting: https://mhc-macris.net/

Medford 400th Anniversary – Planning
The Commission has been asked to brainstorm ideas for the Quadrennial in 2030. It is never too soon to start planning for the celebration of our 400th anniversary of our founding. Medford is among the oldest English settlements in North America. If there are things you would like to see the City celebrate, please do not hesitate to email us ideas!

Project Updates:
We continue to work on a series of projects. We plan to announce our public meeting for Thomas Brooks Park. The CPC fully funded our application for phase II of construction, and we’re working on a design for interpretation of the site’s history. Be on the lookout for our flyer and event information on our social media.
There is work happening at Cross Street Cemetery! The Commission has partnered with the Cemetery Trustees to fund an assessment of the monuments. Cross Street Cemetery was relocated for Interstate 93 in 1956. It is a part of Oak Grove Cemetery and is surrounded by a distinctive field stone wall. The stones within require various degrees of attention. We’re looking forward to seeing the final assessment this fall so we can apply for CPC funding with the Trustees next cycle.
The Commission also is working to secure funding for the next Survey and Planning Cycle. We have determined that a revisit to the historic resources in West Medford is in order. The Hastings Heights neighborhood did not receive any attention during the prior survey project and we would like to document many of the pre-1900 resources found within this dense landscape of 19th and 20th century dwellings. The Commission will also be looking to hire a consultant to undertake work documenting Sagamore Vale. This dense collection of 19th century buildings is one of the first planned residential developments around Medford Square. The area was last documented in 1975 and the survey needs to be updated.

Winter at the Bishop Estate in Medford Square. Painting by George Loring Brown. This landscape became Sagamore Vale in the middle of the 19th century.

The Commission will finish our meeting with meeting minute approvals and any other project updates we have been working on.

As always, comments ahead of the meeting can be submitted by emailing the commission. Please see the Contact Us page for our email.

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!