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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!

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!

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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!