planning

February Meeting Materials

/ Ryan D. Hayward

Greetings! The Medford Historical Commission is pleased to release its packed agenda for the February meeting. This month will be a full list of accepting applications, determining significance and having public hearings to determine preferably preserved status. In addition, we have updates on several projects and look forward to moving things along in the evening window we allocate every month. Please click below for the agenda so you can follow along.

February 10, 2025 Meeting AgendaDownload

140 Summer Street: The Commission has determined that the building and carriage house located at 140 Summer Street are historically significant. A public hearing will be held to determine if the buildings qualify for preferably preserved status. The main house maintains a fair degree of integrity and original features with select updates in places you would expect such as kitchens and bathrooms. The carriage house has been converted to living space.

Clerks Letter for Significance for 140 Summer StreetDownload
140 Summer Street MHC Form BDownload

Front View of Wilson Street. Note the house is labeled 39 but the tax record uses parcel number 31.
31 Wilson Street: This twentieth-century dwelling is located in the center of a large lot in Fulton Heights. The owners have applied for demolition with the intent of building a new house. The building maintains a fair amount of its historic fabric. We have determined significance and will hold a public hearing to determine if the structure retains enough integrity for preferably preserved status.

Clerks Letter of Significance for 31 Wilson StreetDownload
31 Wilson Street MHC Form BDownload

4 Grove Street: The Commission is reviewing this project for unauthorized demolition beyond the approved permit. The Commission determined the building is significant and we will hold a public hearing to determine if the integrity of the building prior to demolition is enough to warrant a delay because it was previously preferably preserved. Our letter of determination spells out why the building was found significant.

Clerks Letter of Significance for 4 Grove Street Download
4 Grove Street MHC Form BDownload

26 Rockwell Avenue: Tucked away at the end of Rockwell Avenue is an unusual cinder block dwelling. These buildings are rare in the built landscape and the Commission has documented the building in advance of tonight’s meeting. The MHC Form prepared by John Clemson is included below. The Commission will determine significance of the building.

26 Rockwell Avenue MHC Form BDownload

76 Court Street: The Commission is reviewing this project for demolition beyond the approved permit. We have received the demolition application and had an MHC inventory form prepared for the building. We will determine the significance. The form prepared by John Clemson is below.

76 Court Street MHC Form BDownload

76 Court Street following unauthorized demolition. The Commission will receive an application for review.

115/117 Emerald Street: This item is tabled awaiting subcommittee review of revised plans.

19 Curtis Street: We will receive an application for major alterations to this nineteenth-century property that will alter its appearance significantly. We will have an MHC Form B prepared in time for next month’s meeting.

122/124 Woodruff Avenue: The Commission will receive an application for major alterations to the roof line of this twentieth-century two-family resource. No form currently exists so we will have one prepared for a significance hearing next month.

53 Winford Way: Located on the Winchester line, the Commission will review the demolition of this c. 1950 Cape Cod house. The building is located in the far reaches of Medford but is reviewable even though the house exists partially in the other community. We will prepare an MHC Form B in time for a signifiance hearing next month if the Commission reviews the structure.

Section 106 Reviews: The Commission received requests to comment on two projects located at 121 Riverside Avenue and 50 Harvard Avenue. The Commission has previously reviewed these and is likely to have no additional comment on the diminutive changes proposed.

Cross Street Cemetery Monument Restoration: The Historical Commission and Cemetery Trustees are seeking to collaborate on a small project over the summer to restore 10 veterans’ graves at Cross Street Cemetery. There will need to be a small allocation of funding to match grants that are actively being sought and likely to be awarded.

Normal Updates:

As is usual practice, the Commission will have regular updates for our projects at the end of our meeting. These include survey of Sagamore Vale and the status of our survey and planning grant for this year.

As always, we welcome comments ahead of review. If you have a chance to provide comments, please feel free to email them to us and we will enter them into the record with the applications for review.

Hope to see you there!

January Meeting Materials

/ Ryan D. Hayward

Happy New Year to all those who follow the activities of the Historical Commission. We have a lot to get through this particular meeting. Within this post, you will find all the materials needed to follow along with our reviews and determinations. You can find the agenda by clicking the link below.

January 13, 2025 Meeting AgendaDownload

140 Summer Street: The Commission will determine the significance of 140 Summer Street, a 19th-century dwelling with an unusual history. The house also has a carriage house or barn tucked in the rear of the lot. We had an MHC Form B prepared for this property and it is available by clicking the link below.

140 Summer Street MHC Form BDownload

Front View of Wilson Street. Note the house is labeled 39 but the tax record uses parcel number 31.
31 Wilson Street: This twentieth-century dwelling is located in the center of a large lot in Fulton Heights. The owners have applied for demolition with the intent of building a new house. The building maintains a fair amount of its historic fabric. We will be reviewing the building for significance based on the MHC inventory form prepared by John Clemson.

31 Wilson Street MHC Form BDownload

4 Grove Street: The Commission is reviewing this project for unauthorized demolition beyond the approved permit. The process will start by reviewing significance. The Commission will review based on preconstruction/demolition conditions as is always the case with unauthorized demolitions.

4 Grove Street MHC Form BDownload

26 Rockwell Avenue: Tucked away at the end of Rockwell Avenue is an unusual cinder block dwelling. These buildings are rare in the built landscape and the Commission is documenting the structure with an MHC inventory form in advance of receiving the demolition application. The owners will file the plans at Monday’s meeting.

76 Court Street: The Commission is reviewing this project for demolition beyond the approved permit. The process will receive the demolition application while we await the preparation of an MHC inventory form. We will determine significance next month.

76 Court Street following unauthorized demolition. The Commission will receive an application for review.

Normal Updates:

As is usual practice, the Commission will have regular updates for our projects at the end of our meeting. These include completion discussion of the Cross Street Cemetery stone assessment, an excavation project, and various survey and planning projects.

As always, we welcome comments ahead of review. If you have a chance to provide comments, please feel free to email them to us and we will enter them into the record with the applications for review.

Hope to see you there!

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.