Lincoln Historical Commission
Historic District Commission
Meeting Minutes
February 10, 2005, 7:30 p.m.
Board: Colin Smith, Chair, Eleanor Fitzgerald, Ken Hurd, and Mary Spindler
Town: Elaine Carroll
NEXT MEETING: Business Meeting on Tuesday, February 15, 2005, 7:30 p.m., Town Offices
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Discussions:
Brown s Wood Joel Freedman, Kathy Harris and Ruth Wales came before the members to discuss their efforts to preserve the Brown s Wood area as an example of a modest contemporary neighborhood. The group is proposing the establishment of a neighborhood conservation district in the form of a Town bylaw similar to a zoning bylaw. This would need to go before Town Meeting, which they are not prepared to do at this time but they may have a presentation at the State of the Town meeting later this year. The Planning Board is setting up a study committee, which will be chaired by Ken Hurd. This study committee is requesting members form the HDC, ZBA, Selectmen, Friends of Modern Architecture, Brown s Wood Association and 2 at-large members for the committee. An ad will be placed in the
Lincoln Journal for the at-large members. The Town would set up the regulations for the bylaw based on zoning requirements. The group felt that Lincoln has neighborhoods, which are unique and should preserve them. The City of Cambridge has a system similar to this and Eleanor felt that it would be helpful to know how this was set up. The group is asking for CPA funds to hire someone to do the documentation necessary for this study. The members felt that it would be helpful to raise the public s awareness of the Brown s Wood area and make people aware of the idea of neighborhood preservation. The group will coordinate with the study committee and appoint someone from the neighborhood for the committee.
Friends of Modern Architecture Henry Hoover, Jr., Lucretia Giese and Joseph and Dana Robbat came before the members to discuss the preservation of 23 Bedford Road should the owners of the former Heck house come before the members to request a teardown, which should be happening at the March meeting. The group is petitioning the Mass. Historical Commission to remove the house from a non-contributory status now that it is over 50 years old. They said that most of the walls were taken down and the present house was built on the same footprint and the house has part of the original framing. The group gave the members a statement from FOMA and documents about the history of the Heck house and showed slides of the interior and exterior of the structure taken a few years ago. The group will
talk to the neighbors to get their support. Mr. Hoover said that there were about 30 houses in Lincoln, which were designed by his father. He will provide the members with an updated list of these houses. Mr. Hoover said that the FOMA is trying to update the Historic Districts to include everything over 50 years old including fences, the eagle at the library, bird-baths, etc.
Expansion of Historic District Jack MacLean went over the houses in the proposed Red Rail Farm Historic District. Mary Spindler will check with Mass. Historical because there may not be enough time to put this on the Town Warrant for the Town Meeting this year. Mr. MacLean informed the members that the Thoreau Institute s Higginson House is going before the Mass. Historical Board on March 9 and staff is recommending it be accepted. Thoreau Institute has acquired two-thirds of the barn from the Adams. He said that Jane Langton is very interested in either the Historic District or Preservation Restriction Agreement.
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There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Elaine Carroll
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