Lincoln Historical Commission
Historic District Commission
Meeting Minutes
June 6, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
Board: Colin Smith, Chair, Lucretia Giese, Kerry Glass, Ken Hurd, Ruth Wales
Town: Elaine Carroll
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, July 11, 2006, 7:30 p.m., Town Offices
The minutes from the May 9, 2006 meeting were approved with one correction.
Demolition Delay Review:
Lawon Suh, 31 Mill Street Mr. Suh came before the Commission to request the demolition of the dwelling, garage, sheds and kennel at 31 Mill Street. He said that this was an old farmhouse and was not in good condition. After purchasing the property, he said that he was unable to even get his refrigerator into the house. He said that he would rebuild hopefully on the same foundation or part of it. He has 2.65 acres with little sheds everywhere. After a brief discussion, a motion was made to demolish all structures down to grade. The motion passed unanimously.
Certificate of Appropriateness:
Thomas Bray, 19 Trapelo Road Thomas Bray came before the Commission with a set of plans to add a farmer s porch to the front, install rear deck, add second floor to existing addition and transform rear roof. Mr. Bray said that the farmer s porch would echo the one at 15 Trapelo Road. He said that his house on Bypass Road was up for sale and he was hoping to move to 19 Trapelo Road and that his wife wanted the farmer s porch. Regarding the second floor addition, he said that there was a history of water problems and was hoping that by going up a level and starting with a new roof this would solve the problem. The addition is flush with the front of the building and recessed possibly a foot, extending up what is already there. The deck should not be seen from the street and there
would be no changes to the downstairs. Jack MacLean gave a history of the house, which was originally on Weston Road and a house for farmhands being built around 1897-98. It was moved in 1914 to its present location along with 15 Trapelo Road and renovated in 1939 with an extension of the living room in the late 50s or early 60s. The only elements of the 19th century house are structural with the current appearance being of 1939. Ken Hurd was concerned about massing and the front porch seems to be arbitrary to the front windows, feeling that the window placement was a unique aspect of the house. Colin Smith felt that any porch would take away light from the two rooms in front. Alternatives were discussed to reduce the look of massing to the house. Jack MacLean at 21 Trapelo Road said that because of the traffic noise he felt that it would be unlikely that you could sit out on the porch. The members felt that the farmer s
porch added nothing to the house and takes light away and they were uncomfortable about it. Mr. Bray was asked to re-think his plans and return at a later date with another design.
Bruce and Karen Clarke 23 Bedford Road Bruce and Karen Clarke came before the Commission with their architect, Brooks Mostue with plans for an addition, renovations and restoration of 23 Bedford Road. They have signed a purchase and sale agreement, which is contingent on getting the necessary approvals from the HDC and Planning Board. They made some minor changes to the original plans submitted to the members. They plan to restore the right side of the house, which is the most prominent part of the house. They also plan on taking the roof off and extending upward. They will demolish the left side of the house where nothing is functional and build an addition. They will be making the footprint bigger by approximately 12 feet, which would include a three-car garage but
keeping the essence of the Hoover design. They will need new windows and a new heating system. The exterior material is vertical wood siding painted so many times that it looks like stucco and has some water damage. They will match the exterior as much as possible but are not sure what color it will be. Colin Smith reminded them that the HDC has no authority over color. Mr. Mostue showed a modeling of the house on the computer. The spiral staircase on the back of the house would be retained to bring you up to a widow s walk. Mrs. Clarke said that the view is best from the roof. She said that Harry Hoover provided her with drawings of the house, and said that the barn was in very good condition and had recently been cleaned. Greg Bialecki, attorney for the Lammerts, wanted to make sure that the Commission understood that the Lammerts do not relinquish their right to demolish the structure should the sale of the property fall
through. The Commission assured him that their right to demolish would not be jeopardized if the property were not sold. Dwight Gertz of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust said that although they supported the demolition of 23 Bedford Road, they are delighted that this solution came along and support the project. Harry Hoover said that almost one year ago today the unfortunate decision to demolish was made and now a house that we loved will be saved and restored. Lucretia Giese wanted the record to show that although she is the daughter of the architect of the existing house, she has permission from Town officials to vote on this project as long as she feels that she can be objective. Katherine Mierzwa asked if they needed to document in photographs the Hoover designed house as was the case in the decision to demolish. Colin Smith said that this was not a requirement of this decision but Karen Clarke said that it has been well documented already.
Ken Hurd made a motion to grant a Certificate of Appropriateness based on the conceptual plans presented to the Commission with the following conditions: 1. The conservation restriction running 40 feet in width along the entire Bedford Road frontage must limit the use of such property to landscaping and driveway. 2. The parcel shall be limited to only one single-family residence with no further subdivision of the parcel. 3. The demolition permission granted to the Lammerts shall become null and void upon transfer of the property to Bruce and Karen Clarke. The final wording of the conditions will be written and approved by the Commission. The motion was seconded and passed 5-0.
Other Business:
The members discussed the proposed granite steps at the Old Town Hall, which the Commission feels comes under their jurisdiction. They are waiting for a written opinion from Town counsel and an opinion from Mass. Historical. When these opinions are received, a copy will be forwarded to the Old Town Hall Corporation by registered mail.
Ruth Wales felt that each member should have a copy of why the district was created and what makes it special so that the philosophy of the district can be understood. Ken Hurd said that the Master Plan Committee is planning to integrate all planning documents from Conservation, Land Use, HDC and each board has been asked to participate. Colin Smith is the HDC representative and Ruth Wales was named as the alternate in Colin Smith s absence. Lucretia Giese was named CPC representative from the HDC.
The members discussed making changes to the Demolition Delay Bylaw and will discuss them at a later meeting. They also discussed the need for alternate members and will suggest to the Selectmen that the alternates should be included in the LHC.
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There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Elaine Carroll
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