Lincoln Historical Commission
Historic District Commission
Meeting Minutes
July 10, 2007, 7:30 p.m.
Board Members: Ruth Wales, HDC Chair, LHC/HDC; Lucretia Giese, LHC Chair, LHC/HDC, Ephraim Flint, HDC; Kerry Glass, LHC/HDC; Andrew Ory, LHC/HDC
Alternate: Jack MacLean, HDC
Secretary: Elaine Carroll
NEXT ANTICIPATED MEETINGS: August 14 and Sept. 4, 2007, 7:30 p.m., Town Offices
The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m. and the minutes of the June 5 meeting were approved as amended by Ruth Wales and Lucretia Giese.
Demolition Review:
Jamey Pope and Elinor Hardigg, 61Beaver Pond Road – This house was built around 1952 in an area that has a history of contemporary modern houses built in the early 1950s and the area has also been recommended as a National Register District. The house has been inventoried by Friends of Modern Architecture for its architectural significance. Ms. Hardigg said that she has lived in the house since 2000. In 2002 she spent $55,000 to get rid of mold and do some renovations. There are single pane windows throughout the house and in the summer the floors of one bathroom are slick with moisture. Many interior walls were exterior walls and weep with moisture. The main house is built on slab and there is no vapor/air barrier in the walls. Because of the flat roof that is
especially low in one point, they get ice dams almost every winter. There are two parts of the house where pipes freeze, even though the heat is on. They would like another story on the house but the existing supports would not hold the weight. She said that there is a real health concern with the mold and she routinely gets lung infections, which she did not get before living in this house. They would like to construct a modest house that would fit into the landscape and one that has a full basement. Ellen Meadors of 72 Beaver Pond Road asked to know what the inventory consists of. Henry Hoover of 154 Trapelo Road asked if the house was not included on this inventory would that make it worthy of demolition. Lucretia Giese said there were 8 houses on both sides of the street inventoried and the Commission was acknowledging that this has been recognized by FoMA as having significance to the neighborhood. Dana Robbat of 151 Old
Concord Road asked who the original architect was. The original architect is unknown but Elinor Hardigg said that she was sure that there was no architect involved in the additions because they were so poorly constructed. The neighborhood was concerned with what would replace this structure. Ruth Wales made a motion that the house is significant in the context of the Beaver Pond Road neighborhood of modern houses built in the 1940s – 1950s. The motion was seconded by Andrew Ory and was passed unanimously by the LHC members. Lucretia Giese told the applicants that they will receive a notice in the mail and will have 60 days to respond with the appropriate documentation for a Demolition Delay Review. The members felt that because of the neighborhood the would need to see what the applicant would put up. The applicants were not sure of the style of house they were thinking of and said that the houses on both sides of them are inconsistent
in design. In the meantime, Dana Robbat will try to locate someone in the neighborhood who might know who the architect of the original house was.
Certificates of Appropriateness:
Thomas Bray, 19 Trapelo Road – Martin Dermady, Architect for the owner, came before the members because the owners rethought the last approval granted in July of 2006. They would like to extend the 2 story structure out the back for a study and capture some space on the side of the house to expand the kitchen for a breakfast nook. Plans for the additions were shown to the members. Jack MacLean gave a history of the house, which was originally on Weston Road and built around 1896-98. It was moved in 1914 to its present location and renovated in 1939, with an addition in the early 1960s. In 1939, R. D. Donaldson put on an addition to the kitchen and then brought it before the Zoning Board of Appeals who told him not to build it and it was never taken down. He wanted to make an
arrangement to buy some land from Jack MacLean’s grandfather but it never happened. Buzz Constable said that Lincoln Land Conservation Trust land abuts the rear of the house and has trails there but he sees nothing that would raise concerns. Ephraim Flint said that the Planning Board feels that it is important that the rear of the house be as important as the front. After a brief discussion, the members felt that the architect should come back with modifications of the windows on the south elevation to break up the wall mass. They will need to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals in September and will come back to the HDC on August 14 with a plan showing the necessary modifications.
5 Sandy Pond Road – John and Jamie Atkins intend to buy this parcel from Flint Realty Trust. John Atkins and his architect, Matthew O’Connell, came before the members with plans for a proposed addition to the house and a proposed detached garage. Mr. O’Connell said that the front elevation would be unchanged and the attached garage would be taken down and replaced with a building addition, matching all existing materials. The addition will be a kitchen and family room with a room upstairs. The detached garage is limited to 500 sq. ft. and turning it 90 degrees would gain several feet from the neighbor’s property line. Mr. O’Connell said that this is not a definitive plan as they must go to almost every Board in Town and just wanted to get a sense from
the Commission about the materials to be used and general look of the addition and detached garage. The garage will have the look of a small carriage house. They will be going before the Conservation Commission tomorrow night. Flint Realty Trust will be asking for permission to do septic work within a Conservation and Agricultural Preservation Restriction on the property. Geraldine Lattimore, 2 Bedford Road, objected to the location of the garage and asked if it could be moved to the other side of the house. She was told that the whole left side of the property is in the buffer zone. There was also a section of the restriction which states that any accessory structure be north of the dwelling structure to keep its visibility from the street less, which prevents it from being moved too far forward and the closer you get to the road with the garage the narrower the view of the field is from the street. The architect also said that the
Atkins would like to put up a picket fence along the street and they would come back for this in the future. It was decided that the Atkins would come back before the Commission when the plans have been more finalized.
Cayley Torgeson, 29 Lincoln Road – Ruth Wales said that the owner of 29 Lincoln Road is in need of a new roof as soon as possible and would like to replace the asphalt shingles with cedar shingles. Under Section 7.4 of the Historic District By-Law, the Commission can vote to waive a public hearing contingent upon no objections from the abutters. Ruth Wales made a motion that the public hearing be waived. The motion was seconded by Andrew Ory and approved unanimously. Ruth Wales then made a motion that a Certificate of Appropriateness be issued for the use of cedar shingles. The motion was seconded by Andrew Ory and approved unanimously. A notice will go out to all neighboring properties and if no objection is received within 10 days, a Certificate of Appropriateness will be
written and sent to the owner.
Informal Discussions:
Red Rail Farm Cell Tower – The members reviewed a report from EBI Consulting regarding the proposed cell tower at 22 Red Rail Farm. Kerry Glass and Lucretia Giese went to the site when the balloon was in place. EBI Consulting is asking any interested parties to submit comments on this proposal’s potential effect on historic places. The members did not approve of the location of this cell tower and Lucretia Giese said that she would respond to this report strongly opposing the location. The letter will be sent along with a copy of the memo and report sent to the Zoning Board of Appeals in May of this year. A copy of the letter to EBI Consulting will also be sent to the ZBA.
Historically Significant Properties – Jack MacLean compiled a list of expenditures and remaining monies from Codman Trust and CPA for the members to review. The members felt that the money from both sources was intended for the inventory of historically significant properties and for expanding the Historic Districts. $2,828.50 of the Codman Trust money has been spent to date. The initial focus was to inventory buildings up to 1800, which would hopefully lead to Historic Districts and it has now been updated to 1900. Since Mass. Historical is looking for much more details, those inventoried are not up to today’s standards. Some of these properties would benefit more from a Preservation Restriction (PR) and inclusion on the National Register. Kerry Glass wants to
start the process of writing to the owners of the Carley house at 30 Tower Road. This is a property where it may make more sense to put it on the National Register and a PR. This would also be the case for Jane Langton’s house on Baker Farm Road instead of trying to get it and others into a Historic District, which could be time consuming. The Langton house has an updated State form and it has been decided that it is eligible for the National Register. The Carley house would need to be updated, which could be a 3 year process before a PR can be completed. The owners would get a tax benefit if it were on the National Register. The property does not need to be on the National Register for a PR, which is the best way to preserve a house. The cost of updating the inventory and writing a Preservation Restriction could cost $1,000+. You need drawings of the building, floor plans and pictures and the layout of the lot with
stone walls, etc. The owner would determine what is included on the PR. The members felt that the Codman Trust money could be used for a PR for these 2 houses. The Langton property would need some interior inventory and plans, presuming that she wants to go ahead with a PR before the National Register and a tax benefit. The Commission can apply for grant money and additional CPA money but must use the current funds first.
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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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