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2006-05-30 (2) Historic District Commission Meeting Date: May 30, 2006 Members Present: William Finch, James Younger, Matthew Lewis John Condon Members Absent: John Frates Others Present: Leah Zambernardi, Assistant Planning Director; Robert Munroe, Assistant City Solicitor Recorder: Leah Zambernardi Mr. Finch calls the meeting of the Historic District Commission (HDC) to order. 1. Certificate of Appropriateness – Brian Austerman and Kristina Egan – 45 Bartlett Street Mr. Finch recuses himself from this petition. Mr. Younger assumes the position of Chairman. Mr. Younger describes the nature of the application. He states the application includes replacement of 5 windows in the barn and raising the window openings off the ground level. He asks Mr. Austerman if he has anything else to add. Mr. Younger asks for questions or comments from the public. There are none. Mr. Lewis makes a motion to approve the request and grant a Certificate of Appropriateness for 45 Bartlett Street. Seconded by Condon. The motion carries 3-0. 2. Executive Session to discuss pending litigation Mr. Finch returns to the meeting and states that Assistant City Solicitor, Robert Munroe is present and would like the Commission to enter into Executive Session to discuss pending litigation. The Commission recesses and indicates it will reconvene after the Executive Session to conduct regular business. The Commission reconvenes its regular meeting after 20 minutes. 3. Public Hearing – Demolition of 14 Bayview Avenue Mr. Finch states the purpose of the meeting is to review a proposal to demolish the building at 14 Bayview Avenue. He explains the Commission’s procedure for reviewing such a request under the City’s demolition delay ordinance. Robert Hubbard, speaking on behalf of Hubbard Realty Trust states that he would like to demolish the carriage house at 14 Bayview Avenue. The carriage house was part of the Historic District Commission – Public Meeting Minutes May 30, 2006 Page 2 former Buchanan estate property, which burned down in the late 1960’s. He states that a 1970’s ranch style house owned by Katharine Bacon is in the location of the former Buchanan main house. He states that when the Bacon house was constructed, the carriage house was moved closer to the street and was converted to a modest home. He states that the carriage house does not fit in with their development plans for the site. He states that given the value of properties in the neighborhood, neither the Bacon house nor the carriage house have sold as single-family homes. He states that the age of the structure and the 1970’s/80’s renovation are also factors in the difficulties with selling the carriage house. He notes there is also a modern garage in the style of the carriage house on the property. Mr. Finch asks the public for questions or comments. Anna Green of 4 Lawnbank Road questions that the carriage house was ever marketed separately. Mr. Finch reads the public hearing notice. Mr. Finch reads a letter dated 5/11/06 from Thomas Harrington on behalf of the Friends of Hospital Point in support of imposing a one-year demolition delay on the property. Ann Deverau of 11 Lawnbank Road states she is a new resident from Canada. She asks for clarification of who the owner is and who the applicant is. She states that any shred of the remaining “Gold Coast” structures should be maintained. She states that her home is on the property of the old Peabody Estate, which is also gone. Ms. Green states she lives in the carriage house of the old Peabody Estate. Nancy Duda of 6 Bayview Avenue states she has lived on Bayview for 9 years. She asks when the property will be purchased. She asks what the Hubbard’s thoughts are on moving the carriage house. She states it seems worth continuing. Irene Foley of 10 Bayview Avenue states that her house is 120 years old. She thinks it would be a shame if the house were demolished. Mr. Hubbard states that if his seven lot subdivision proposal for the property is approved by the Planning Board, he could afford to save the carriage house by moving it to one of the proposed house lots and renovating it for reuse as a single family home. He states he would be willing to do that as part of the package. He suggests that if the people here tonight are actually interested in preserving the carriage house, they come to the Planning Board and support the seven-lot subdivision. Ms. Green asks where the carriage house would be moved. Mr. Hubbard states he would move it closer to Bayview and he would attach the modern garage to the structure and make it into a house that would be saleable. He would renovate the interior and leave the Historic District Commission – Public Meeting Minutes May 30, 2006 Page 3 exterior intact. He states that the carriage house would be moved closer to the street so the public would be able to see it. He notes it is not wholly visible to the public presently. Mr. Finch states that stylistically, the carriage house is from the 1880's. Ms. Zambernardi notes that the carriage house appears on the historic atlases by 1897. She notes it is not shown on the 1880 atlas, although the main house is. Mr. Finch states it is a Swiss shaleigh style, much like the Hospital Point lighthouse. He states that from the belt course at the top of the vertical siding and up, is largely original. He states he cannot tell whether the dormers are original. He states that the central hayloft door appears to be from the period and so is the roofline. He states that the area below the belt course has been substantially remodeled. He states that we cannot know that for sure because there are no photos available to the Commission. He hands out copies of historic postcards that show only the main house before it burned down. Mr. Lewis states that the owner was considerate of what was there when they did the renovation. He notes the carriage house seems fairly intact. Mr. Younger states that the carriage house has nice architectural features that are reminiscent of that time period. Mr. Finch points out that it is clear from the postcards, that the main house had a different architectural style from the carriage house and that the carriage house was from a different time period. Mr. Condon notes that the condition of the carriage house is not poor. Mr. Younger states that we have the information on when the carriage house was built and that the maps and information tell us about what Hospital Point was like. He states this is enough information for him to determine that the carriage house is historically significant. Mr. Finch observes that the carriage house has been moved from its original location. He states that typically, if a historic building is still in its original location, we do not favor moving it because setting is a consideration in determining a building's historical significance. He states that in this case, the carriage house has already been moved, so moving it again on the site would probably not be an issue for the Commission. He states that the Commission would not have those issues because the house has already lost the integrity of its initial siting. He states that the Commission would address that topic if there were a demolition delay imposed and the applicant/owner came back with a mitigating plan to move it. Ms. Devereau asks about the location of the old foundation. Mr. Hubbard states he has found remnants of the stone foundation but the whole foundation is not remaining. Historic District Commission – Public Meeting Minutes May 30, 2006 Page 4 Bill Ghen of 42 East Corning Street asks whether or not Mr. Hubbard will demolish the building. Mr. Hubbard states that saving the carriage house is not part of the plan now. He states that with support of the seven-lot subdivision plan, he could include the carriage house. Mr. Finch notes that a demolition permit would be needed in order to move the building. Mr. Finch asks if there are any more questions or comments from members of the public. There being none, he asks the Commission members for its deliberation. Mr. Younger makes a motion to deem the carriage house at 14 Bayview Avenue as historically significant based on the documentation submitted, the physical attributes of the building and the late 1800's character. Mr. Condon seconds the motion and it carries unanimously 4-0. Mr. Condon makes a motion to deem the carriage house at 14 Bayview Avenue as preferably preserved. Mr. Younger seconds the motion and it carries unanimously 4-0. A 12-month delay is imposed on the carriage house at 14 Bayview Avenue. 4. Approval of Minutes Mr. Younger motions to approve the minutes of the August 3, 2005 morning and evening meetings, the August 30, 2005 meeting, the October 25, 2005 meeting, and the April 24, 2006 meeting with corrections. Mr. Lewis seconds the motion and it carries unanimously 4-0. The meeting is adjourned.