List of proposed properties and considerations RE historic districts - from Bonnie Parsons
Robert Judge
Fellow HistComm members:
In preparation for our 11/28 meeting, please print the attached EXCEL file “Shadleydds.xls” prepared by Bonnie Parsons.
Please consider the contents of the file in light of Bonnie’s comments below.
As we proceed, Bonnie and I have agreed that we use GOOGLE DOCS to revise the list of properties, instead of sending revisions to the spreadsheet as email attachments. There are several advantages to doing so:
-As we make changes, we will keep the document ON-LINE at all times and make revisions in real time. This prevents the age-old problem question of "Does this document contain the latest changes?" You can just get the document at GOOGLE DOCS at any time to see the current list.
-We can collaborate and make comments about the list ON-LINE. No more having to remember to send email attachments to each other. (You can always keep earlier versions of the file on your computer, if you so desire.
-You can access the current version of the file at any time from any computer, because it is ON-LINE, not stored on your hard drive (unless you choose to also keep it there.)
So, the next message you get from me will invite you to access the file ON-LINE. The easiest way to do this is to create a free GMAIL account. Otherwise, you may have to reply to the message and ask me to invite your regular email address, which I will be happy to do.
- Bob
From: Parsons, Bonnie
[mailto:BPar...@PVPC.ORG]
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007
9:43 AM
To: Bob Judge
Subject: Whole List
Hi Bob,
Here is the whole list. I also went up Amherst Road just to see what is there, though it is outside your targeted area. I included it here just for information.
The addresses in bold have inventory forms already. I think there was one Colonial Revival on Silver Street whose address I didn’t get. Also 63 Silver Street is probably beyond the point at which you would stop, but it is a good Craftsman style house that I noted but didn’t put on the list.
Best,
Bonnie
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From: Parsons, Bonnie
[mailto:BPar...@PVPC.ORG]
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007
4:32 PM
To: Bob Judge
Subject: South
Hadley Inventory
Hi Bob,
I have been looking over the addresses I wrote down of buildings in the Woodbridge Street National Register district for our list of potential inventory forms. Between Woodbridge Street and Silver Street I have listed 55 addresses. I did not choose all the potential addresses but began with the oldest houses and then added the houses that should be part of your inventory. Then I cross-checked to see what all has been placed on the inventory previously and find that 25 addresses have already had inventory forms completed for them.
Here’s what worries me. If you want to create a local historic district within the Woodbridge National Register Historic District, you will have to be prepared to tell an owner of a bungalow from the 1920s or a Colonial Revival from the 1880s why his or her house should be in a local historic district as well as the owner of a fine Federal or Georgian style house that probably already has a plaque on the front. There are at least 25 properties in this district for which no forms at all exist. Everyone can look at the Sycamores and say, “Ah, yes, that’s an historic house”, but South Hadley has some very fine 19th and 20th century buildings that are unrecognized for their value by many of the people you are going to need to work with. There are some really terrific Italianate, Queen Anne, Stick Style, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, bungalows and, ah, yes, ranch houses for which no forms exist and whose owners will want to understand what is important about their properties. As a preservationist I fear you will not be getting what you will need if we do all 25 forms as repeats, when you are going to need so much more information to make the local historic district a success.
Now, I know you are planning to present the selectmen with a nice book of inventory forms but I am quite sure that a book with buildings of these so-far neglected styles would be impressive. Look at 4-6 Silver Street as a good example. No inventory form but wonderful example of a high style Queen Anne double house. 74 Woodbridge is a typical late Queen Anne; 103 Woodbridge is a good Queen Anne with a barn as well; 15 Silver Street is an outstanding example of a Craftsman bungalow; at 21 Woodbridge is a fine Craftsman with its stucco exterior…and so forth. The purpose of the inventory is in large part to give the Historical Commission the information it needs to advocate for all of its historic buildings. The oldest and finest have been inventoried, included in Old Homes of South Hadley, and honored in a National Register nomination. Their significance isn’t in question. But when someone asks the Commissioners what’s so important about a bungalow, they are going to want to be able to pull out a form and describe the spread of the Arts and Crafts Movement through New England and South Hadley.
Of the 63 buildings on the South Hadley Falls list, I believe I counted 17 that were already on the inventory. That’s not too bad, but from driving around, I’m pretty sure you and I could agree on 17 others that weren’t already recognized.
I talked about the Woodbridge inventory list with Michael Steinitz and he agrees that the inventory should pull in more to round out South Hadley’s architectural history, so he would be supportive of a more broad-ranging list.
See what you and the other Commissioners think after you slog through this overly-long e-mail. In the meantime I’ll send you the whole list and we can talk it over.
Best,
Bonnie
