[MassHistPres] Update on UMass Buildings

[Joseph S. Larson]

For those who have been following the story on the UMass Amherst historic buildings:

Today (December 13) the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) held a Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act review meeting on the Amherst campus. This review is underway because Preserve UMass advised EOEEA and the state Historical Commission that UMass and the UMass Building Authority had proceeded to demolish a structure (stucco cow barn) that is on the state inventory of historic resources. A $34 million student recreatation center is to be built on the barn site. The state Historical Commission and EOEEA both require that a state agency file notices when a project impacts a listed site. Neither UMass nor the Building Authority nor the project architect had complied with these regulatory requirements and a stop work order in now in effect. It appears that UMass and the Building Authority have never complied with these requirements in the past.

Today's meeting was held to air the positions and concerns of all concerned on this project and to discuss actions to mitigate the impact of the project on the listed structure. Below is the position statement that Preserve UMass filed with both EOEEA and the state Historical Commission. If you want to support this statement or make a statement of your own, do so by e-mail to Briony Angus, at EOEEA Briony.Angus at state.ma.us before 4PM on December 17. Comments should also be copied to Brona Simon at MHC Brona.Simon at state.ma.us. MHC has not yet set a date for their consultation meeting.

Joseph S. Larson
Corresponding Secretary
Preserve UMass
27 Arnold Road
Pelham, Massachusetts 01002-9757


MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS

EOEEA No. 14135

MHC Project Notification Project

Prepared for the Site Visit December 12, 2007

 

UMASS Amherst Recreation Building
 

These recommendations are based on four main factors:

 

  1.. Demolition on the Stucco Barn (AMH 110) and the associated structures has progressed to the point that preservation and/or adaptive re-use are no longer options.
  2.. The impacted site, the Brooks Barn Complex, is deemed eligible by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places under criteria A and C at the state level.
  3.. The current state of affairs on this site is a result of a history of the proponent's (UMass Amherst and the UMass Building Authority) non-compliance with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) Environmental Policy Act Regulations 301 CMR 11.00 as they apply to buildings on the state's Inventory of Historic and Archaeological Resources, and the Massachusetts Historical Commission's regulations 950 CMR 71.05.
  4.. A need to address both the specific site and to elicit a demonstrable commitment on the part of the proponent to future adherence to the letter, spirit, intent, and objectives of the relevant EOEEA and MHC regulations and their authorizing statutes.
 

Site Specific Recommendations
 

            In as much as loss of the Stucco Barn and associated structures will reduce the Brooks Barn Complex to three remaining state listed buildings, Grinnell Arena, the Queen Anne style Horse Barn, and the Farm Manager's (Blaisdell) House, mitigation needs to focus on the preservation of these structures. The proponent's past treatment of these structures is mixed. Grinnell and Blaisdell have experienced adaptive re-use. Because Grinnell supports an academic program that is not likely to be discontinued, we assume that it is safe in place. Blaisdell currently supports several academic research programs under The Environmental Institute, but the future of the Institute has been in limbo since 2000 and the future of Blaisdell on site is much in question. The Queen Anne style Horse Barn does not support an academic program and the proponent has allowed it to deteriorate badly. It is a structure that over the years has been the subject of much concerned comment among the Commonwealth's equestrian and agricultural publics. It is not safe on site.

 

            Preserve UMass recommends that both Blaisdell House and the Queen Anne style Horse Barn be moved to the UMass Equestrian and Small Farm Animal Facility at Hadley Farm west of Route 116 where they can serve their historic functions. We make this recommendation with the knowledge that such a move will likely terminate their eligibility for National Register designation. We assume that they would remain eligible for Massachusetts Register designation.

 

Recommendations in Support of Future Regulatory Compliance
 

            We suggest that mitigation of the loss of a significant historic site reasonably requires the proponent to agree to undertake commensurate significant actions to credibly demonstrate that future planning and projects on the campus will fully comply with the letter, spirit and intent of state regulations regarding historic preservation and adaptive re-use. Preserve UMass recommends that the mitigation plan include the following requirements:

 

1.      The proponent (UMass Amherst) shall promptly contract for an independent, professional, assessment of the structures of historic and/or architectural importance on the campus in order to establish a basis for future adherence to state regulations. Such an assessment should take into consideration the "historic neighborhoods" identified in the UMass June 2005 publication "Historical Building Survey."

2.      The proponent (UMass Amherst and the UMass Building Authority) shall create an institutional administrative unit and appropriate internal procedures charged with insuring that all future projects comply with the relevant EOEEA and MHC regulations and include advanced consultation with EEOA, MHC and the Amherst Historical Commission. In order to take maximum advantage of the professional expertise in historic preservation, architecture, and archaeology that exist in the University, such unit and procedures should be formed so as to comply with UMass Trustee Document T73-098 and the governance bodies constituted under that document.

3.      The proponent shall agree to the nomination of the Stockbridge/Boltwood House and the Old Chapel to the National Register of Historic Places and to cooperate with MHC and the Amherst Historical Commission in identifying and nominating other qualified nominees to the state and national registers.