[MassHistPres] Old Town Halls

[Marcia Starkey]

Hello,

Several days ago I heard a preservation consultant state that the problem 
with reuse is that you almost have to build a new building inside the old 
one. Altho this a very broad statement (and ignores Sect. 34 of the state 
code for a relatively small number of historic buildings), it does raise the 
question of when we will have an existing building subcode in the 
Commonwealth.

Marcia Starkey, Greenfield HC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tristram W Metcalfe 3" <twm33 at verizon.net>
To: "Betsy Hannula" <betsyhannula at verizon.net>; "Karen C. Gray" 
<kcthreads at earthlink.net>; "Joseph S. Larson" <larson at tei.umass.edu>; 
<masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2007 10:52 AM
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Old Town Halls


> "A Never-ending battle" for sure!
>
> In my 36 years or registered architectural practice 99% of the claimed 
> "too
> far gone to reuse" statements were mostly just sad ignorance most often
> actually motivated by those who wanted the land underneath and then
> ignorance allowed the disinformation to prevail.
>
> Bruce Becker an architect & developer in CT, lectures that condition means
> almost nothing in overall reuse economics, it's use demand and location 
> that
> save and reuse old buildings. He really wanted to reuse Old Main our State
> Hospital in Northampton, but said if the local government wouldn't invite
> him to step in to reuse it he would be wasting his time fighting for its
> valuable location.
>
> In Plainfield, Mass we have a matched pair of Church and Town hall built
> prior to separation of church and state which should put them in the 18th
> century. They have simple elegant Greek revival detailing. Both have had
> small accessibility additions and improvements inside and out including
> lifting up the town hall and building a 90% new foundation, all at modest
> expense and much with access grant help only to town hall even though the
> Church still sits on town land. They gave it better kitchen, bathrooms,
> entry, 2nd floor lift and exterior stone walks, walls & rails etc.
>
>
> Tristram W. Metcalfe III, AIA  NCARB  NY MA CT
> 142  Main St. Northampton, Mass 01060
> Ph 413.586.5775 Fx 586.2577
> Mobile 413.695.8200
> twm3 at rcn.com
> metaphors
> be with
> You
> !
>
>
>
>> Betsy Hannula12/13/07 8:22 PMbetsyhannula at verizon.net
>
>> Westminster's town hall was built in 1839.  Since a new town hall was 
>> built
>> and occupied last spring, the old one is in serious danger of being 
>> destroyed
>> because we've been told it's too expensive to repair the third floor in 
>> order
>> to restore and reuse.   A never-ending battle.
>>
>>
>> "Karen C. Gray" <kcthreads at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> Stow 1848
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Joseph S. Larson"
>> To:
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 9:51 PM
>> Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Old Town Halls
>>
>>
>
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