[MassHistPres] color of historic building

[Barbara Lambert]

Is the church committee basing its color choice on analysis of early paint 
colors?

The church may want it to be painted yellow because the "mother" 
Universalist church here in Gloucester (where Universalism was founded by 
the Rev. John Murray) was recently painted a pale yellow.  The minister is 
Wendy Fitting, in case you'd like to enquire how they arrived at that color.

Barbara Lambert
Gloucester Historical Commission member
lambert at thecia.net


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <GmaCarol203 at aol.com>
To: <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2007 11:23 AM
Subject: [MassHistPres] color of historic building


> In Needham, the Historical Commission, of which I am chairman, gave
> permission to the First Parish Church to restore/renovate/repair the 
> church  Sunday
> school building , built in 1949,which is attached to the church itself. 
> This is
> not a National Register building and it is not in an historic
> district............it is one of the buildings on our historic  inventory, 
> built in 1834
> and now owned by the Unitarian Universalist  congregation. It is the 
> oldest
> religious or public building in Needham, built  partially from parts 
> salvaged from
> the meeting house built in 1774. The belfry  contains a bell cast by Paul
> Revere. The building is the strongest reminder of  the early religious and 
> civic
> life of the community.  The entire building  complex has been white
> clapboard.Now a group at the church wants the religious  education segment 
> to be painted
> yellow , while the Archival Committee of  the church wants it to remain
> painted white  The Commission is agast at the  possibility of painting 
> part of the
> building yellow but do not know if  we  have the authority to dictate a 
> color
> on one of our historic buildings. We have  never been confronted with this
> type of problem. Does the General Law referring  to the exterior of 
> historic
> buildings cover color choices if not in a local  historic district?
> Carol Boulris
> 203 Country Way, Needham, MA  02492
> 781-444-4028
> FAX:  781-444-2256
> gmacarol203 at aol.com    `    `    `
>
>
>
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