[MassHistPres] Assessment UMass Historic Bldgs

[Joseph S. Larson]

It is now public and official. After more than a year, the administration of the UMass Amherst campus has agreed to Preserve UMass's request for an independent professional assessment of the historic assessment of the campus buildings. We will continue to ask that a hold be put on all demolition plans until the assessment has been completed, that buildings that qualify be nominated for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, and that the Amherst campus and the UMass Building Authority both adopt internal procedures to ensure that all future construction projects comply with the state's environmental and historic statutes.

Joseph S. Larson
Corresponding Secretary
Preserve UMass
27 Arnold Road
Pelham, Mass 01002-9757Daily Hampshire Gazette  July 18, 2008
UMass buildings to undergo historic review soon 
by Kristin Palpini 
AMHERST - A review that will help direct the fate of the University of Massachusetts' over 100 old buildings is underway.

The study began this month and is being conducted by outside firm Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture & Engineering PC (EYP). The firm's representative, David Fixler, will be researching UMass' buildings to identify and document the architectural and historical significance of the buildings and their condition.

UMass intends to use this study, which should be completed by the end of the year, to make decisions about preservation, renovation/maintenance and demolition as the campus continues construction of a $790 million capital plan.

"With the completion of this survey we will be able to integrate in detail the specifics of these buildings into our long term planning," said Edward F. Blaguszewski, director of news and infor mation at UMass.

"It's important to have them (the firm) here to show the university values its history and its historical assets," Blaguszewski said.

EYP was hired in June for $175,000. The firm also agreed to be the university's on-call consultant for five-years. EYP will be paid per case for a fee not to exceed $1 million. Fixler will be on-hand to conduct at least two public presentations of his review to groups such as the campus community, the town of Amherst and the state's historical commission.

UMass-Amherst has over 350 buildings situated on more than 1,400 acres. Of the campus's buildings, 140 of them are used for academic, research, administrative or service purposes.

There are 25 UMass buildings listed in the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, a list that provides status, but not protection. All of these buildings will be reviewed by Fixler. The town of Amherst has 906 buildings on this list.

In October, UMass-Amherst was named one of the Bay State's "10 Most Endangered Historic Resources." The list is compiled each year by Preservation Massachusetts, a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the commonwealth's historic and cultural heritage. 

Buildings on a list of 113 UMass edifices over the age of 50 to be reviewed by Fixler include: the Student Union (built in 1957), Worcester Dining Hall (1953), Chancellor's House (1884), the Chapel (1885), the Horse Barn (1894) and Memorial Hall (1920).

"They've done the right thing in hiring a firm that is highly respected," said Joseph S. Larson, secretary for Preserve UMass, a group of current and former UMass faculty and preservationists interested in seeing the university's significant buildings maintained. UMass "should be patted on the back for that."

Preserve UMass has been trying to encourage UMass administrators to hire an outside firm to evaluate the significance of the university's buildings and to mark the most historically valuable ones for preservation since spring.

UMass conducted its own in-house building survey that was completed in May. The survey documented the physical status of buildings and put a price tag on repairs. However, the focus was not on historical significance.

The UMass study recommended the demolition of 16 buildings, including the Student Union, and the preservation of only one historic structure, the flagship's iconic Old Chapel. It would require $10 million in renovations to keep this building open, the report states. 

Most of UMass' buildings will not be subject to Fixler's historic review. Officials estimate 68 percent of the campus' building stock was constructed in the 1960s and 70s. This wave of construction yielded a trove of buildings designed by world renowned architects including: the Campus Center by Marcel Breuer; the W.E.B. Du Bois Library by Edward D. Stone; and the Fine Arts Center by Kevin Roche.