[MassHistPres] Assessment UMass Historic Bldgs

[Mark Voigt]

Great Work!  It is always good to hear about a successful outcome. 


Mark W. Voigt, AICP, Administrator
Nantucket Historic District Commission
Town Annex Building
37 Washington Street
Nantucket, MA 02554
(508) 228-7231           Fax(508) 325-7572
Celebrating 50 years of Preserving History


-----Original Message-----
From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu
[mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of Joseph S. Larson
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2008 10:41 AM
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu; Erin Kelly; James Igoe
Subject: [MassHistPres] Assessment UMass Historic Bldgs


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.





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