[MassHistPres] Replicas of Historic Street Lamps

[Tucker, Jonathan]

You should check with your electrical inspector to sound out the range of flexibility in the Mass. Building Code regarding historic fixtures.  Since code requirements are driven by safety concerns, if the new 'old' fixtures meet the same safety requirements as new fixtures, it would be hard to see how the diameter of the pole could be a deal-breaker.  If the diameter requirement has to do with ensuring a given level of strength, then you'd deal with that by specifying a stronger material (steel rather than cast iron or aluminum, for instance) in the fabrication of the replica poles. 

I think Suzanne's second question about non-replicas issue is not about code compliance but about CPA eligibility.  Although Lenox is indeed trying to replicate its historic Westinghouse fixtures, I suspect it could still authorize the use of CPA funds for 'period' lighting that did not exactly replicate (though the closer, the better) the Westinghouse fixtures under the definition of "rehabilitation" in CPA--"remodeling, reconstruction and making of extraordinary repairs" for historic purposes.  In that instance, the community would not be restoring existing historic fixtures.  Within reasonable limits, it would be rehabilitating a repeated visible element in a larger historic landscape.

Jonathan Tucker
Planning Director
Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave.
Amherst, MA  01002
(413) 259-3040
(413) 259-2410 [fax]
tuckerj at amherstma.gov   
 

-----Original Message-----
From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of Annie Harris
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 12:12 PM
To: Suzanne W Pelton; MassHistPres MA
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Replicas of Historic Street Lamps

Hi
What code?  The permission to replace street lights lies with your local town electrical department. If they say okay, then you should be able to do it.   

When we replaced the cobra style lights on Chestnut Street in Salem about 4 years ago, we selected historic lights but we did not try to make exact replicas.  However, I believe that the poles were cast from old molds of the period.  The lights are new versions made to look old but with more lumens. Maybe our bases are bigger, I don't know, but we did not have any code issues  - just the cost issues.   Once we raised the private funds, it wasn't difficult to replace the cobra lights.

Regarding raising funds for replicas, it has not been my experience that it has to be an 'exact replica' so I don't see your problem here.  I think that it is not in your best interest to want an 'exact replica' anyway.  There have been a number of improvements in street lamps over the past 100 years and more energy efficient lamps with automatic off and on switches in the lamps make a lot of sense these days and I'm sure will be required by your town electrical department.

I hope that this is helpful....

Annie 

-----Original Message-----
From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of Suzanne W Pelton
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 10:43 AM
To: MassHistPres MA
Subject: [MassHistPres] Replicas of Historic Street Lamps

1914 George Westinghouse, a resident in Lenox since 1887, donated 149 street lamps to the town and sold them electricity from his newly formed Lenox Electric Co. Most of the lamps in the village were taken down and replaced with cobra highway lights in the 1980's in a cost saving measure. Since then, the Lenox Historical Commission has been working to have exact replicas re-installed to restore the historic look to our village. Seven original lamps are still functioning on outlying streets and a  dozen more are standing in various states of disrepair.

In 2008 the Community Preservation Committee accepted our proposal and recommended at Town Meeting, to put $50,000 toward erecting replicas of the Westinghouse street lamp. Residents approved the measure. The Town also passed a bond issue to redesign and re- landscape the main commercial street, with 22 Westinghouse street lamps. In addition, the Lenox Historical Commission raised $25,000 from local merchants for the same purpose.

Now we have learned that Massachusetts codes dictate alterations to the original design: 5" diam. pole rather than the 3" and 4" coupled pole of the Westinghouse lamp.

Our questions:
	Is there a variance for historic replicas?
	What about the funds: can the funds raised/appropriated for a  
replica be spent for lamps that are NOT 			replicas?

We would appreciate any experience/information you can share with us.
Suzanne W Pelton
Lenox Historical Commission, Secy 

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