[MassHistPres] solar panels in historic districts

[slater at alum.rpi.edu]

Willa, we have different opinions with what "preservation" means in the
context of MGL 40C. I guess my opinion is, "if we do not preserve the
historic appearance of a property, what exactly are we trying to
preserve"? 

While I would agree with you that no one wins when a historic house is
condemned, and I understand that you feel that focus on the appearance
of things like mailboxes, basketball hoops, newspaper boxes, and solar
panels in some way makes historic houses less likely to be occupied, I
can assure you that I have heard the same claims made about controls on
vinyl windows, vinyl siding, and even demolition of porches or controls
on inappropriate additions. 

I have also never heard of someone wanting to save a condemnable house
but balking because there are restrictions on mailboxes, basketball
hoops, or even solar panels. I will agree that some properties might
attract more demand if a flipper can come in and put in vinyl siding,
vinyl windows, steel doors, etc., but should it be considered a "win" if
the only historic feature remaining of a house is its age? 

Each local commission needs to consider the impact of preservation
restrictions within their unique community, recognizing that although
some people may be "turned off" by regulations concerning mailboxes,
basketball hoops, etc., many others are attracted to historic districts
precisely for those controls. The commissions should solicit and the
public should offer input accordingly, so that everyone is on the same
page.

(on a side note, Springfield's "street mailbox" issue, which I thought
would be minor, brought out the most commentary by neighbors that I've
seen in a long time, all of it speaking against the curbside mailbox,
with many different alternatives offered to solve the homeowner's dog
problem). 

As another example, at a recent SHC meeting, we had a petition to vinyl
side a house in the name of "preserving it by making it cost less to
maintain". An abutting neighbor spoke out against the petition, saying
"this is a historic district, and we purchased out house here because
the district didn't allow things like vinyl siding, because we wouldn't
have to worry about things like this".

I would offer that for every problem, there are multiple solutions, and
often times the only difference between a visually appealing project and
a visually jarring project is a little forethought and slight alteration
of plans. If someone proposes to install solar panels that are trimmed
out in white, on a black roof, doesn't it make sense to say "hey, can
you get it in black instead?" 

Preservation to me does not mean "freezing things in time", and I have
yet to hear anyone say "solar panels did not exist in the 1800's so they
have no place in historic districts". However, if there are things that
can be done to minimize their visibility in a way that is compatible
with the district, I don't see anything wrong with that at all.

Ralph Slate
Springfield Historical Commission


<-----Original Message----->Honestly, this is why many members of the
general
>public hate 
>preservationists. As long as we focus on making everything look pretty
at 
>the expense of what's good for our world, we lose. The past wasn't 
>sanitized, and neither is the present; solar panels are, it is true,
not 
>pretty, but neither is global warming, and neither were the streets
full 
>of horse manure that abutted many of these houses when they were 
>originally built.
>
>The environmental benefits of preservation are huge, and if there's any
>future in either movement, we need to work together. (For what it's
worth, 
>I feel every bit as strongly about the environmentalists who foolishly 
>believe destructive insulation and window replacement projects are 
>necessary and important parts of environmentalism.)
>
>I don't post here much (I think this may be my second post to the list 
>ever?) because I'm not a professional or even an HDC member, just a 
>past-and-hopefully-future grad student at BU, but I've been subscribed
to 
>this list for several years, and I often find it frustrating that
people 
>are devoting so much energy to judging their neighbors' mailboxes, 
>basketball hoops, free newspaper boxes outside businesses, and the
like, 
>while every day I see historic houses that are condemned and will soon
be 
>bulldozed. Preserving history in a meaningful way doesn't always mean 
>making it look like a movie set.
>
>-Willa Bandler
>
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