[MassHistPres] FW: News from Preserve UMass

Tue May 22 17:05:59 EDT 2012

How ironic that while the Town of Amherst has just established an historic district, the University is letting it historic assets fall into ruin.  Perhaps it's time for "gown" to take a tip from "town."

John Worden
Arlington HDC

John L. Worden III, Esq.
Simonds, Winslow, Willis & Abbott, P.A.
50 Congress Street, Suite 925
Boston Massachusetts, 02109
phone  (617) 227-8662
fax        (617) 227-1961

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  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Joseph Larson 
  To: Mass Hist Preservation 
  Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2012 10:35 AM
  Subject: [MassHistPres] FW: News from Preserve UMass

  Op-ed: STATE FAULTS UMASS ON HISTORIC BUILDINGS

  Five years have passed since the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts was placed on the 2007 list of "The Ten Most Endangered Historic Resources of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts". The campus administration is preparing a historic celebration in 2013 to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Amherst flagship campus. But as that preparation moves forward, UMass Amherst administrators have recently been put on notice by Brona Simon, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Historical Commission that the historic physical assets of the campus remain at significant risk.

  In response to a notice to the state Commission that the university intends to demolish the 1899 Munson Hall Annex, Ms. Simon informed the university on April 20 that this structure is eligible to be nominated as one of the contributors to a potential National Historic District commemorating the history of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (now UMass Amherst).

  Significantly, Ms. Simon goes further in her letter to note that "Many of your recent submissions showed a number of campus structures in various states of disrepair and neglect. These conditions could be considered demolition by neglect (950 Code of Massachusetts Regulations 71.05(d)) and are not acceptable means of stewardship for the many historically significant structures located on this campus".

  "Demolition by neglect" occurs when an owner of a historic structure purposely cease to maintain a building in order to allow the structure to self-destruct so that the owner can claim it is too expensive to repair. Preserve UMass, a private group that has been working since 2007 to bring the campus into compliance with state law and regulations on historic buildings, has informed Ms. Simon that the neglect of state-listed buildings on the UMass campus cannot be excused as an action of uninformed administrators. In 2007 UMass officially adopted a policy to withhold maintenance on a number of state-listed buildings. That policy is still in effect and as such is evidence of official and purposeful sanction of "demolition by neglect."

  When the policy of neglect was adopted in 2007 the then UMass Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance stated at a general staff meeting "I don't know why New Englanders are so enamored of old buildings. Where I come from we tear them down and build new ones." In small groups she made it known that she would let the roofs fall in and then demolish the buildings.

  In her letter Ms. Simon has requested the university to conduct an alternatives analysis and feasibility study to seek ways that Munson Annex can be put to use to meet modern needs. She also notes that the university has practiced delay and a lack of proactive planning with respect to its historic structures. She recommends that the university develop preservation action plans for the historic buildings.

  Preserve UMass has informed Ms. Simon that, in their opinion, the campus administration needs to immediately:

  1. Withdraw the 2007 policy of "demolition by neglect".

  2. Develop a Preservation Action Plan for the entire campus. This should done using process open to the campus community and the general public, as has been done in the current development of the Campus Master Plan.

  3. Undertake a study of the potential for adaptive reuse of Munson Annex. 

  There needs to be an immediate commitment to all three of these steps to ensure that these issues do not detract from the otherwise worthy nature of the 2013 celebration of the history of UMass Amherst.

  Joseph S. Larson, Pelham

  Corresponding Secretary, Preserve UMass

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