[MassHistPres] Boston Globe editorial

Thu Oct 23 19:41:41 EDT 2014

In Beverly, the Historic District Commission also doubles at the Historical Commission and while not correct, many use those terms interchangeably.

When the Globe did a story on a developer who made a "building swap" in the Beverly Depot area in an effort to acquire an entire block, the headline praised the new development that would arise from the demolition of the structures already there.  The other side of the story not covered by The Globe and history was explained away by said developer.  What wasn't reported was the fact that removed of these historic properties would have destroyed a newly created National Register District.  When we contacted the reporter about this point, he assured us the subject of the buildings' historic value would be covered in a later article.  It never happened and we were never given a chance to state our case.  Letters to the Editor are good but they don't seem to carry the same sense of legitimacy as coverage in an article.

These same buildings had been the subject of an article that appeared in The Salem News in 2008 entitled "Buildings in Way of MBTA Garage Deemed Historic" yet the reporter didn't bother to interview a single historian or preservationist.  An article regarding a then-upcoming demolition delay hearing for those structures did give preservationists a chance to finally make their case but there wasn't any coverage of the hearing itself which turned out to be very positive and well-attended by people from all walks of life.  This same newspaper recently described concerned citizens opposing the planned construction of a Whole Foods in Beverly as "Foes" and if that isn't bias I don't know what is.  I have tried getting the preservation message out through our local cable access channel because in many ways the print media (Patch, Beverly Citizen, Globe and Salem News) failed to cover both sides of a story.  (Is Emily Rooney reading this?)  Far too many articles on new development seem to read like press releases or editorials rather than news stories.   

What bothers me about the online comments on The Globe's website is the typical knee-jerk reaction of "If you think it's that important then you buy it."  Yet these same people have nothing to say when developers use eminent domain, subsidies, or urban renewal programs for their own advantage.  I think there will always be people out there who seem to enjoy seeing preservationists fail and the best we can do is to try and reach the open minds who will seriously consider the benefits of saving our cultural assets.

Matt Pujo
No Country for Old Buildings
Beverly, MA

-----Original Message-----
From: Young, Andrea <YoungA at hingham-ma.gov>
To: 'cvwtc at aol.com' <cvwtc at aol.com>; swermiel <swermiel at verizon.net>; masshistpres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Thu, Oct 23, 2014 5:43 pm
Subject: RE: [MassHistPres] Boston Globe editorial

In addition to the unfortunate slant, it also seems that the writer of the Globe editorial was confused about which municipal body to target.  The beginning of the article identifies the historic district commission as being the “overzealous” board; however, the writer then talks about the commission imposing a one year demolition delay (a preservation tool used by historical commissions; not historic district commissions), and ends the editorial by saying that the house is not located in an historic district.  What?  Most readers of this editorial are not in the preservation field and would not have picked up on these inconsistencies; nor would they have been aware of the errors, misinformation and omission of  information cited by Matt and Sara.  The frustrating thing is that this mess of an editorial will influence some, and will perpetuate the stereotype held by others that historical and historic districts commission members are outdated in their thinking, out of touch with today’s lifestyles and out of their minds (as in, “I have to go before thehysterical commission.”)   Preserving and protecting our historical and architectural assets is not for the faint of heart.  I, too, sent my comments to the Globe.

Andrea Young
Administrator
Hingham Historical and Historic Districts Commissions       

From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu]On Behalf Of cvwtc at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2014 5:20 PM
To: swermiel at verizon.net; masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Boston Globe editorial

The Salem News had the same take on this several months ago but that paper seems heavily biased against preservation anyway.  I have noted times when Salem News and Globe reporters have completely ignored the preservation angle to a story all together and called for equal time were ignored.

I note the editorial says the National Register offers certain protection but in this case that is simply not true since state and federal funds are not involved.

They are also wrong about the requirement that the board be seven members.  It does not have to be.  Seven represents the largest number of members allowed on the commission.  

Matt Pujo

Beverly, MA

-----Original Message-----
From: Sara Wermiel <swermiel at verizon.net>
To: masshistpres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Wed, Oct 22, 2014 1:49 pm
Subject: [MassHistPres] Boston Globe editorial

I’d like to call the attention of listserv members to an editorial in the Boston Globe last week, “History deserves respect, but overzealousness has a price.”

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2014/10/13/beverly-loring-house-history-deserves-respect-but-overzealousness-has-price/zXl3z3U0vOZGuuAxQ0eYeI/story.html

The editorial deals with the sad case of the Loring House in Beverly, a National Register-eligible property that will be demolished.

The editorial suggests that the Beverly Historic District Commission was stuck on trivial matters, such as not destroying the house’s façade, and this drove the owner to a drastic act. 

Yes, zealotry is wrong, but was the BHDC unreasonable? Did it act improperly? We don’t know, and the Globe doesn’t know, because the Globe never did any real reporting. Yet it produces an indicting editorial, essentially warning all historical commissions against doing their jobs.

I wrote a letter to the editor, which I’ll be glad to share with members if you want to read it. If this editorial bugs you too, I urge you to let the Globe know.

--Sara Wermiel

History of technology/historic preservation consulting

Jamaica Plain, MA

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