[MassHistPres] City of Somerville request for quotes- historic monument assessment

[Kristen Stelljes]

The City of Somerville is seeking quotes for the assessment of nine monuments for their historical significance and preservation work required:



Background

The City of Somerville's Central Hill is home to its City Hall, high school, and the main branch of its library system. The grounds which extend from School Street to Walnut Street and from Highland Ave to the commuter rail tracks is one of Somerville's first dedicated open spaces. Over the years it has become the home of several significant statues and monuments dedicated to Somerville residents who served our nation in times of war and the significant history of the site.  These monuments will be removed from Central Hill from early 2018 through 2021 as a new high school is constructed on Central Hill. This provides us with an opportunity to restore these monuments and the City plans to request Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds for this work during the FY18 funding round. In order to apply for CPA funds, these monuments must first be declared historically significant by the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). The City of Somerville seeks a consultant who can prepare the necessary documentation on the seven monuments over 50 years old on Central Hill and two other monuments to seek a determination of historical significance from the HPC as well as assess the condition of each of these monuments and prepare recommendations and a cost estimate of the preservation work each requires. These monuments are:

1.      George Dilboy Bust (1930)

2.      First Congregational Unitarian Society Stone

3.      Somerville High Honor and Progress Plaque

4.      Civil War Memorial (1908)

5.      Women of the Union Square Post Plaque

6.      Spanish War Monument (1929)

7.      Cannon at Central Hill Playground Entrance

8.      World War I monument in Union Square

9.      War memorial at Trum Field


Scope of Work

The consultant shall prepare

1.      A report for each of monuments listed above describing their historical value

2.      A report detailing the condition of each of the monuments listed above, necessary preservation work required to restore the monument to the extent possible, and a cost estimate for completing this work.

The report on the historical value of each monument shall detail the following information:

  1.  Level of Completeness: Components of the monument are intact and displayed together.
  2.  Historic Scope: Monument conveys the scope of history with which it is associated. The scope of history represented may be identified by the cultural association or design quality. The monument may:
     *   Illustrate the site of an important historic event;
     *   Identify a person or group of persons who have impacted the community;
     *   Exemplify the cultural, economic, industrial, social, or political heritage of the City;
     *   Embody distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of creation;
     *   Represent the work of a master craftsman, artist, etc.
     *   Possess high artistic values; or
     *   Be used to inform an area of scholarship.
  3.  Integrity: The National Park Service defines historic integrity as the ability for a historic resource to convey significance. The monument should possess sufficient integrity to convey, represent, or contain the values and qualities for which it is judged significant.

This report will be submitted to the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission by the City of Somerville for use in determining if each individual monument is eligible to receive CPA funds for its restoration.

The report detailing the condition of each monument will include:

1.      An assessment of the condition of the monument

2.      Detailed description of preservation work required to restore the monument including recommended methods and materials.

3.      An estimated cost of required restoration work

This report will be used to develop a proposal to the Community Preservation Committee for FY18 Community Preservation Act funds to complete the recommended work.

If interested, please respond to kstelljes at somervillema.gov<mailto:kstelljes at somervillema.gov> with a description of the proposed approach, quote for cost to complete the work, and references.


Kristen Stelljes
Somerville Community Preservation Act Manager
kstelljes at somervillema.gov<mailto:kstelljes at somervillema.gov>
617-625-6600 ext. 2107
CPA website: http://www.somervillema.gov/cpa

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