[MassHistPres] Does an old building moved into town fall under the purview of a demolition delay bylaw?

[Peter K Johnson]

Here's an issue Hanover's Historical Commission will face at its next
meeting (tomorrow night).

Hanover has a demolition delay bylaw in place, which covers buildings over
75 years old.  The commission can invoke an up-to-year-long delay for a
"preferably preserved" structure.

Here's the issue:

Sometime in the 1980's  a developer moved an early 19th century barn to
Hanover from Norwell, put it on a new foundation and used the reconstructed
barn as part of a new restaurant he developed at the time.

The restaurant, as well as rather large adjacent retail development from
the 1980's, has been bought by a new owner, who has applied to demolish all
of the buildings on the two sites.

Does such a reconstructed building have status under a demolition delay
bylaw? There is no mention of such a condition in the bylaw itself.  We
don't know much about the barn's history, at least not yet. Whatever the
history, it didn't take place in Hanover.  It's also possible that the
developer (now deceased) significantly "rearranged" the structure of the
barn when it was reconstructed on the Hanover site.

I do know that the town's building department and fire department personnel
regard it as unsafe, a fire hazard, and prefer that it be demolished.

Has anyone had experience with a such a "moved" building?

Thanks,

Peter Johnson
Chair
Hanover Historical Commission
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