[MassHistPres] 1730 Cape threatened in Sandwich - looking for buyer

Steven O'Shaughnessy soshaughnessy at nbss.edu
Mon Jan 28 10:25:01 EST 2019


Hello All,
I thought I would chime in and add my two cents to this chain of emails
concerning the threatened 1730 Cape Cod in Sandwich. We here at North
Bennet Street School's Preservation Carpentry program have participated in
documenting and disassembly of historic buildings threatened with
demolition many times over the 35 years of the program. The typical
scenario we see again and again is a developer looking to put up two or
more new homes on the land where the single historic house once stood. The
learning lessons gained in drawing, photographing and then hands-on careful
prying away are important and useful to our soon to be Preservation
Carpenters. We have saved doors, windows, interior trim, mantles, moldings
and sometimes brick from chimneys and field and cap stones from the
foundations. While old horse hair plaster can not be saved when taking a
home down, lath can be and is important it be saved if it is hand split
riven or accordion. Of course, we would prefer that the building stay put
but when it's a forgone conclusion that the home is going to come down,
salvaging as much of the interior and the particularly the frame is the
best bet. When time allows, drawing, tagging and photographing the bare
frame is very important. IF and I will add to that big IF the house parts
get sold and re-erected on a new site, these tagged parts and the
corresponding drawings to unravel the puzzle will be vital. Ok, back to the
IF. The market for a dismantled historic buildings as a housing option is
almost non existent. I can say this having participated in and followed the
plight of several Cape Cods and other buildings that are still sitting in
containers for years waiting for a client to take on the challenge. The
process is expensive and time consuming in that preservation carpenters and
masons would need to be hired to repair the frame and re-erect it on its
new foundation.
Ok, that being said, certainly if a contingent to well-meaning and
motivated preservation folks take this Cape on as their cause and want to
save it from the landfill, cudos and you. These pre-1830's (give or take)
homes were entirely hand made and should be protected and preserved for
sure. We have a full plate of projects already in the pipeline here at NBSS
but I'm happy to advise or refer if requested.
Steven O'Shaughnessy
Dept. Head - Preservation Carpentry
North Bennet Street School
Boston, MA

On Mon, Jan 28, 2019 at 8:36 AM Robert Smith <bartlettrs at gmail.com> wrote:

> This classic cape (an exact twin of my ca 1723 cape in Dartmouth) appears
> to have good bones, solid, straight ridge beam, window placement correct,
> etc. If this building can't be preserved in situ, it would be worth
> disassembling and storing/reconstructing at a future site. What a shame to
> see the jaws of death crush it into splinters and cart it away.  At
> minimum, to Diane Gilbert's point, the house should be thoroughly
> documented.
> I'd be interested in a site visit if something's arranged.
> This distressing issue comes before historic commissions so often; would
> it make sense to come up with a "How to Preserve/What to Look
> For/Resources" document to aid and encourage owners and potential buyers in
> taking on a preservation project.  (And, please, not scare them to death
> with anally perfect restoration).  And in a perfect world, I'd like to see
> our State/town fathers create a meaningful tax abatement as an incentive
> for owners willing to take on preservation of their historic buildings in
> their communities.  Sort of a CPA for private owners, funded by them.
> Seriously.
> Bob Smith, Dartmouth Historical Commission.
>
> On Sat, Jan 26, 2019 at 9:19 AM Lisa Hassler <
> lisa at historichomescapecod.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Everyone,
>>
>> Thanks so much for your suggestions and for sharing your experiences.  We
>> are all on the same team (including the Realtors among us) and we all
>> support preservation whenever it is at all possible.  There are many issues
>> surrounding this house.  I have brought several clients who were die hard
>> preservationists to see this property and they left saddened by the state
>> of disrepair and by the ill advised changes that removed so much of its
>> fabric.  Still, one hopes that someone with deep pockets and a love for
>> history will rescue this piece of Sandwich's history.
>>
>> I would just like to mention that Amanda is a valued member of the
>> historical commission with a wealth of knowledge and we value her opinion.
>> I shared her assessment of the property, as did the rest of the historical
>> commission, though of course we defer to Sarah's judgement.  We also
>> appreciate the efforts of the HDC whose job it is to protect our historical
>> assets.  As preservationists, we may not always agree, not because of
>> ignorance, but because we may differ in our opinions.  That leads to some
>> lively dialogue which reveals new knowledge and thoughtful revelations.
>>
>> I'm glad we have this forum to share our efforts.
>>
>>
>> On Jan 25, 2019, at 1:34 PM, masshistpres-request at cs.umb.edu wrote:
>>
>> Re: [MassHistPres] 1730 Cape threatened in Sandwich - looking
>> for buye
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Lisa Hassler
>> 774-994-1337 (c)
>> Historic Homes of Cape Cod TM
>> Kinlin Grover Real Estate
>> Website: HistoricHomesCapeCod.com
>> Blog: HistoricHomesCapeCod.blogspot.com
>> facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HistoricHomesCapeCod
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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-- 
Steven O'Shaughnessy
Dept. Head  - Preservation Carpentry
North Bennet Street School, 150 North Street | 617 227 0155 *270

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