[MassHistPres] Historical Markers For Houses

[jworden at swwalaw.com]

David,In Arlington, the property owner pays for the plaques, which are then issued by the Historical Commission.Turning to the other issue you raised, it seems to me that the 50 year standard grows increasingly irrelevant as little of historical or architectural value has been build since the end of World War II.  In Arlington we have a list of protected buildings, which is amended from time to time to add new properties, and often, unhappily, to delete buildings destroyed by greedy developers so they can put up a vinyl clad McMansion (they hold the buildings for a year until the time runs out then call for he bulldozer).An interesting exception - a post war modern house located in one of our historic districts was the home of a Nobel Prize laureate, and we recently held a hearing to strictly govern some minor renovations sought by the new owners.John WordenArlington HDC



------- Original Message -------
>From    : David Temple[mailto:davidftemple at yahoo.com]
Sent    : 3/11/2020 1:27:21 PM
To      : jonathan_liebowitz at uml.edu; lee.caras at gmail.com
Cc      : masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject : RE: Re: [MassHistPres] Historical Markers For Houses

 In Medfield, the homeowner pays for the house plaque. 
At our last commission meeting we briefly but inconclusively discussed possibly changing our DD bylaw to create a list of protected properties.  (Town meeting approval would be needed.) We have used the common 50-year standard since the DD bylaw was first enacted in 1994, but now of course it requires us to hold a hearing on any of the numerous split-levels or garrison colonials built before 1971. 
Your town administrator raises a question that's never come up in Medfield...but could...about favoring friends or relatives when giving out free plaques.
A homeowner would value a plaque that s/he paid for more than a plaque that was given away.
In your reply, please include my original message. 

David F. Temple 
President, Medfield Historical SocietyChair, Medfield Historical Commission
300 South Street 
Medfield, MA 02052 
H-508-359-2915 M-508-613-6606 


        


        
        
            
                
                
                    On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 12:34:36 PM EDT, Lee Caras <lee.caras at gmail.com> wrote:
                
                

                

                At the Maynard Historical Commission, we have two programs, one for historical markers, and one for historical house plaques.  The markers are paid for by the commission and are for buildings that are listed with the Town as being protected by our demolition-delay bylaw.  The house plaques are paid for by individual property owners.  They do the property research (sometimes with commission help) and present that information to the commission.  Our markers and plaques are modest in price at $90, but attractive.  Lee Caras, Clerk, Maynard Historical CommissionSent from my iPadOn Mar 11, 2020, at 10:33 AM, Liebowitz, Jonathan J <Jonathan_Liebowitz at uml.edu> wrote:


In Littleton, we're asking homeowners to pay for their plaques though in the past the Commission has done so.  We've never heard that it would be a conflict of interest; I guess that issue just never came up.  We decided after some discussion to have property
 owners to pay because we thought if lots of them applied it would be a drain on our very modest budget.  We get them for about $60.  Price, of course, depends on size, materials, design, etc.
Jonathan J. Liebowitz
Littleton Historical Commission




Jonathan J. Liebowitz
History Department
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Lowell, MA  01854
USA
978-934-2530




From: MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu> on behalf of RafaelRobertDelfin <rafadello at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2020 9:14:56 PM
To: MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: [MassHistPres] Historical Markers For Houses
 

This e-mail originated from outside the UMass Lowell network.

Hello everyone,


I launched a Historical Marker Program in my town, Dighton last year and I and other members of the Dighton Historical Commission have just approved the application of a resident whose house is over 100 years old and has a lot of historical significance. 

Initially, the Commission had voted to pay for the manufacture of the historical marker by using funds that the Town of Dighton had granted to the Commission. The average cost of a historical marker is $125. However, when the Town Administrator learned about
 this, she suggested that paying for the marker would be a conflict of interest (ergo, "unethical" and possibly "illegal'), and that the recipient should pay for the marker himself/herself. I have always thought that the Commission is acting on its own jurisdiction
 and that we have the right to use the funds as we see fit as long as it assists in the preservation of local history.


I am addressing my questions to members of town historical commissions who grant historical markers to residents: "Do the recipients have to pay for the marker, or does your commission pay for it?" And would you agree/disagree with the Dighton Town Administrator's
 statement? I guess I am looking for a legitimate recourse to bring to the table when the Town Administrator attends our next meeting on April 10.


Your advice would be greatly appreciated.


Thank you.

Sincerely,
-- 





Rafa Delfin, Vice-Chair
Dighton Historical Commission
774-766-2928

rafadello at gmail.com











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