[MassHistPres] Chimneys

[Jay Tetzloff]

Hello all - I chair the Essex, MA historical commission and am an elected member of the Essex Planning Board.  Tomorrow I need to vote on a proposed major renovation and addition to an old house.  Essex has no historic district and there are no preservation restrictions, so technically anything goes as long as the local building inspector and Planning Board approve.  Planning Board cannot deny any project that complies with Essex zoning bylaws, which this project does.  Planning Board CAN however add Conditions to its approval.  The proposed design involves a gut renovation of the existing house, including removal of its central chimney, which prominently extends above the roofline.  Have any of you been successful in preserving an existing chimney as part of the original roofline and facade of an old home?  If so, how did you go about it?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Jay Tetzloff
Chair
Essex Historical Commission 

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