[MassHistPres] Mass Audubon demolishes 1696 house inNatick

[twm3@metcalfe-architecture]

To all,
I would like to add some enlightenment to a key issue that undermines much of what occurs in historic preservation.
This issue is the often fairly easy structural ability to preserve buildings. Practically all forms of deterioration short of being burned down are possible to restore by simply adding often a small percentage of cost to slow down work with some occasional care. 
Conversely to any added cost is the often reduced cost to preserve by reusing the standing value which is also augmented by the saved costs to not both demolish and then haul away to a land fill. Reality most often counters biased engineering reports to demolish history. 
I have 54 years of Architectural practice most in renovations with much historic preservation from tax credits to pro-bona advocacy to preserve buildings in the public realm. We just saved solid church in Northampton that suffered a skewed logic to remove it. Another more prominent Church remains here to be reused hopefully with no more biased demolition reports as its previous owner had attempted.  
When a report claims that a building is "too far gone" to restore in all cases in my half century of practice they have been wrong to advise demolition. It is more often the case the owner doesn't want the building. It is only a matter of the path of restoration process within overall budget.  In most cases I find to preserve is less cost. However, it is easy to spend excessive amounts depending on the goals for reducing the future maintenance costs, 
i.e. new materials can be chosen while restored existing materials can be less initial cost along with the higher historic preserved value along with future maintenance cost. Phased budgets often keep a building alive vs budgets that are out of reach that can condemn a building. 
I have an example where I saw an article in a small local paper that there was a plan to burn down what appears to be the oldest remaining building in the town. It is a house built 2 years after the end of the Revolutionary War in 1785 yet it still stands because I tried to get a preservation plan in action that ultimately fell upon me taking ownership 3 years ago. 
I went through 2 years of unnecessary expense from the town's law firm and the health inspector into the housing court treating the building as is if it was an urban fire hazard requiring a chain link fence and bolted plywood windows where it had stood for nearly a decade with no one living in it and with unlocked doors blowing in the wind when i first arrived.
The key point to make in this long story shortened is that they even forced me to hire a structural engineer to report that “it is structurally feasible to restore”. Consider that I am the owner who would be faced with those expenses to reuse its standing value while also being a Massachusetts Registered Design Professional they illogically required another professional opinion.  What that report showed was that by using from 70% to 80 % of the buildings standing equity that will remain in the final restoration, it saved spending money to demolish and haul away that equity to a dump both preserving history and also saving cost. 
My final comment is if you face a bogus demolition report get your own architect or engineer if they are enamored by historic buildings to make a true assessment of real costs when saving the equity and the history with preservation for its restoration. 
BTW, that Natik house Audubon destroyed looked very square solid and very easily reusable, and if there was no major roof leak damage, it was definitely restorable.  

Tris Metcalfe, AIA
Northampton MA
 

> On Mar 5, 2025, at 8:51 AM, Chris Skelly via MassHistPres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu> wrote:
> 
> Hi Ralph, as I understand it, the building was not part of an MGL Chapter 40C Local Historic District but was subject to the demolition delay bylaw.  The building was demolished as soon as the delay expired.
> 
> Although a very different building, the case study and success story of the Willys Overland Building in Springfield is highly applicable.  While the Willys Overland building was under demolition delay, the city established a single building local historic district.  Reading and Hopkinton have also established local historic districts during a demolition delay period.
> 
> Being from Springfield, I know you know more about this building than me so I hope you’ll share some more about how the building was not only saved from demolition but rehabilitated into housing. It is a great example of successfully using all the tools of preservation planning and I’ve even used it in presentations out of state. 
> 
> https://springfieldpreservation.org/willys-overland/
> 
> Chris Skelly
> Skelly Preservation Services
> Community Planning and Preservation
> www.skellypreservationservices.com <http://www.skellypreservationservices.com/>
> ccskelly12 at gmail.com <mailto:ccskelly12 at gmail.com>
> On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 7:18 AM Ralph Slate via MassHistPres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu <mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>> wrote:
>> Can someone educate me here? Was the building in question covered by a MGL 40C Local Historic District? If so, wouldn't that have greatly slowed demolition, until the owner could demonstrate that "not demolishing the building" was a greater hardship than the impact of demolition to the District?
>> 
>> I don't understand how historic resources are managed in Eastern MA, but in Springfield a building like this in a local historic district could be blocked from demolition unless it was demonstrably in un-repairable condition.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> Ralph Slate
>> Springfield, MA
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On 3/3/2025 4:34 PM, David Feigenbaum via MassHistPres wrote:
>>> Stronger state legislation would be a highly effective avenue. Is there an advocate on Beacon Hill for legislation to preserve buildings that are historic resources of towns?
>>> 
>>> David Feigenbaum
>>> Winchester resident
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Mon, Mar 3, 2025 at 3:19 PM sally milne via MassHistPres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu <mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>> wrote:
>>>> Thank you Dennis and Michael for sharing. so sad. i feel as if we continue to lose so many
>>>> important assets. we need more tools /legislation from the State law makers. . i think anyway , something must change.
>>>> 
>>>> Sally Urbano
>>>> Harwich
>>>> imdividually
>>>> On Mon, Mar 3, 2025 at 10:24 AM Steinitz, Michael @ SEC via MassHistPres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu <mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Some time ago I reached out to the Natick Audubon contact person, Aaron Gouveia, to offer a second opinion to their structural engineer who deemed the house a total loss. My co-instructor at North Bennet, Michael Burrey and I were willing to visit the site to determine if the Sawin House might be a good candidate for students of the Preservation Carpentry program be involved.  Our offer was rejected.
>>>>> Dennis De Witt's interpretation of purposeful neglect leading to the inevitable may be spot on.
>>>>> As far as describing Mass Audubon as "esteemed", my personal experience dealing with a manager at the Canton, MA Bird Art site a few years ago left me with a less than stellar opinion when they chose to demolish an art installation made by the deceased donor of the 120 acre estate.  Mildred Morse Allen was an artist and documentary maker who left this amazing gift to the Audubon Soc only to have an amazing, custom fabricated,  faux motor yacht room pulled out and her floor to ceiling seascape artwork destroyed. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Steven O'Shaughnessy
>>>>> Dept. Head - Preservation Carpentry
>>>>> North Bennet Street School
>>>>> Boston
>>>>> 
>>>>> --
>>>>> Steven O'Shaughnessy
>>>>> Dept. Head  - Preservation Carpentry
>>>>> North Bennet Street School, 150 North Street | 617 227 0155 <tel:617%20227%200155> *270
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
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