HRC Meeting Notes for February
2000
Present: Olga Bachilova, Bill Barry, Bart
Bauer, Jennifer Boyce, Nick Brooks, Matthew Bronski,
Fabio Carrera, Anne Delucia, Andrew Falkenstein, Jack
Glassman, Jeffrey Harris, Michael Lynch, Arthur MacLeod,
Colleen Meagher, Henry Moss, Ivan Myjer, Bob Neiley,
Stephanie Reinhart, Deborah Robinson, Lance Robson, Deane
Rykerson, Susan Schur, Jonathan Smith, Jay Stanbury,
Robert Thomas, Eric Ward, Sara Wermiel, T. Luke Young
1. Keith Memorial Theater (The Opera House):
Henry Moss described the heated testimony at the BRA's
hearing about Pace Theater's proposed rehabilitation of
the theater. Temperatures rose as the residents of
Tremont on the Common addressed perceived difficulties
inherent in the narrowing of Mason Street to provide a
ten foot wide service alley between the two buildings.
Residents' concerns included security (rooftop to rooftop
leaping thieves), utilities interference, fire access,
and mechanical equipment noise. Bill Barlow and Henry
urged the BRA and Tremont on the Common residents to move
forward with the proposal, working with Pace to minimize
the problems but getting the theater lit again. Henry
Wood (of Kallman, McKinnell and Wood) was a concerned but
positive spokesperson helping other residents to focus on
real problems with possible solutions.
2. Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Luke Young
introduced Fabio Carrera whose WPI Project Center places
students in research and analysis positions for summer
terms. Fabio has organized his cadres for 2000 but
encouraged us to think of good projects for the next
session, March to May 2001. He has run a similar program
in Venice where an inventory of historic bridges was one
of their 80 projects. The Boston Project Center places
about 18 students. This year, a number of engineering
students are doing fieldwork and cataloging structures at
Mount Auburn Cemetery. Others have worked with the Boston
Landmarks Commission and done GIS mapping.
3. Boston's Bridges: Sara Wermiel suggested a
phased effort on a BSA Historic Resources Committee
policy paper on Boston's historic bridges. The first
phase would concentrate on a comprehensive review of
these structures and their significance as urban
elements, part of the historic engineering record, and
pieces within an unusually interesting ensemble of
bridges, many operable. The second phase would address
the contextual issues associated with the design of new
bridges across the Charles, the Fort Point Channel and
across Boston Harbor.
Sara will arrange a meeting to include members with
previous bridge experience, such as Michael Lynch and
Fabio. Matthew Bronski will pursue interested parties
among the local engineering fraternity (Boston Society of
Civil Engineers). Eventually, we might include
representatives of the MDC and other agencies that are
responsible for existing bridges. Susan Schur mentioned
the Illinois Highway departments' study of concrete
bridges. Jay Stanbury described his experience on the
Wellesley Historical Commission where he and his
colleagues gave advice about historic railway bridges.
[Sara and Matt will talk about this meeting on March
9 at our next meeting.]
4. State Board of Building Regulations, or Mass
State Building Code, Chapter 34 vs. the Great State of
New Jersey: Henry described a presentation at the State
House where New Jersey's new, stand-alone Rehabilitation
Code raised comparisons with our own process where
Chapter 34 is combined with other sections of the base
building code. New Jersey set out to create a code that
would not discourage investment in inner city housing
rehabilitation and wrote a "more prescriptive" code to
remove ambiguity for potential developers, investors, and
building inspectors. Deborah Robinson ran a project at
Princeton where the new code had an early trial. Her view
was that the code was quite flexible and able to keep
projects moving forward by taking individual inspectors
off the hook so that less time was spent in appeals and
variance applications. Henry noted that the Massachusetts
State Board of Building Regulations has a tiny budget and
staff assignment compared to New Jersey's centralized
administration. New Jersey's budget is 12 times
larger.
The Massachusetts Secretary of Finance and
Administration had asked that the BSA help them think
about whether there would be advantages to using such a
code for existing buildings. Henry and Matthew said they
would look over the New Jersey documents then arrange a
discussion with the BSA Codes Committee to see if more
involvement would be worthwhile. Governor Celluci read
about the rapid increase in inner-city rehab in New
Jersey after the new code was introduced and asked the
Secretary of Finance and Administration to look into its
applicability in the Commonwealth.
5. Technical Topics: Henry asked what were the
most challenging technical topics for local practitioners
currently. Voices around the table suggested that
industrially produced products for 20th century buildings
were increasingly problematic. Porcelain enamel panels at
the Sterling Diner, for example. Tom Jester and other
organizers of Preserving the Recent Past II had noted
that few research projects on these subjects had
developed in the past couple of years and that the
National Park Service is too constrained by budget
restrictions and increased tax-act work to tackle this
with their own staff.
6. Boston Street Furniture: Colleen Meagher
said that the City is moving forward with street
furniture group from a German manufacturer. She described
the kiosks, bus shelters, and public toilets as "not
historicist and not trendy." Their financing will involve
more sidewalk level advertising, but not necessarily
physically restricted to the street furniture's
surfaces.
7. Appleton Mills, Lowell: Matthew Bronski
referred to an article in Lowell's free newspaper that
described a broad redevelopment vision for the
Appleton/Middlesex Street area that would require
structured parking for 5,000 cars. (Is that really 39
acres?) The Joan Fabrics demolition/expansion proposal
may be sidelined for the moment. This is a sorry set of
urban aspirations and seems not to improve. Matthew and
Sara are trying to monitor the situation in Lowell but
information is garbled and unstable.
8. Fenway Park: Jeffrey Harris described a Red
Sox public advocacy position that is confident of solving
eminent domain acquisition problems in 2000 with a
construction start in November of this year. Jeff was
unconvinced that the Red Sox have the political leverage
to make this happen. He observed that serious obstacles
remain, such as persuading taxpayers that it makes sense
to give $200 Million of their money to a wealthy
corporation who pays millionaires to play a boy's game.
[Jeff attended Alex Krieger's presentation of the new
Fenway Park at the BSA this week and may be available to
describe its reception at our next meeting.]
Next Meeting
8: 00 AM, Thursday, March 9, 2000
The Architects' Building
52 Broad Street, Boston
Fifth Floor