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Present: Larissa Allen, Bill Barry, David Bliss, Matthew Bronski, Susan Browner, Marilyn Fenollosa, Leslie Friedman, David Gallagher, Jack Glassman, Carl Jay, David M. Hart, David Kelman, David King, Ryan Maciej, Henry Moss, Michelle Murphy, Ivan Myjer, Shaun Provencher, Brian Roche, Susan Schur, Malcolm Smiley, Jonathan Smith, Natalie Wampler, Eric Ward, Gary Wolf 1. Boston City Hall WBUR Broadcast and USGBC Competition: Several committee members had heard the WBUR program about Boston City Hall. Susan Browner thought the edited version was not very balanced and too light on the architectural significance of the building. Gary Wolf said that some of the most important points had been cut from the interview with Tim Warwick, but that the final outcome of the program was favorable to improving the building for its current function. Several other people commented that Joan Goody's contribution had been particularly constructive. The inevitable conclusion, however, is that the Mayor's interest in selling the site and relocating city hall is as strong now as ever. Gary Wolf announced that a competition for a new, sustainable city hall had been launched by some component of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). [Jean Carroon finally established that this was a local initiative that had included "greening" the existing building. The national USGBC was surprised and disappointed at any publicity about a new Boston City Hall that implied their advocacy of the demolition of the Kallman/McKinnell building.] 2. Stone Features in Landscapes: Shaun Provencher of the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has been tracking down remnants of historic stone structures on state properties. He recently published a succinct introductory guide that teaches how to recognize and interpret the most common and vulnerable types of stone features found in the Massachusetts landscape. The published version of this guide is in Terra Firma #5, a publication of DCR. Shaun presented a series of images to our committee that explained how the configuration of stone cellar holes can reveal the period and plan form of the buildings they once supported (massive granite sills and stone chimney supports prior to about 1830 or barn foundations open to their fourth side). Stone remnants include hand-dug wells for drinking water, "perambulation" markers for town boundaries, stone slab bridges on old farmsteads, dry-laid culverts that may indicate lost roads and cart tracks, lime and charcoal kilns, dams, raceways, boulder fields and small quarry sites. Shaun referred us to Robert M. Thorson's book, Exploring Stone Walls: A Field Guide to New England's Stone Walls, Walker and Company, 2005 (ISBN 0-8027-7708-2 for paperback). Shaun explained the interlaced processes of forest clearance, frost heave, erosion, stone clearing, and wall building while showing various types of construction. Walls were built first to keep livestock on common land. Later, they were erected privately to keep livestock in privately owned farm fields. He reminded us that in the early 19th century 75% of Massachusetts was open land, while today it is only 40%. Old walls that once separated fields are now surrounded by woodland. There is a natural tendency to assume that the low walls we see have toppled and tumbled, but typically they stood no higher than about 3'. This was roughly the height that allowed stones to be lifted and placed in a single movement. Farmers erected wooden fences to provide increased height and containment, but these fences are gone. Beautiful walls are still being built, especially in the area around Westport and adjacent portions of Rhode Island. DCR is concerned that little protection exists in law for these stone structures. Rhode Island passed the Leona Kelly Act in 2001to define stone walls, address their theft, and establish a punishment in the form of fines to pay for reconstruction and other "compensable damages related to said larceny." Other towns in Rhode Island passed local byelaws to protect stone walls along town and state roads with fines for unauthorized alterations. Smithfield, Rhode Island not only has an ordinance to protect stone walls from demolition, relocation, or theft, but goes further to enact a tax exemption not exceeding $5,000 for the maintenance of certain stone walls on private property. Massachusetts has some powers under the Scenic Roads Act (MGL Chapter 40 Section 15C)-basically limited to boundary wall protection along local roads, but the safest course is to identify specific features as significant, contributing elements in historic districts and sensitize local historic commissions to their vulnerability. Wayland has an exemplary model for a local byelaw under the act with a list of 18 roads designated as scenic. Along with stone wall protection, approval of the planning board is required before trees in the right-of-way can be removed. That's not all. Shaun joins DCR's forces with those of the MHC to counter assertions that these features were sacred to Native Americans. There is a clear distinction between the hearths and other context-affirmed stone features associated with Native American settlements and the practical stone building traditions of the European settlers of Massachusetts. "Together, archaeology and ethnohistory provide conclusive evidence that stone walls, piles, and chambers are not the work of ancient cultures" [astrological connections notwithstanding…]. Shaun named the locations of each example, with sites compiled through collaboration among state agencies and non-profits-especially the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the Trustees of Reservations, and the Harvard Forest in Petersham. Shaun recommends: perambulation markers in Upton and on the Shutesbury/Leverett line; mile markers in Newbury; bollards and site interpretive trails at Harvard Forest, Petersham; lost roads and culverts in Bolton, quarry sites and boulder fields at the Burnes Wildlife Management Area in Newbury; kilns at Hawley Dubuque State forest near Plainville; a rare charcoal kiln in Leverett; dams and raceways at Douglas State Forest; stone walls in Westport and Little Compton (RI). Let's go see… 3. State Historic Tax Credit: Happily, Ryan Maciej was among us when this subject arose. Most Tax Credit projects are required to follow two masters, one federal, the other our state. MHC administers the state program and sometimes, much of the federal along with the National Park Service. The MHC works with legislative criteria that include non-curatorial considerations such as economic effects (job creation, economic impact, smart growth, affordable housing content) and can sometimes be more liberal in its interpretation of projects' qualifications. The MHC now distributes about $50 M per year. Their turnaround time is 30 days and typically outpaces the federal tax credit process. However, interest is keen and applicants are plentiful. Ryan (who wrote much of the current program documents) says that Part III follows the guidelines of the federal Part III and generally attempts to synchronize the efforts of applicants. He warns that syndication dates can be complicated in terms of tax years (when work is done and when money can be released). The MHC studied other states and modeled the Massachusetts forms and process on a variety of economic stimulus ideas.
8: 00 a.m., Thursday, February 14, 2008 Featuring John Wathne of Structures North, Preview of ASTM's upcoming "Standard Specification for Mortars for use with Archaic Masonry Materials"
The Architects' Building, 52 Broad Street, Boston Henry Moss, Matthew Bronski, and Sara Wermiel co-leaders and scribes
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