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Potentially Endangered Historic Resource:
Elements of Courthouse District: Potentially Endangered
December 2007 Update: Historic
Salem and the other Interested Parties are currently working on the
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Massachusetts Historic Commission
and Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM), who are overseeing
the Courthouse planning and construction. HSI anticipates the MOA will
be complete in the first part of 2008 and provide a number of opportunities
for HSI to review and comment on plans for the Courthouse complex.
The Michael J. Ruane Judicial Center is the largest development in the
City of Salem since the expansion of the Peabody Essex Museum and will
have a major impact on historic resources and visual character, particularly
with respect to certain Elements of the Courthouse District, which have
been nominated to Potentially Endangered this year.
The courthouse system is vitally important to Salem’s downtown
economy and Historic Salem has been very supportive of this project
since its inception. Because discussions with the Massachusetts Historical
Commission are ongoing at the time of this nomination, and because of
the complexity of the issues, Historic Salem has nominated Elements
of the Courthouse District to Potentially Endangered, rather than Most
Endangered, as we are hopeful that there will be a successful resolution
of issues about the impact of the project on historic resources.
Current plans calls for the creation of a new J. Michael Ruane Judicial
Center on Federal Street, adjacent to the three existing courthouses,
moving the sanctuary of the Baptist Church to the western edge of the
site, abandoning two of the three existing courthouses, and reusing
the Registry building for court functions once additional funding has
been secured. In addition, the current plan calls for either moving
or demolishing three residential structures on the site.
Historic Salem’s has several recommendations which we believe
will serve to protect historic resources and result in a very positive
project for the City of Salem.
The entire block that comprises the Courthouse District is in a National
Register District called the Federal Street Historic District. Aligned
in a row on the north side of Federal Street, the three Essex County
courthouse buildings form a visually exciting and historically significant
streetscape. Individually, the buildings are noteworthy examples of
architectural styles commonly employed in public building design from
the mid-19th to the mid 20th century, and as an assemblage, are truly
extraordinary.
There are no current plans for two of the historic courthouses closest
to Washington Street: the County Courthouse (1841), one of the most
outstanding Greek Revival style civic buildings surviving in New England,
and the Superior Court (1862; remodeled 1889), initially an Italian
Revival style structure, remodeled between 1887 and 1889 in the Richardsonian
Romanesque style. Without a clear plan and schedule for their reuse
for public purposes, Salem risks having these buildings “warm
mothballed” for a period of time after they are vacated, and the
additional potential of losing them to private, rather than public,
usage. While most of the interior or the 1841 County Courthouse has
been removed or irrevocably altered, the interiors of the Superior Court
Building are of particular architectural significance. Of these, the
Law Library is of the very highest quality and rarity.
• We urge DCAM to commit to an early and thorough examination
of other potential and complementary uses of the buildings by the Commonwealth.
We also recommend a thorough inventory of the significant historic features
of each historic court building to be included in any reuse plan, and
we commend the commissioning of a feasibility analysis of a reuse plan
in the event that a much preferred public reuse does not come to fruition.
• The three remaining buildings on the site, historic houses at
58, 60, and 62 Federal Street, are scheduled to be demolished or moved
by a private party to make way for the new Judicial Center. These buildings
are all listed as contributing buildings to the Courthouse Historic
District. 58 Federal Street, constructed around 1850 is a two plus story
house exhibiting a strong Greek revival profile with its three pedimented
dormers and substantial Greek revival entrance. 60 Federal Street, also
known as the Lydia Cook House, was constructed ca. 1818, for David Crowell,
cordwainer. 62 Federal Street was built around 1900 in the Colonial
Revival style.
There have been differing views as to whether these three buildings
should be retained on the site. In keeping with the concerns expressed
in last year’s nomination of Salem’s Sense of Scale, Historic
Salem has preferred that these houses be retained to provide a transition
in scale from the very large new courthouse to the similar houses found
on the other side of Federal Street and across North Street as Federal
Street continues in the McIntire Historic District.
Should these buildings be moved from the site, Historic Salem believes
that the court project bears some responsibility to ensure that they
are moved and saved. To the best of our knowledge, no intact historic
building in downtown Salem has been demolished since the City and concerned
citizens stopped the bulldozers in the 1970’s during “urban
renewal”.
Historic Salem is actively working with the City and with DCAM to seek
potential buyers for the property and have prepared a catalogue of significant
features which would ideally be preserved. However, we are concerned
that the current extremely short time frame makes it possible that the
outcome could be that they are demolished by the Commonwealth in the
fall. We are working to try to help ensure that the process results
in success rather than demolition. We will watch this process carefully
over the next few months to determine if the houses should be moved
to Endangered.
• The third preservation/design issue associated with the project
is the visual impact and scale of the proposed new large courthouse
building. Historic Salem supports the massing currently envisioned with
the bulk and height of the building on Bridge Street and the building
substantially stepping back from Federal Street. We also support the
planned reuse of the Baptist Church at the Western corner of the site
to reinforce the composition and to create a visual terminus from the
residential portion of Federal Street at North Street. Because of the
challenges proposed by creating such a large and massive structure immediately
adjacent to a 19th Century residential neighborhood, great skill will
be required in terms of using appropriate materials, fenestration and
detailing, particularly on the Federal Street facades, and Historic
Salem looks forward to continuing participation in design review of
this building.
• The fourth issue is the currently proposed roadway changes on
North Street at Federal and Bridge Streets. The current proposal by
DCAM calls for the elimination of the ramps on the East side of North
Street to accommodate the new courthouse and moving the Church. Because
of this change, an extensive set of new lights on North Street are proposed
to allow traffic flow to Bridge Street on a greatly expanded ramp on
the west side, terminating in another new light on Bridge Street. Historic
Salem is concerned about the visual impact of the intersection as well
as the potential impact on traffic in the McIntire District. Careful
consideration of alternatives, such as a slip ramp as originally proposed
on the East side, allowing access to Bridge Street from North Street
along the courthouse site, should be evaluated, and regardless of the
final configuration, mitigation in the form of amenities and materials
are critical.
As of June 2007, Historic Salem has been participating as an interested
party in the consultation process with the Massachusetts Historical
Commission with respect to the creation of a Memorandum of Agreement
regarding these and other issues. Historic Salem’s Courthouse
Committee has provided both written comment and participated in all
consultation meetings. It is our hope that the Memorandum and other
regulatory processes will proceed in a fashion so that the courthouse
project may move forward expeditiously while the important issues about
historic resources can be satisfactorily addressed.
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