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Potentially Endangered Historic Resource:
Downtown Salem’s Sense of Scale (Listed 2006)
In 2006, Historic Salem nominated as potentially endangered the Sense
of Scale of the city’s downtown area. Salem’s new found
desirability as a highly livable, human-scaled city has attracted tremendous
interest on the part of the development community. Historic Salem is
acutely aware that great care must be exercised in the development of
large new projects because they can, by their very nature, pose serious
potential threats to the city’s unique historic character and
scale and to an exceedingly fragile urban streetscape. These developments
may have far-reaching and long-term impacts, not unlike those proposed
in the 1965 urban renewal plan. Today, Salem’s downtown character
owes much to the layers of building types that have accreted over several
centuries, a character of texture and scale which is difficult to emulate
in very large new buildings.
Among the projects proposed in 2006 were the reuse of the Salem
News Building and its neighbors, plans for the St.
Joseph’s site, and the new Judicial
Center. Elements of urban design, including context, scale, materials,
and diversity must be carefully considered as these and other projects
go forward.
As we look at the three projects highlighted as examples in 2006 we
see mixed results to date, with success in the process conducted for
the Salem Marketplace project, and the outcome of the Courthouse Project
and St. Joseph’s development unclear at the time of this updated.
Due to the high level of activity associated with all three proposed
projects, we provide an update on all three.
• Salem Marketplace
A widely hailed review process of the Marketplace proposal in the first
half of 2006, which included extensive public participation, resulted
in the professional and thoughtful document, the Salem Marketplace Design
Peer Review Report and Recommendations. The plan calls for retaining
and incorporating historic fabric on the site, including the Salem News
Building and Delande’s, and provides careful planning for scale,
materials and the incorporation of this very dense development plan
into downtown Salem. Although the developer announced he would not go
forward with the complete plan, the report will serve as an important
blueprint articulating a comprehensive and shared vision for development
of this site. Further, the owners of Delande’s announced plans
for investment in their property, once Salem’s Post Office.
• St. Joseph’s Church Site
All required permits for the St. Joseph’s project were issued
in 2006. The plans called for demolition of St. Joseph’s Church
to make way for a six story residential and Salem community life center
building. The rectory would be saved and reused for residential units.
The permitted project would offer a significant number of affordable
units as well as market rate units. A lawsuit was filed in late 2006
by approximately 40 nearby neighbors and landowners. The project then
came before the Zoning Board of Appeals for a 40B application which
was approved, with a four story building and fewer residential units.
This revised plan continues to call for demolition of St. Joseph’s,
but the reduced scale would be make the project somewhat less incompatible
with its neighbors in this prominent site. The outcome of this project
is unclear at the time of this report (June 2007).
• Courthouse Complex
Current plans, as of early 2007, for the new J. Michael Ruane Judicial
Center in the Federal Street court campus call for a single approximately
175,000 square foot structure to meet the court’s programmatic
needs, saving and moving the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church,
demolishing or removing the three houses at the corner of Federal and
North Street, and abandoning and de-accessioning the two court buildings
at the corner of Federal and Washington Streets. A detailed report on
this project is discussed under the category of Potentially Endangered.
As of Spring 2007, a consultation process led by the Massachusetts Historic
Commission began with interested parties, including the Salem Historical
Commission, Historic Salem, Inc., the Federal Street Neighborhood Association
and the Salem Partnership. We will continue to work in cooperation with
the City and other organizations with the goal of a project which meets
the needs of the courts and is as sensitive as possible to its unique
historic urban context.
While Historic Salem embraces the investment in our downtown represented
by developments such as these, we must all be sensitive to the fact
they will permanently alter the streetscape and skyline of Salem –
and therefore the experience of Salem for residents and visitors alike.
It is important that the Salem community treat these projects with the
utmost care to ensure that the scale and unique character, which make
Salem what it is, is respected and strengthened. The public must have
an opportunity to examine, comment on, and monitor these and any other
proposed projects individually and collectively, assessing the overall
impact of each project in relation to the delicate balance we find in
any healthy city.
We look to the Salem Jail project
as an example of a successful collaboration that has led to a reuse
plan for the Salem Jail complex that successfully combines historic
preservation and new construction. We hope to see a similar collaborative
and thoughtful process as other large development projects move forward.
We particularly welcomed the invitation by the Mayor to participate
in the Marketplace Review Committee and the Division of Capital Management
to participate in the Citizens Review Committee for the Courthouse project.
We also note that City resources are being severely challenged by the
amount and scope of development proposals. It is important that the
City develop a comprehensive way to evaluate and review these projects,
and we hope to work with the City to identify additional resources to
address these challenges. We will continue to work closely with the
City and its Boards, development entities, and the neighborhoods and
businesses affected by these developments to help ensure that these
projects meet Historic Salem’s goals: buildings that respect Salem’s
historic character, serve to enhance Salem’s unique urban and
historic fabric, and ensure that Salem remains a livable, pedestrian-friendly
city
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