​There is a high bar when it comes to evaluating a nomination for an exterior paint job.  Painting is a necessary maintenance item for many homes and it can be done without much consideration.  The work done at 254 Lafayette Street exceeded this high standard and sets an excellent example for an exterior renovation.  Where layers of paint once hid trim details it is now removed, where unimaginative beiges covered all surfaces indiscriminately, careful consideration has now been made to showcase different materials and designs.  The overall effect is a celebration of the Victorian style of the house, flaunting all the decoration and delight that the building possesses.  For this building in the Lafayette historic district it is notable that the owners approached the Historic Commission with a well-thought out paint scheme in place, seeking to showcase the building style, not trying to skirt by with the minimum effort.  The high bar for a quality paint job is only met when true care and effort is made to celebrate the building.

​​The Classical-revival style Mary and Michael Donahue House was originally constructed in 1870, with the storefront added in 1900 and the full 3rd floor in 1912.  Little changed in the next 100 years and when Ben Carlson, a builder and local landlord, purchased the building in 2018 the storefront remained a notable feature of the run-down looking building – though it had been used as a residential space for many years.  Mr. Carlson recognized that the once run-down building was ideally suited, both in location and layout, to provide middle income condos close to downtown.  Originally, he proposed a new, altered storefront – while restoring the upper windows and repairing the wood cladding.  At the urging of the Historic Commission the owner devised a plan to retain and restore the existing wooden storefront.  To accommodate the need for ventilation and access for the first story unit, a new wood window was approved for the building elevation that overlooks a small corner park.  The result is a restoration project that truly respects the building’s evolution from residential to commercial and back, with the option of future commercial use as the building, and Essex Street, evolve.

​​We were really, truly blown away by the turn out for our 2019 Annual Meeting on Friday! Thank you to all who joined us at Old Town Hall, and congratulations to the nine deserving Preservation Award winners, who we'll share with you over the next week and a half. 

First of all, we want to extend a warm welcome to this year's new board members! We are so excited to be the beneficiaries of your talent and passion over the next few years:

Caroline Watson-Felt is a lifelong Salem resident with a passion for history, Caroline’s first job after graduating high school was with the Salem Partnership where she supported the creation and launch of both the Essex National Heritage Commission as well as Salem Main Streets. She moved on to the Mayor’s Office for the City of Salem followed by the Office of Special Events and Conferences at Salem State. Her diverse professional experience includes serving as a local nonprofit board leader, community and employee engagement manager, marketer, event-planner, VIP talent handler, local actor and director. A volunteer for Salem Main Streets, Grace Episcopal Church, Go Out Loud, Salem Theatre Company, and various political campaigns, Caroline, who knits when it’s cold and swims when it’s warm, enjoys live music, theatre, long coastal drives and beach walks with her wife, son and dog. She is excited to bring her skills, passion, and voice to Historic Salem.

Anya Wilczynski is currently a program manager at Essex Heritage, the regional non-profit encompassing Essex County. Previously, she was the operations manager of Historic Salem. Her background is in historic preservation but her true passion is for organizational development and growth. She lives in Salem, in the Point neighborhood. 

Paul Wright works as an Energy Analyst throughout eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, helping builders and homeowners design and build sustainable homes and to meet energy code requirements. He has extensive experience in retrofitting existing buildings to be more energy efficient; both as an insulation installer as well as working as an energy auditor in the Mass Save program. He completed the Masters of Design Studies in Historic Preservation program at the Boston Architectural College in 2015. Paul was raised in central and metro west Massachusetts, and moved to Salem in 2013 shortly after college. He was initially drawn to Salem because of its thriving public history scene, working briefly at Pioneer Village and Old Town Hall, and then as a tour guide at the Phillips and Gedney house museums. He currently resides in the Gallows Hill neighborhood. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding and has been excitedly involved in plans for upgrading the Ryan Brennan Memorial Skatepark in Gallows Hill Park.

Congratulations and welcome, Caroline, Anya, and Paul!

For several months we have been reporting on a zoning overlay district that is being considered by the City Council.  At all public meetings and in written comment we have been clear on two issues:

1 – We want to see historic schools, churches and other large civic buildings reused (and they would be great for housing).

2 – We want any new construction on these neighborhood sites to suit the surrounding neighborhood.

In early January the planning department submitted a re-draft of the ordinance, in response to public comment, that allowed for flexibility in reuse of existing buildings and a limited ability for buildings to be expanded in a way that met the character of the surrounding neighborhood.  We were pleased to support this version of the ordinance at the January 9th meeting, as did most members of the community who also commented.

Unfortunately, the ordinance has again been redrafted.  This is a result of Planning Board recommendations made on January 17th.  The redraft allows for new construction, including additions, on the historic sites that could be up to 55 feet tall.  It also allows for very high density.  For example, it could allow up to 40 residential units at 5 Broad Street (the former Senior Center), over 150 units at the St. James Church site on Federal Street, and over 140 units at Immaculate Conception on Hawthorne Blvd.  Many of the properties eligible for this overlay zoning are in residential neighborhoods, yet the allowed zoning would be similar to that allowed in the downtown district (B5 zoning) which is the densest and tallest zoning in the City.

At the next meeting of the City Council on Wednesday, February 14th, the City Council will either vote on the Ordinance or refer it to Committee for further revisions.

It is Historic Salem’s position that this Ordinance should not be passed in its current state.   Allowing such extreme new construction does not meet the intent that the ordinance “allow for reuse..but minimize impacts to surrounding neighborhoods.”

Because we support the reuse of historic schools and churches we would like the ordinance to be referred to Committee so it can be adjusted to allow for new construction consistent with the character of the neighborhood surrounding each unique site.  The January 9th version of the ordinance, that we supported, allowed for new construction that followed the underlying zoning of the neighborhood.  This is how new construction is handled in the best practices model ordinance published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

​Has a preservation effort, large or small, caught your eye or earned your admiration? Historic Salem is looking for more cherished home renovations, hand-crafted fences, breweries, civic buildings, lifelong preservation advocates, or even lighthouses to recognize with a 2019 Preservation Award. Completed projects in any neighborhood in Salem are eligible for nomination. Nominated properties can be private, public, or non-profit; residential or commercial; hand-crafted or urban-scaled.

​"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." – Margaret Mead

Here are some ways to learn more about this proposed zoning overlay:
The edited version of the ordinance, that we received from city planning staff on January 8, is here:  

The December draft of the ordinance itself is here (this has been changed and is included only as reference): Click to read Municipal and Religious Properties Adaptive Reuse Overlay District Draft Ordinance on City’s website.

Our December letter to the City Council is here:

City Council chambers - December 13, 2018 at 6:30pm. (The city's meeting notice is posted here)

Proposed Zoning Changes:  Use your voice to ensure positive changes.
The City Council and Planning Board will hold a Joint Public Hearing on December 13, 2018 in the City Council Chambers.  This is the time to let Councilors and Planning Board Members know your thoughts on a proposed Adaptive Reuse Overlay District.  

Here are some ways to learn more about this proposed zoning overlay:
The ordinance itself is here >> (Link to Municipal and Religious Properties Adaptive Reuse Overlay District Draft Ordinance on City’s website.)

This is a list of the properties to which the overlay will apply >> (Link to List of Municipal and Religious Properties.) This list includes most of the religious and city-owned buildings in the city, a total of 28 properties. 

Please take a moment to read the zoning ordinance, especially if you live very near one of these sites.  The city planning department is available to answer your questions, as they have many of ours, or consider calling your city councilor to discuss the ordinance.  We will be attending the Joint Public Hearing and invite you to join us[1]

Historic Salem’s thoughts:
The stated intent of the Adaptive Reuse Overlay District is to facilitate the appropriate preservation and reuse of eligible buildings -- this is an outcome that Historic Salem wholeheartedly supports.

Historic Salem, Inc. is excited to celebrate Nathaniel Hawthorne in recognition of the 350th anniversary of The House of the Seven Gables on this year's Christmas in Salem house tour, A Very Hawthorne Holiday. While tour-goers are rounding the outer limit of the tour route along Hawthorne Boulevard, they will certainly notice the figure of the author memorialized there in bronze. 

Salem's statue of its most famous son was sculpted by Connecticut-born artist Bela Lyon Pratt (1867–1917). The statue was on display at Boston's Museum of Fine Art before being purchased with funds raised by the Nathaniel Hawthorne Memorial Association and moved to its current location in 1925, the same year that the Hawthorne Hotel was opened.
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In his sculpture, Pratt chose to portray the author sitting on rocks by the ocean because, he said, "It was [Hawthorne's] habit when in Salem to walk alone by the sea and to sit for hours looking across the water." The work is meant to convey Hawthorne's genius and the isolation brought on by his "brooding spirit."

Hawthorne once described his feeling for Salem as "not love, but instinct." He was not particularly fond of his hometown and spent much of his life trying to escape, only to be pulled back by circumstances beyond his control. It is certainly entertaining to imagine the dark humor that Hawthorne might find in the situation were he alive today to see this nine-foot statue situated upon a boulevard bearing his name, in a city he was always trying to leave behind. 
​  

​Since the initiation of the North River Canal planning process in 2000, Historic Salem, Inc. has participated in and supported the goals of the North River Canal Corridor (NRCC) Master Plan and zoning ordinance.  All the neighborhoods that abut the NRCC are historic neighborhoods which will be affected by development in the Corridor.  A key aspect of the NRCC Master Plan is the importance of neighborhood character as reflected by the customized goals for each section of the Corridor.  Another key part of the NRCC zoning ordinance is the review oversight of the Design Review Board (DRB). 
 
The DRB is a board that possesses specialized skills and experience to address urban design issues as they apply in many areas of our city.  Their value has been proven in the long tradition of work with the Salem Redevelopment Authority.  The Planning Board and City Council have also shown their recognition of the valuable role of the DRB, as evidenced by the recent change that adds DRB review to projects in the Urban Entrance Corridors.  We support the work of the Design Review Board throughout the city and find that the iterative nature of their review improves each project that they evaluate. 
 
Since the introduction of the NRCC Zoning District in 2003, as far as we know, every development approved by the Planning Board has received a positive recommendation from the DRB. With the recent approval by the Planning Board of a project (16-18-20R Franklin Street) that received a negative recommendation from the DRB there is now precedent to allow projects with a negative recommendation to move forward. 
 
This dismissal of the DRB decision undermines the clear intent of the NRCC zoning ordinance.  Historic Salem believes that any project, in any zoning district, that must seek a DRB recommendation should receive positive endorsement to qualify for final consideration by other boards.
 
Historic Salem supports action to clarify the DRB relationship with the Planning Board to insure that the intent of the NRCC Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance is honored, and to improve communication and collaboration among all city boards.