Historical Commission

SALEM HISTORICAL COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2024 MINUTES A meeting of the Salem Historical Commission was held on December 18, 2024 at 6:00PM via Zoom Virtual Meeting. Present were Vijay Joyce (Acting Chair), Mark Meche, Rebecca English, Kelly Tyler- Lewis, Milo Martinez. Absent: Larry Spang, Margarida Raka-Goncalves. Staff: Patti Kelleher 19½ Washington Square–continuation BPM Productions applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness to install lift. The applicant requested a continuation. VOTE: Ms. English motioned to continue the application to the next meeting. Ms. Tyler-Lewis seconded the motion. Roll Call: English, Martinez, Tyler-Lewis, Meche, Joyce were in favor and the motion so carried. 180 Derby Street–continuation The Brookhouse Home applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness for copper gutters and downspouts. The applicant requested a continuation. VOTE: Ms. English motioned to continue the application to the next meeting. Mr. Martinez seconded the motion. Roll Call: English, Martinez, Tyler-Lewis, Meche, Joyce were in favor and the motion so carried. 387 Essex Street–continuation Joshua Snyder and Ashley Gutierrez Snyder applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness for heat pump conduits. The owner confirmed with Ms. Kelleher that the line sets would be installed in the interior of the building and not exterior. Ms. Kelleher recommended that the Commission approve a Certificate of Non- Applicability. VOTE: Mr. Martinez motioned to approve a Certificate of Non-Applicability. Ms. English seconded the motion. Roll Call: English, Martinez, Tyler-Lewis, Meche, Joyce were in favor and the motion so carried. 56 School Street–continuation Nikollaq Papa and Jonida Duka applied for a waiver of Demolition Delay to demolish more than 50% of roof on building older than 50 years.  Historical Commission meeting minutes December 18, 2024 Page 2 of 5 Ms. Duka and Adimir Toska were present. Mr. Toska presented updated drawings inclusive of Commission’s comments from previous meeting. Mr. Toska characterized the alterations as raising the roof by 4’ 6”. Mr. Toska also noted the addition of a window on the front of house for the staircase. Elevations were shown. Mr. Toska said that the same pitch was used for the roof all around and noted needing a certain size of windows for egress. Chair Joyce said that the clipped roof would be appropriate on the rear of the house, based on the construction date of the home. Mr. Meche and Ms. English expressed preference for new drawings. Chair Joyce asked if the Commission sought to preserve the roof. Mr. Meche said that the previous drawings had altered the character of the home, whereas the new drawings preserved the character. Chair Joyce said that some sort of ornamentation to demarcate the former roofline would be appropriate, in response to Mr. Meche’s question. Chair Joyce also said that the new roof was more like a tower in its composition. Mr. Toska asked if such a demarcation feature should be included around the entire house or only on the front elevation. Chair Joyce said that even a flat board matching the fascia size could be used. Mr. Toska was amenable to this recommendation. Ms. Tyler- Lewis called the new drawings attractive. Ms. Duka expressed favor for the new design. No public comment. VOTE: Mr. Meche motioned to find the building historically significant due to the fact that an inventory form was completed for the building. Ms. English seconded the motion. Roll Call: English, Martinez, Tyler-Lewis, Meche, Joyce were in favor and the motion so carried. VOTE: Mr. Meche motioned to find that the existing roof was not preferably preserved due to the proposed renovation being historically appropriate. Ms. English seconded the motion. Roll Call: English, Martinez, Tyler-Lewis, Meche, Joyce were in favor and the motion so carried. 1 Clifton Avenue Deahn Leblang applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness to alter rear door and window after the fact. Documents & Exhibits: - Application: 11/06/2024 - Photographs/slideshow Ms. Leblang said that the alterations were made on the rear of the building. Photographs were shown. Ms. Leblang said that a miniature door was replaced (to code) and matched to an existing side door. Ms. Leblang noted that the back of the house could be seen from Lafayette Street. Ms. Leblang apologized for carrying out work prior to receiving approval. Chair Joyce lauded the applicant’s decision to use an existing door as a precedent. Ms. Leblang clarified that a narrow door and adjacent narrow window had been removed. Chair Joyce and Ms. Leblang discussed the unlikelihood that the narrow window was original to the house. Ms. Tyler-Lewis also commented that the window was likely a later addition for ventilation purposes to the kitchen. Mr. Meche commented that the applicant’s solution was acceptable. Chair Joyce asked if band molding would be added around the new door and recommended doing so. Mr. Martinez recommended matching the door colors of front and side of house, which was black, while noting that doors typically matched sash color (which this house did not do). No public comment.  Historical Commission meeting minutes December 18, 2024 Page 3 of 5 VOTE: Mr. Martinez motioned to approve the application, with door to be painted black to match existing doors and matching band molding. Ms. English seconded the motion. Roll Call: English, Martinez, Tyler-Lewis, Meche, Joyce were in favor and the motion so carried. 11 Hathorne Street Wendy Shane applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness for an EV charger. Documents & Exhibits: - Application: 12/02/2024 - Photographs/slideshow Ms. Shane described plan to add EV charger to side of house in driveway. A ChargePoint model was shown, consistent with other installations in the City. Chair Joyce asked whether the other side of the bay for installation would be too far of a reach for hose, which Ms. Shane affirmed. Ms. Shane said that the length of hose was 23 feet and would not reach the vehicle. Chair Joyce noted that the installation would be replacing an existing outlet on the house. Chair Joyce asked the applicant to determine where the disconnect box would be installed. Mr. Meche recommended that all appurtenances be addressed in discussions of EV charging stations. Mr. Martinez questioned the possibility of installing the charging station in place of an existing basement window, or a single lite of the window. The applicant was not amenable to this recommendation. Ms. Tyler-Lewis questioned if the charging station could be installed to the rear of the bay window. Ms. Shane said that the length of hose would not reach the vehicle if installed to the rear of the bay window. Public comment: Helen Sides spoke in favor of Ms. Shane’s application, noting that the intended installation location was the best-case scenario. Ms. Sides also opined that EV charging stations should be permitted under Certificates of Non-Applicability, given that they are a necessity for EV’s. Ms. Sides also commented that charging stations should be installed at standing height, not low to the ground as some Commission members had suggested. Ms. Sides also said that charging hoses cannot be concealed. Ms. Tyler-Lewis requested clarification as to whether the disconnect box needed to be installed on the outside of a property. The Commission agreed that if a disconnect box is needed on the exterior, the applicant is to return for further review. VOTE: Mr. Meche motioned to approve the installation of an EV charging station only, specifically the ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 charger, to be installed hardwired in the location of the existing outlet’s power feed. Ms. English seconded the motion. Roll Call: English, Martinez, Tyler-Lewis, Meche, Joyce were in favor and the motion so carried. Salem Athenaeum accessibility project The Salem Athenaeum requested an initial consultation on an accessibility project. Jean Marie Procious and Pamela Hartford were present. Ms. Kelleher noted that the Athenaeum had previously inquired about installation of an accessibility lift. Ms. Hartford noted that a lift previously received support as an inconspicuous access to entrance. However, Ms. Hartford noted that  Historical Commission meeting minutes December 18, 2024 Page 4 of 5 manufacturers would not install lifts without a cover. An uncovered lift in the planned corner was determined to be undesirable, especially given excess water runoff in that area of the building. Ms. Hartford said that a glass box option, available through the manufacturer, was deemed too obtrusive. Ms. Hartford also spoke to instances of emergency situations, i.e. getting visitors out of the building. Ms. Hartford showed a rendering of a ramp. Ms. Hartford also spoke of ramp conditions that would not necessitate railings. Design objectives were identified and discussed. Ms. Hartford said that the goal was to make the Athenaeum more welcoming. Ms. Hartford also expressed regard for the view of Athenaeum from neighboring properties. Ms. Hartford said that a potential planned accessibility pathway would be made of irregularly shaped pavers, with retaining walls to be added around perimeter of the pathway and planting to be added along exterior of property. Ms. Hartford said that a riser would be added, in response to Mr. Meche’s question. Ms. Hartford showed a rendering of cascading stones under the planned ramp access walkway. Ms. Hartford said that the intention was to have the walkway appear as though it was floating, in response to Mr. Meche’s question. A perspective view from rear of property was also shown. Ms. Procious added that none of the planned elements would be touching the building. Ms. Hartford said that if glass was not used, low-profile materials would be used. Ms. English said that accessibility is often misconstrued as a wheelchair issue and noted that the planned walkway would significantly lengthen the distance to entry for visitors in need of an alternative to stairs. Ms. Procious and Ms. Hartford noted the potential for installing benches. Mr. Meche lauded the resourcefulness of the proposal. Ms. Hartford noted that a 17th-century architectural well exists to the east of the property, which belonged to Thomas Maule who wrote against the Salem witch trials. The book Maule’s Well was said to be held at the House of the Seven Gables. Any work on the site would need to avoid this area. Review of Proposed Design Standards for Forest River Residences Smart Growth Overlay Subdistrict Ms. Kelleher noted that the South Campus of Salem State was being redeveloped for residential housing. This was being proposed through the 40R District Act. Each 40R district would have its own design guidelines. Ms. Kelleher and Larry Spang attended a meeting with developer representatives. Ms. Kelleher showed planned design standards. Chair Joyce said that the standards as currently written appeared vague, as did Ms. English. Ms. Kelleher noted that the standards did not make any indication about conforming to materiality or composition of historic structures. Mr. Meche proposed design review as a process through which the vague elements of the written design standards could be identified and discussed. Ms. Kelleher noted that the historic buildings would be protected insomuch as historic tax credits were being applied for. Mr. Meche characterized the Harrington building as adaptable. Mr. Meche noted that the Massachusetts Historical Commission would likely seek the opinion of SHC at a later date, in response to Ms. English’s question about phases of review. Public comment: Judith Kohn, 145 Federal St, member of Historic Salem’s Historic Preservation Committee, noted having attended a hearing at HSI presented by the developer. Ms. Kohn inquired as to whether the SHC was speaking formally or informally about the design standards. Ms. Kelleher noted that this was a preliminary stage in discussion of the design guidelines. Ms. Kelleher said that comments would be gathered from SHC members and presented to the City’s planning committee. Ms. Kohn said that a public meeting occurred on December 16 with the developers. Ms. Kohn expressed concern that the 40R  Historical Commission meeting minutes December 18, 2024 Page 5 of 5 application, particularly the design standards, was not undergoing enough scrutiny. Mr. Meche commented that the City Council would likely need to vote on the 40R application twice. Mr. Meche and Chair Joyce discussed the difficulty of articulating what any new constructions should look like. Ms. Kohn said that the boards do not have authority once a 40R application is accepted. Ms. Kelleher expressed confidence that opportunities for review would not close once the 40R application was submitted to the state for review. Other Business Minutes VOTE: Ms. English motioned to approve minutes for October 16, 2024 and November 20, 2024 meetings. Ms. Tyler-Lewis seconded the motion. Roll Call: English, Meche, Martinez, Tyler-Lewis, Joyce were in favor and the motion so carried. Vioations Ms. Kelleher noted that violations were being assessed throughout the City, such as venting and mini splits. Adjournment VOTE: Ms. English motioned to adjourn. Mr. Martinez seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion so carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:27 PM. Respectfully submitted, Dan Graham, Historical Commission Clerk