Letter from Building Commissioner
City of Northampton Massachusetts DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING INSPECTIONS 212 Main Street ● Municipal Building Northampton, MA 01060 Northampton Historical Commission C/O: Northampton Planning
Department 210 Main Street Northampton, MA 01060 October 25, 2010 Re 26 Union Street Dear Commission Members, The single family home at 26 Union Street was significantly damaged by fire
on the night of December 27, 2009. As a result of that damage, in accordance with the Massachusetts State Building Code 780 CMR chapter 1, section 121.2, I posted the structure as unsafe
to occupy and ordered it secured to present unauthorized entry. The family, accompanied by members of the Northampton Fire Department, was allowed limited access to collect their belongings.
I authorized temporary measures to prevent roof collapse and the structure was boarded up. I received an application to demolish the structure on September 8, 2010 and inspected the
structure on October 5, 2010. The assessors list dates the structure as 1875. It has undergone a number of renovations and much of the original construction has been replaced. Nearly
all of the remaining original structure would need to be replaced to repair the fire and water damage. It is my opinion that it is not practical to rebuild the structure and that it
should be demolished. The fire damage was extensive and there has been significantly more damage from the elements in the past 10 months. Louis Hasbrouck Building Commissioner City of
Northampton (413) 587-1240 lhasbrouck@city.northampton.ma.us