2019.08.31 Staff Report
Historical Commission Staff Report 1
August 31, 2020
To: Historical Commission
From: Sarah LaValley
RE: Staff Report, August 31, 2020 Commission Meeting
Please note that staff recommendations are based on the paper record. Applicants may
present other information that could be persuasive.
5:30 PM: Request for a Local Historic District Certificate of Appropriateness
pursuant to Section 195 of the Northampton Code and MGL Chapter 40C.
Proposed work to include garage roof replacement. Hugh Jones and Stephen
Watson/Adam Quinneville Roofing, 218 Elm Street, Map ID 31A-071.
The application proposes replacement of a slate garage roof, constructed 1947, with
shingles. The garage faces Harrison Avenue. The work does not qualify for an exemption or
Certificate of Nonapplicability; the materials proposed are different than existing.
The roof excerpt from page 36 of the Design Standards manual is provided below.
Roofs The roof shape and slope shall be preserved as integral to the period of the building.
In new construction, harmonious roof pitches are a major consideration. The roof shape,
slope, and materials should be appropriate to the style of building or structure. The color
and texture of the roofing material should reflect that of the original, historic roofing
material.
Slate is an important historical material used on many of the homes in the district. Its
maintenance and repair is encouraged.
Repairs shall be of the same material (e.g., slate roofs repaired with slate; cedar roofs
repaired with cedar, asphalt shingles with asphalt). Slate shall match the original in design,
color, coursing and texture.
Roofing materials shall be non-reflective
Determination of Significance Pursuant to Demolition Ordinance, 39 Landy
Avenue, 23C-001
An application for demolition has been filed with the building department for 39 Landy
Avenue in Florence, built ca. 1930. No Form B exists for the property. The recent change in
the Demolition Ordinance to apply to all principal structures built prior to 1945 necessitates
review of this application.
The criteria on which to determine significance, according to the Ordinance are as follows.
These are the only criteria on which a decision can be based.
A determination of Significance is the first step in the demo review; if the Commission
determines the building to be significant, a hearing to determine whether it is Preferably
Historical Commission Staff Report 2
August 31, 2020
Preserved will then be scheduled. The significance determination does not create a delay,
it's just the first step.
A. The building or structure is listed on, or is within an area listed on, the National
Register of Historic Places; or
B. The building or structure has been found eligible by the National Park Service or the
Massachusetts Historical Commission for the National Register of Historic Places; and/or
the Massachusetts State Register of Historic Places, or has an application pending; or
C. The building or structure is importantly associated with one or more historic persons
or events, or with the broad architectural, cultural, political, economic or social history of
the City or the commonwealth; or
D. The building or structure is historically or architecturally important, in terms of period,
style, method of building construction or association with a recognized architect or builder,
either by itself or in the context of a group of buildings.