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VAMC_Building7_Section106Report.pdf Section 106 Review Report Building 7 Rehabilitation and Addition Veterans Affairs Medical Center 421 North Main Street Leeds, Northampton, Massachusetts Prepared for: Massachusetts Historical Commission Leeds VAMC DuBois & King, Inc. Prepared by: Paula Sagerman Historic Preservation Consultant P.O. Box 365, Brattleboro, Vermont 05302 (802) 345-1092, pj.sage@live.com July 28, 2022 Section 106 Review Building 7 Rehabilitation and Addition – Leeds VAMC Table of Contents Page I. Introduction 1 II. Description and Evaluation of Resources 1 III. Project Description 4 IV. Determination of Effect 6 V. Qualifications of Consultant 6 VI. References 6 VII. Location maps 7 VIII. Existing Condition Photographs 10 Attachments Architectural Plans for Proposed Undertaking 3-D Model Views for Proposed Undertaking Existing Floor Plans and Elevations Original Floor Plans, Elevations and Roof Plan Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 1 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 I. Introduction This report addresses an undertaking involving the rehabilitation of and addition to the 1923 Building 7 of the Central Western Massachusetts Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Leeds, Northampton, Massachusetts. This building will used as the VAMC Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, and the undertaking will be funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a federal agency. Building 7 is a contributing resource in the Northampton Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The undertaking’s Area of Potential Effects (APE) includes Building 7 as well as the rest of the historic district. Due to the building’s historic status, the effect of the undertaking must be considered, as Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (1966) requires that Federal agencies take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties. Procedures for complying with Section 106 are set forth in the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s "Protection of Historic Properties" [36 CFR Part 800, 1986]. This report was completed by Paula Sagerman, Historic Preservation Consultant, of Brattleboro, Vermont, for DuBois & King, Inc., and the Leeds VAMC. This report will assist the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs with compliance under Section 106. This report satisfies the obligations of the involved federal agency pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). II. Description and Evaluation of Resources Area of Potential Effects The area of a particular undertaking's potential effects on historic properties is "the geographic area or areas within which an undertaking may cause changes in the character or use of historic properties, if any such properties exist" [36 CFR § 800.2(c)]. It is within the area(s) of potential effects of a particular undertaking that an agency is responsible for identifying historic properties under Section 106 [36 CFR § 800. 4(a)(1)]. The Area of Potential Effects (APE) is the Northampton Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District. Description (See photographs on page 10) Setting Building 7 is located in the southwest section of an oval access road within the main area of the 105-acre hospital campus, which comprises the historic district. The main area includes sixty-one buildings and structures mostly clustered around the oval access road. The interior of the access road contains paved parking, and around the buildings are parking lots, landscaped lawns, and walkways. Several of the buildings around the access road, including Building 7, are connected by a modern covered glazed walkway. Like Building 7, most of the buildings around the access road were constructed between 1922 and 1926 and have similar Colonial Revival designs with brick walls and hipped slate roofs. There is a large sloped lawn to the rear (west) of Building 7, which descends to an exterior loop road. Southeast of the building, there is a Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 2 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 detached ca. 1990 Generator Building. Aerial images may show a greenhouse southwest of the building, which has been removed. Exterior The exterior of the building, and its associated generator building, are described in this excerpt of the 2012 National Register nomination: Resource 7. Re-educational Building. 1923. This Re-educational Building is a two-story, eighteen-bay, hip-roof, brick building with minimal Colonial Revival decorative elements. It is located to the south-southeast of the Mess and Kitchen Building (Resource 5, 1923) and is currently a housing ward. This building, oriented to the northeast, is nearly identical to several additional patient ward/treatment buildings located along the oval within the central portion of the historic district, including Resources 2, 3 (both 1923), and 6 (1926). A large two-story, flat-roof, red brick egress addition is affixed to the center of the facade elevation and displays metal coping and brick soldier coursing. The two-story portion of the facade egress addition, which contains stairs and/or an elevator, extends beyond the cornice of the main block. The single-story portion of the egress addition, extending to the [1980s] exterior connecting corridor includes a ramp within the right side of the addition and a room with exterior mailboxes along the left side of the addition adjacent to the corridor. Double-hung, one-over-one replacement windows are located throughout the building. The rear elevation displays rectangular basement windows, a single metal entrance with stoop, and a poured concrete ramp with metal railing. An arched opening with a corbelled, segmental-arch brick lintel has been infilled with a metal door and newer transom. Resource 7A. Generator Building. Circa 1980s–1990s. Noncontributing building. This Generator Building is a small, utilitarian, one-and-one-half story, front-gabled building with a brick exterior. Located to the east of a Re-educational Building (Resource 7, 1923), this Generator Building rests on a poured concrete foundation and has a standing-seam metal roof with metal coping. Several metal doors provide access to the interior. Rock-face concrete block banding and projecting cornices with returns embellish the building. Interior Most of the interior of the building has been altered, including the floor plan and finishes, as a result of comprehensive renovations that were undertaken in the late twentieth century. At both the first and second stories, about 2/3 of each of the east-west wings were originally comprised of one room (see attached original drawings.) These rooms have been divided into smaller spaces. The center block was the location of smaller rooms and the existing stairhall. Most of the original wall configurations have been altered. Several corridor archways remain intact, and the existing stairhalls at the north and south ends of the building are original. All of the historic finishes have been replaced, with the exception of sections of plaster walls where the floor plan has not been reconfigured. Existing finishes generally include vinyl flooring, gypsum-board wall finishes, and metal ceilings. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 3 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 Historical Background and Statement of Significance The Northampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) opened in 1924 as a neuropsychiatric hospital for veterans. It was designed by the Construction Division of the Veterans Bureau of the Quartermaster Corps of the Army, and was the first veterans hospital constructed for the Veterans Bureau in Massachusetts. According to the National Register nomination, Construction on the original buildings of the Northampton VA Hospital Historic District, including the subject building, the “Main Building,” began in 1922. The original twenty-four buildings and structures of the Northampton VA Hospital were designed by the Construction Service, Quartermaster Corps of the Army and included the Main Building (Resource 1, 1923), six patient wards (Resources 2–4, 1923 and 7–9, 1923), the Mess and Kitchen Building (Resource 5, 1923), a Garage (Resource 13, 1923), the Boiler House (Resource 15, 1923), a Storehouse (Resource 16, 1923), and staff residential quarters (Resources 12, 17–19, and 20–23, all 1923). Building 7 was originally the “re-educational” building and a patient ward. The 1922 floor plans show that it was primarily a patient ward, with three of the large rooms of the east-west wings serving as dormitories, and one of the large rooms serving as a “Day Room.” The center north-south block contained offices, a social worker’s office, a doctor’s office, a visitor’s room, bathrooms, and the extant stairhall. Building 7 is significant as a good example of a brick Colonial Revival veterans hospital building and as a character-defining structure in a historic complex. However, some of its historic integrity has been lost due to the front elevator shaft and entryway additions, replacement windows and doors, and interior alterations to the floor plan and finishes. Otherwise the appearance of the building depicts its historic function as a hospital building. Evaluation The Northampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2012 as the Northampton Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District, and Building 7 is a contributing resource in this historic district. The historic district is significant under the areas of Politics/Government, Health/Medicine, and Architecture. According to the National Register nomination, the historic district is eligible under Criterion A of the NRHP because it is “the first veterans hospital constructed in the state of Massachusetts by the Veterans Bureau and because the selection of the site of the hospital was partially determined by the political influences exerted by the local community to acquire the federal facility,” and “because of the role the Northampton VA Hospital played in the mission of the federal government through the Veterans Bureau and the VA to provide quality health care to the nation’s veterans, primarily those who served in World War I and World War II.” It is eligible under Criterion C because it is “a good example of a Period I neuropsychiatric Second Generation Veterans Hospital exhibiting the implementation of standard building designs and planning principals developed for this sub-type of veterans hospital.” Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 4 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 III. Project Description Purpose and Need The VAMC health care facilities provide medical and psychiatric care and social services to U.S. veterans. The proposed rehabilitation is part of a long-term comprehensive plan to upgrade the VAMC to today’s standards of patient care, space needs, and evolving functions. This undertaking will improve and expand the 15,354 square foot Building 7 so that it may serve as a Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program. This involves exterior and interior improvements to the existing building and an 11,817 square foot addition at the rear/west side of the building. (This includes a 1,005 square foot basement.) The project will improve the exterior envelope of the existing building, upgrade and expand the existing building for new programmatic needs, correct building code and safety issues, and upgrade the HVAC systems. The work will follow recommendations provided in the VA’s “Facilities Conditions Assessment.” All work must meet Veterans Health Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection standards. Proposed Project and Effects (See attached drawings) Existing Building – Exterior The existing building’s slate roof has deteriorated to the point that it requires replacement. It will be replaced with a new slate roof. The new slates will match the existing in color, shape and size. There will also be new copper gutters and downspouts. This will help preserve the historic appearance of the building and its character-defining features. The brick walls are generally in good condition but will be repaired where necessary. The brick will be repaired using brick and mortar that matches existing in color, size and consistency. The drawings and specifications include notes regarding the careful reconstruction of the historic fabric. This will help preserve the historic appearance of the building and its character-defining features. The molded roof cornice is in poor condition and will be replaced with a PVC cornice that will be produced to match the existing cornice in appearance and profile. The use of a synthetic material will help reduce the cost of the project. The distance of the cornice from eye level will make the PVC difficult to discern as a new material. The non-historic covered ramp to the front entry has brick half walls. These will be partially enclosed with new windows. This will have no effect on the historic appearance of the building. All of the existing one-over-one replacement windows will be replaced with one-over-one windows. Since all of the historic windows have already been replaced, this will not affect the historic appearance of the building. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 5 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 A new louvered opening will be installed in the center of the second story of the rear (west) elevation. This is necessary for the building’s HVAC system and will have a minor effect on the appearance of the building. There is already a louvered opening at the first story of the rear elevation, which will be removed to make way for the addition. The existing rear entry doors, which are replacement metal doors, will be replaced with new insulated metal doors. The adjacent concrete staircases will be replaced in-kind with metal railings. This work will not affect the appearance of the building. Existing Building – Interior Improvements to the interior of the existing building will mostly be limited to the first story. The floor plan, which has already been altered, will be modified to accommodate programmatic requirements that will provide a “therapeutic home like environment” and spaces for female veterans. New spaces – also within the addition – will include a private courtyard for the residents, storage spaces for recreational items, and residential “pods” that contain a bedroom, bathroom, living room, dining room and kitchen. The center stairhall near the front entry will be replaced with an elevator lobby required for ADA access. The second story will have some minor modifications to the floor plan. As noted above, almost all of the original interior finishes throughout the building have already been replaced with vinyl tile flooring, gypsum-board walls, and metal ceilings. Exceptions include some surviving plaster walls. Plaster walls in spaces that will not be reconfigured will be preserved, and all of the existing arched openings will remain in situ. Modern finishes will be replaced with either carpeting or vinyl tiles (except for the main entryway, which will have terrazzo tile), gypsum-board walls, and acoustic tile ceilings. In general, the improvements to the interior of the building will have no effect on the historic appearance or significance of the building, or character-defining features. Addition The 11,817 square foot one-story addition will be constructed at the rear (west) elevation of the existing building. It will be attached to the existing building via a hyphen, which will help it read as a separate building. It will also be centered on the existing building, and symmetrical, as is the existing building. The addition will have a concrete foundation, insulated metal siding and a low hipped roof with synthetic slate roofing. Metal siding was chosen over brick veneer as it will reduce the cost of the addition and help differentiate the new building from the existing building. However, there will be brick veneer walls sections at the hyphens and west porch elevation to help the addition complement the existing building. The synthetic slate roofing will complement the existing building. The addition will also have molded PVC trim, which will complement the trim of the existing building, but will be less detailed. The addition will only be one story and will have a lower overall roofline than the two-story existing building. It will be sited in the rear, the least obtrusive location to the existing building, Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 6 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 as well as the historic district. Its symmetry and centered location at the rear of the existing building will complement the symmetry of the existing building. The hyphen connecting the addition to the existing building will help it read as a separate structure, providing a visual demarcation between the two buildings. Additional details that provide compatibility include the regularly-spaced windows, and the modest, formal design and details. Overall, the addition will be compatible with the historic appearance of the existing building and complement its features without creating a false historic appearance. The effect of the addition on the historic building and the historic district will only be minor and will not cause adverse effect. IV. General Determination of Effect The National Historic Preservation Act’s “Criteria of Effect” under 36 CFR PART 800 § 800.5 has been applied to the proposed undertaking. An undertaking is considered to have an adverse effect when it may alter, directly or indirectly, any of the characteristics of a historic property that qualify the property for inclusion in the National Register in a manner that would diminish the integrity of the property's location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, or association. This report finds that the undertaking does not meet any criteria of adverse effect and will not affect these seven aspects of integrity. The undertaking, including the improvements to the exterior and interior of the existing historic building, as well as the addition, will cause an effect to the historic appearance of the building, but will not cause undue adverse effect. The design team and VA planning staff have taken the historic significance and appearance of the building into careful consideration in planning for the undertaking. Regarding the historic district, the rehabilitation and expansion of the building will not cause adverse effect to the historic significance or appearance of the historic district due to the minor extent of the changes to the existing building and the appearance and siting of the addition. V. Qualifications of Consultant Paula Sagerman has an M.S. in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and twenty-eight years of experience in the field of historic preservation. She meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards (36 CFR 61) for architectural historians, and has performed Section 106 Review for over seventy projects as a consultant and as the Architectural Historian for Region 5 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Hadley, Massachusetts. VI. References Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Northampton Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District. Massachusetts Historical Commission, Boston, 2012. War Department, Quartermaster Corps., Construction Service, U.S. Veterans’ Bureau, Northampton. “Reeducation Building No. 7.” Architectural Plans dated 1922. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 7 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 VII. Location Maps Google Earth Aerial Photograph Red arrow points to Building 7 and the location of the addition Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 8 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 Google Earth Aerial Photograph Red arrow points to Building 7 and the location of the addition Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 9 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 Section of USGS Map Red arrow points to Building 7 Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 10 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 VIII. Existing Conditions Photographs Exterior elevation photographs taken October 2021 by Paula Sagerman Roof and all interior photographs taken May 2020 by E.H. Danson Associates 1. Facing east toward west elevation from loop road. Addition will be constructed in front of this elevation. 2. Facing northeast toward west elevation from loop road. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 11 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 3. Facing east toward west elevation. 4. Facing southeast toward west elevation. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 12 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 5. Facing southeast toward north and west elevations. 6. Facing northeast toward west and south elevations. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 13 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 7. Facing north toward west and south elevations. The addition will project to the left (west). 8. Facing northeast toward southwest corner of building. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 14 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 9. Facing north toward south end of building. 10. Facing northwest toward south end of building. Addition will be constructed to the left (west). Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 15 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 11. Facing northwest toward south end of building. 12. Facing northwest toward front (east) elevation of building. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 16 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 13. Facing northwest toward front (east) elevation of building. 14. Facing northwest toward center of east elevation. Non-historic elevator shaft and front entry addition on the right. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 17 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 15. Facing southwest toward front (east) elevation. 16. Facing southwest toward front (east) elevation. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 18 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 15. Facing west toward non-historic front entryway. 16. Facing west toward non-historic front entryway. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 19 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 17. Facing southwest toward north end of building. 18. Typical roof cornice detail. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 20 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 19. Typical roof cornice detail. 20. Facing northwest on roof. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 21 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 21. Facing north on roof. 22. Front entryway. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 22 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 23. Stairhall near front entryway. This is the location of the proposed elevator lobby. 24. Typical corridor. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 23 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 25. Typical corridor. 26. Typical office. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 24 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 27. Typical office. 28. Typical office. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 25 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 29. Typical office. 30. Second story waiting room. Building 7 – Leeds VAMC Page 26 Section 106 Review Report July 2022 31. South stairhall 32. South stairhall.