In the spring, a young man’s fancy may turn to thoughts of love, but an old house owner’s fancy may just as likely turn to home repairs. And the Historical Commission has some advice—for the home repairs, that is.
Lynn Crowley recently bought a not-very-old house that she wants to paint forest green. She would also like to add a small storage shed to her property on Cross Street in the Harvard Common Historic District. Like all property owners in the Harvard Common or Shaker Village historic districts who are considering exterior changes visible from a public way, she needed a Certificate of Applicability from the commission, even though her projects are small.
Crowley told the commission she hadn’t known what to expect when she met with them last week. As it turned out, Crowley’s around-the-table conversation with the commission was an opportunity to get helpful advice from collaborating professionals. In this case, the commission recommended placing the shed at the back of the lot and painting it the same green as the house to blend in.
Long-time alternate member John Martin said the emphasis in the historic district is intended to be on “contributing” structures, with “non-contributing” structures receding into the background.
“The eye should be drawn to things that are interesting and historic,” he said, in a fashion characteristic of the committee. Rather than just approve or not approve exterior changes, Martin, architect Doug Coots, and other members often include historic context, design philosophy, or building techniques in their comments.
“We’re not that tough a commission,” Martin said.
But the commission doesn’t want property owners to have to just wait to hear from the commission. Four years ago, Coots and then members Susan Frechette and Roseanne Saalfield created design guidelines to help private and public property owners “manage change that both preserves and enhances the best aspects of the district while meeting the functional needs of property owners.”
Their document, “Harvard Historical Commission Design Guidelines,” is available on the commission’s page on the town website, harvard.ma.us, with a recently added section on solar installations.
“Our goal is to be ready with helpful advice to the property owners in these districts,” the authors wrote. Along with information on how to navigate the certification application process, their advice covers a long list of topics, including windows, roofs, gutters, chimneys, outbuildings, paint, lighting, landscaping, fences, and resources.
Historical commissions were created by Massachusetts General Law to preserve and protect historic resources. Harvard bylaws require that the commission include among its members one nominee each from the American Institute of Architects, the Planning Board, the Conservation Commission, and the Board of Realtors. Ideally, members have a background in preservation and an interest in history.
The Harvard Commission would also like to have a least one resident from the two historic districts and Still River among its nine members and two alternates. Currently, three commissioners live in the town center district, but none of them are from Shaker Village or Still River.
