With one renovation due to start next spring, another being proposed, and discussions in town about putting senior housing on the Hildreth House land, the Council on Aging (COA) board of directors has many questions about how adding Hildreth House to the historic district would impact its plans. This week, Harvard Historical Commission (HHC) Chairman Joe Theriault met with the COA board to discuss the implications of his commission’s proposal for the building. Here are the major questions asked by COA board members and Theriault’s answers:
COA: What would be put in the district? Just the Hildreth House building or the land, too?
Theriault: We normally do it based on property boundaries to keep it simple. But if it’s a huge piece of land and there’s a concern about future development, we’re open to talking about it.
COA: If just the building is in the district, would it have an impact on senior housing built on the land?
Theriault: There are no rigid rules for properties abutting the historic district. But we would talk with the architects about what appearances would be better.
COA: What if the land was also in the district? Could we build senior housing there?
Theriault: I see nothing in our guidelines for “noncontributing” buildings. But we would look at cutting boundaries of the district to assure it’s not a problem.
COA: We have a renovation scheduled to begin in late spring next year. Will it affect that?
Theriault: No. We need to use common sense. We’d probably get involved in an advisory capacity.
COA: What about a future addition? Would that be approved?
Theriault: We allow additions, but they can’t overwhelm the building, and they can’t look like part of the original structure. We need to be able to distinguish the historic building from the addition.
COA: What about the wraparound porch extension planned for next year’s renovation?
Theriault: That’s an interface. It should have the same architectural ornamentation as the main building.
COA: If we are in the historic district, are there state or federal funds that we’d be eligible for?
Theriault: Yes. We should have applied for state and federal funding for the Town Hall. Nobody thought of it. We’re trying to staff a working group on funding.
Theriault also explained that the Historical Commission has adopted a policy to approve historic preservation grants from the Community Preservation Committee only for properties located in a historic district; the Community Preservation Committee cannot give those grants without the commission’s approval.
The COA board will discuss whether it supports the inclusion of Hildreth House in the historic district at its Oct. 20 meeting.
