Select Board members have concluded that once school administrators abandon the Bromfield House next spring, it should be sold or destroyed. The vote at the board’s July strategic meeting was unanimous and followed discussion of both the 1915 house and the old library, both of which are town-owned assets in need of expensive maintenance. The two-story white building, which stands next to Hildreth Elementary School, once served as the Bromfield School headmaster’s residence and has since been used for school administrative offices.
Bromfield House will be vacated next spring when Superintendent Linda Dwight moves her staff to offices in the new elementary school. The School Committee has said it has no use for the building, and no other town department has stepped forward to claim it. In their discussions last month, Select Board members were optimistic that a buyer can be found to purchase and relocate the building. If that effort fails, board members favor dismantling the building, selling its furnishings and architectural details, and using the land for a park or public parking.
None of these actions will be possible without Town Meeting approval. At Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting, Town Administrator Tim Bragan said he will present the board at its next meeting with a draft article for the October warrant whose passage would authorize them to sell or otherwise dispose of the structure. According to previous reporting in the Press, any decision about the use or sale of Bromfield House must comply with the terms of Margaret Bromfield Blanchard’s will. Blanchard donated the money to build Old Bromfield (now the Harvard Public Library) and Bromfield House.
Would the proposed sale be allowed, and who would receive the proceeds? “It is all part of the process and more info will be coming out over the next month,” Bragan told the Press in an email.
The fate of the old library, meantime, remains in limbo. Facilities Manager Jeff Hayes has recommended that the roof and gutters be “tarped,” covered to prevent further water infiltration and damage to its walls. The building is currently leased to Fivesparks for use as a cultural center.
