At the Spring Town Meeting this Saturday the town will be asked what it would like to do with the historic Bromfield House and the land on which it sits. For me, the issue is clear cut. For those who have not been involved with the discussions regarding this decision, deciding this on the floor of Town Meeting may be difficult.
The beautiful building that sits at the corner of Route 111 as you enter the town center from the south has served the town well, first as the Bromfield headmaster’s house and more recently as the administration building for the Harvard school system.
It is now being recommended that the town remove the building, most likely by demolition, and keep the land for some unspecified purpose. This recommendation comes from the Bromfield House Committee, which met over the last six months to explore options for the Bromfield House and the land on which it sits. The committee pondered multiple options and narrowed the choices down to:
1. Selling the house and the land outright to be used as a private residence.
2. Removing the house and keeping the land for some unspecified use.
Selling the house and the land as a private residence allows the town to keep its identity as a community that values history, architecture, and aesthetics, as well as adding valuable funds to the community, roughly $500,000 in sale of the property, and over $10,000 annually in tax revenue.
If the town chooses to keep the land and remove the house, there will be a net deficit resulting from the cost of disposing of the house, (likely $50-$100,000), reclaiming the land ($40-$50,000), and maintaining the lot, with no future use in mind. The Bromfield House Committee agreed during their proceedings that no one could come up with a needed use for the space for five years, 10 years, even as far out as 20 years! If the school needs extra space in years to come, the town owns land on Mass. Ave. across the street from this property and also owns 25 acres behind the elementary school.
One of these choices represents a viewpoint of those who value history, architecture, aesthetics, and sound fiscal sense. The other does not.
Please attend Town Meeting this Saturday and vote against the destruction of part of the town’s architectural history.
Jim Lee
East Bare Hill Road
