In 2016 Mill & Main removed Buildings 10 and 2A as part
of a plan to open up the complex to Main Street, with intention to add retail
and restaurant businesses. Extensive landscaping was completed in 2018, but for
now, no retail. What was lost? Both buildings were of brick and timber
construction, two stories tall, size roughly 15x40 yards, exterior walls
incorporating roughly 100,000 bricks. Maynard Historical Society records tentatively
date both ex-buildings to 1887, but the well-known aerial view image from 1879
shows what looks like Building 2A already in place. Taking the entire mill into
account, the existing buildings range from 1859 to 1918 (clocktower 1892).
Brick wall from Building 2A. |
Elsewhere in Manyard, there has been a series of commercial
building tear-downs catalyzed by Jimmy MacDonald’s desire to meet rental
demands by constructing brick three- or four-story apartment buildings. His
efforts began at 60 Summer Street in 2004, continued at the corner of Waltham
and Parker Streets, then to 10-12 Main Street. In all of these instances, empty
or marginal wood-frame buildings were torn down. Were they historic? Perhaps.
Salvageable? Unlikely.
MacDonald’s current plans involve the Gruber Bros Furniture building on Main Street and 42 Summer Street. Parts of Gruber Bros date to the late 1800s, but a major fire in 1934 and multiple remodelings since left little that could be considered historic. The yellow building at 42 Summer Street, originally a private dwelling, then the W.A. Twombly Funeral Home, most recently a consignment shop, is also heading for a resurrection as a brick box of apartments. On the other hand, MacDonald bought the run-down apartment building at 145 Main Street, originally the home of Amory Maynard in the 1860s, and did a make-over rather than a tear-down. He also did rehabs of several old but less historically significant woodframe buildings on Florida Street.
MacDonald’s current plans involve the Gruber Bros Furniture building on Main Street and 42 Summer Street. Parts of Gruber Bros date to the late 1800s, but a major fire in 1934 and multiple remodelings since left little that could be considered historic. The yellow building at 42 Summer Street, originally a private dwelling, then the W.A. Twombly Funeral Home, most recently a consignment shop, is also heading for a resurrection as a brick box of apartments. On the other hand, MacDonald bought the run-down apartment building at 145 Main Street, originally the home of Amory Maynard in the 1860s, and did a make-over rather than a tear-down. He also did rehabs of several old but less historically significant woodframe buildings on Florida Street.
Nason Street parking garage (1964-2014), demolished because pieces of concrete were falling on cars parked underneath. |
The previous Maynard High School (1964-2013) is a memory, as is
Memorial Gym, once upon a time adjacent to ArtSpace, gone in 2012. The school was replaced, the gym not. The two-level parking garage off Nason Street vanished in 2014 leaving behind a structure to hold the electric car charging apparatus. Removing any evidence of a railroad was a years long process. Passenger service from Maynard ended in 1958. The train station was demolished in 1960. Twenty years later the elevated berm behind The Outdoor Store was removed to create a parking lot, also removed at that time the railroad bridges over the Assabet River and Florida Street. The last vestiges of railroad track were removed for scrap steel in 2014, making way for the Assabet River Rail Trail.
While Maynard’s business buildings at times disappeared with
barely a whimper, private house tear-downs are a rarity. The main reason for
this is small lots. Neighboring towns with higher value real estate often have
modest, older houses, on sizable lots. Zoning may allow destruction of the
existing house, to be replaced by a much larger house – possibly even to the
maximum size zoning for that lot allows. Even if there are zoning restrictions
to keeping the ‘footprint’ of the new house to the foundation of the old house,
zoning boards can be lenient in granting exceptions. The reasoning behind this is
that replacement with larger single-family dwelling is unlikely to add to the
town’s infrastructure or school budgets, whereas an increase in property tax
will apply.
Mansard-roof house next to ArtSpace, torn down 2018. The sign at the corner of Summer and Concord Streets honors one of the eight Maynard men who died in World War I. |
There are exceptions. Earlier this year a mansard-roofed
house in a state of disrepair, but dating to the 1870s, was torn down and
replaced by a nondescript two-story house. The building in question was at 71
Summer Street, just west of ArtSpace. It was one of fewer than ten mansard-roofed
homes in Maynard (a trio of which grace the south end of Maple Street).
Towns can establish historic districts in an effort to
retain a commonality of ‘feel’ to neighborhoods and business districts, or else
identify individual buildings as having historic value. The Maynard Historical
Commission (MHC) has established a list of some 50 or so historically
significant properties in Maynard. The list (available on the town’s website) includes
a handful of houses that pre-date 1800 and many of the commercial buildings flanking
Main, Nason and Summer Streets. Sometimes the original function is gone but the
exterior remains, examples being St. George’s Episcopal Church on Summer
Street, now condominium apartments, and Roosevelt School, now the Maynard Public Library.
From the MHC: “Maynard Historical Commission’s mission is to
preserve, protect and develop the historic and archaeological assets of the
community; ensure that the goals of historic preservation are considered in the
planning and future development of the community. and future development of the
community. The Commission also reviews and enforces the town’s Demolition Delay
Bylaw in concert with the Building Inspector.”
The by-law was approved at a Town Meeting in January 2017. The
bylaw’s purpose is to preserve and protect significant buildings or other
structures within the Town of Maynard which constitute or reflect distinctive
features of the architectural, cultural, economic, political or social history
of the Town. Owners of what have been identified as buildings that should be
preserved are encouraged to consider rehabilitation and restoration of the
exteriors of buildings. Demolitions can be delayed for a period of time.
Specifically, if a demolition permit is requested and the building is on the
significant properties list, an addendum must be filed and then reviewed by the
Historical Commission to determine if the building is still considered
significant. Next, goes to a public hearing. If that favors preservation there
is a delay of up to twelve months while MHC works with the applicant to see if
there is an alternative to demolition. If yes, saved. If not, not, and demolition
can proceed. Lastly, if a building owner ignores the demolition delay process
and tears down the building, a two-year delay will be imposed on getting a
building permit to build on that site.
Maynard Historical Marker - Fine Arts Theater. Prior to that, car dealership and service station, and before that horse livery (all same family). |
The Commission also created a Historical Marker Program in
2012 to highlight important buildings and landmarks with permanent historical
markers. Examples can be seen on the exterior of the Fine Arts Theater and The
Outdoor Store. Residents throughout the town can also contact the MHC to have a
thorough history review done on their own private property and celebrate their
home with a plaque. The closest Maynard has to a historic district is Presidental
Village, so-named due to the streets being named after presidents. The neighborhood
has its own Wikipedia entry, but no official designation from the town.
This was a fun read. I've seen a few old homes torn down in recent years. At least two on rt 27 in the north part of town, replaced with giant homes, and one next to the Russian church, the replacement home there is still under construction, and of course the duplexes/tenements demolished for the walgreens building (hope Acton ct isn't next!). I have a few long time neighbors on my street who have modest old homes on large for Maynard lots, keeping my fingers crossed they don't get purchased for investment and demolition when the time comes for my neighbors to sell.
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