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CPC APPLICATION 2015-09-09 FINAL complete-reduced size .pdfHistoric Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 i HISTORIC NORTHAMPTON Application for Funding from the Community Preservation Committee, September 9, 2015 STRUCTURAL REPAIRS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL TABLE OF CONTENTS PROJECT NARRATIVE Who we are Mission, programs and properties 1 How we are funded 2 Context Why we must approach the CPC again this year 3 Limitations of other funding 4 What was accomplished with the 2014 CPC grant 6 Description of the proposed 2015 project Summary 7 Damon House 8 Structural stabilization 8 Roof replacement 13 Waterproofing the front basement 19 Waterproofing the back basement 21 Removing unneeded windows 24 Shepherd Barn 25 History 25 Causes and extent of the structural problems 30 Plan of work 36 Parsons House 38 Replace knob and tube wiring 39 Repair water-damaged sills and posts under the side porch 42 Other necessary repairs 46 What Community Preservation criteria does this project meet? Open Space criteria 47 Recreational Use criteria 48 Historic Preservation criteria 50 General criteria 51 Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 ii Community needs served by this project 54 Community support 54 Guarantees assuring long-term preservation 55 How ongoing maintenance will be accomplished 55 How will the success of this project be measured? 55 Project Budget 56 Project Timeline 57 Feasibility 59 ATTACHMENTS 1. Mass Historical Commission inventory sheets including assessor’s map 1.1. Damon House 60 1.2. Shepherd House 62 1.3. Assessor’s Map 65 2. Zoning 2.1. Map for Damon-Parsons-Shepherd properties 67 2.2. Zoning dimensional and use regulations for Damon House (CB) 68 2.3. Zoning dimensional and use regulations for Parsons/Shepherd (URC) 71 3. Documentation that we have control over the site 3.1. Damon House – deed 76 3.2. Parsons House – will 77 3.3. Shepherd House – deed 78 3.4. Historic Preservation Restriction 79 4. Floor plans 4.1. Damon House (first floor) 91 4.2. Parsons House (first floor) 92 4.3. Shepherd Barn 93 5. Contractor list with names and addresses 94 Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 iii 6. Estimates 6.1. Kris Thomson • Damon House 95 • Parsons House 96 • Shepherd Barn scope of work 97 6.2. James J. Construction (James Flannery) • Roofing estimate 98 • Gutter estimate 100 6.3. Paul Korpita Masonry 101 6.4. U Mass Archaeological Services 102 6.5. Miscellaneous supplies • Handicap door opener 104 • Floor sealer 105 • Representative shelving 106 7. Hazardous materials statement 108 8. Professional standards statement 109 9. Letters of support showing community endorsement 110 The 26 letters are listed on page 110. Note: The 1993 Historic Structure Report by Clancey & Leeke is available to the general public through links found at www.historicnorthampton.org/history-online.html Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 1 HISTORIC NORTHAMPTON Application for Community Preservation Committee Funding, September 9, 2015 Structural Repairs and Environmental Control WHO WE ARE: mission, programs and properties Historic Northampton serves the city of Northampton, preserving historical artifacts and manuscripts left in our care by previous generations of Northamptonites as a public trust. Today’s citizens continue to preserve their local history through projects such as: • Midnight to Midnight (photo-documentation) • Parsons House Community Archaeological Dig • Meadow City Historians (local history buffs sharing their work) • Northampton Timelines (historical photographs and documents of local buildings and landscapes keyed to an online map). Examples from our historical collections are on view in two of our three galleries, and the history-related work of local artists changes monthly in the third. We typically host five programs every month, including exhibition openings, lectures, workshops and other events. See our website for a listing: www.historicnorthampton.org/programs.html www.historicnorthampton.org/past-programs.html Almost all our events are free to the general public and many draw overflow audiences. Even the ice cream at our recent ice-cream social was free thanks to an in-kind donation from Herrell’s Ice Cream. We care for four historic buildings located side by side on Bridge Street at the gateway to the downtown: • Damon House (46 Bridge Street, built 1813) • Parsons House (58 Bridge Street, built 1719, with additions made about 1785 and 1810) • Shepherd House (66 Bridge Street, built 1797) • Shepherd Barn (behind 66 Bridge Street, date uncertain) Damon House (1813 with 1985 gallery/storage wing) Parsons House (1719 with additions) Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 2 Shepherd House (c.1797) Shepherd Barn with Bridge St. School gardens in foreground WHO WE ARE: how we are funded Historic Northampton is a non-profit public charity which gratefully benefits from its exemption from local real estate taxes. As of this writing, for the current fiscal year (ending 9/30/15) to date, our direct operating funds (about $115,000) have come from the following: 59% Memberships and contributions (including in-kind as well as cash) 33% Rental income (Mass Humanities in Shepherd House, an apartment in Parsons House) 08% Admissions, program revenue, museum store sales and investment revenue Special projects are typically funded by grants and are accounted for separately because they almost never help defray general operating expenses. In FY15 these have included: $176,475 from the Northampton Community Preservation Committee for urgent and critical repairs to Parsons, Shepherd and Damon Houses $ 12,000 from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts for Northampton Timelines $ 10,000 consisting of $5,000 from Mass Humanities for the Parsons House Community Archaeological Dig matched by cash donations via Valley Gives plus in-kind gifts $ 5,000 from the Beveridge Family Foundation for dehumidifiers to keep our newly cleaned basements in good condition $ 5,000 from an anonymous donor to fund a series of lectures by Laurie Sanders $ 3,500 from the Parsons Family Association toward the asbestos remediation and new boiler in Parsons House (following an earlier $4,400 toward this project in FY14) $ 1,600 from the Parsons Family Association toward the replacement of knob-and-tube wiring in the Parsons House basement $ 1,500 from the Art Angel program administered by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 3 Noteworthy support toward our operating expenses has come from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, and we are working hard to match by December 31 an anonymous donor’s all-or-nothing membership challenge grant of $25,000. As many readers are aware from the February 2015 articles in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Historic Northampton for many years drew on its reserves at quite an alarming rate to fill the gap between its operating expenses and its operating revenue. But thanks to the dedication of the current board and the generosity of many new donors, that pattern is now over. We are pleased to report that we are on track to balance the operating budget with operating revenues by Sep 30 (FYE15). With the exception of two years in the mid-1990s, this is the first time this has happened since 1988. Historic Northampton is an important local institution that was in very serious—even life-threatening— trouble a year ago. It has accomplished this major turnaround in very large part thanks to the vote of confidence conveyed by the 2014 grant from the Community Preservation Committee. The fact that we could point to the CPC grant made it possible to win support from other funders as well. We could not have done this without you and we want our gratitude to go on the record. CONTEXT: Why we must approach the CPC again this year While the turnaround at Historic Northampton is extremely encouraging, one year of progress cannot make it complete, and with four neglected buildings to save, it is not surprising that we still need help. However some committee members may ask why we don’t seek funding elsewhere but are returning to the Community Preservation Committee in 2015. Historic Northampton has to raise money in three areas at the same time: basic operating (staff salaries, utilities, etc.), programs, and deferred maintenance. Unlike a city department, we are not working from a tax-funded operating budget. However limited it probably feels to the people working within it, the city budget can be relied on to pay essential staff. The biggest reason Historic Northampton was able to balance its operating budget in FY15 after a 25-year pattern of deficits is that our director worked full-time without pay. This arrangement was necessary in order to turn the ship around, but it is clearly not a long- term solution. We hope that once we show how much can be done with this place the citizens of this city will recognize Historic Northampton as the public asset it is and support it at a sustainable level. We are already making progress toward this goal: The number of members has tripled in the last year. Likewise, donations are three times the amount raised in FY14, and even after we exclude the CPC grant, grants awarded in FY15 were over five times what we had the previous year. Even though we cut costs to the bone, we were able to expand our programs dramatically under the leadership of vice president Stan Sherer, AND we managed to pay for $22,000 in deferred maintenance beyond that funded by the CPC. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 4 We’re proud of what we have accomplished in FY15, but we are still in transition, and next year we will have to do everything we did this year and more: 1. Our next fundraising priority must be to fund a capable director who lives in the area because we cannot rely on an unpaid out-of-town director to carry the institution forever. 2. After that, we need to establish a reserve set aside specifically for predictable future maintenance in order to become self-sufficient in caring for our properties. 3. We also need to find funders interested in developing programs like Northampton Timelines that will help us reach a level of membership and donations sufficient to fund basic operating expenses year after year. In other words, in FY16, we are going to be forced to focus our non-grant fundraising efforts on the operating side rather than on restoration projects. Even matching grants are problematic. We already have a $25,000 challenge grant to match this fall. And yet, our buildings and collections cannot wait. So are there any other funders we can turn to? CONTEXT: Limitations of other funding Most national grant-funders do not help with building preservation – or don’t anymore: • National Park Service Save America’s Treasures Grants – has not been funded since 2010 • National Park Service Preserve America Grants – has not been funded since 2010 • National Trust Preservation Grants – now only for planning, education and outreach • National Trust Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation – building work not funded • NEH Preservation Assistance Grants for smaller institutions - for collections, not buildings • Institute of Museum and Library Services Grants –interested in learners, not buildings • 1776 Foundation – went out of business in 2009 There are four granting programs that are of potential usefulness, two state and two regional: • The first is the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilities Fund, which requires a 1:1 match. We applied to them in 2013-14 but were rejected, almost certainly because of our then dire financial condition. MCC requires three years of financial reports, and until we can show them three years of balanced budgets, they are not likely to be receptive. By balancing the budget in this first year, we have already done what we can toward becoming a viable candidate. We are also less competitive with the MCC because we are focused on providing services to local residents rather than on becoming a tourist destination. It would be nice to do both, but we’re not there yet. • A second option is the Massachusetts Historical Commission, which also requires a 1:1 match. The issue here is that once you get a grant, you have to spend the fall putting it out to bid, putting us past the working season. Then in the next year, all the work has to be done before the state’s fiscal year ends on June 30, which makes it useless for complex and lengthy tasks like fixing the barn. The barn is not a job that can be started in the fall, left hanging over the winter, and picked up in the spring. And given the vagaries of weather and the schedules of Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 5 subcontractors, no one imagines that the archaeology and repairs could be finished between May 1 when the ground dries out and June 30 (see project timeline for more detail on this). • The Beveridge Family Foundation will consider building-related projects, but we are not eligible to apply again until August 2017. That is because in 2015 we received a $5000 grant that paid for dehumidifiers for all four basements. BFF limits its grants to 25% of the institution’s total contributions and will not pay more than 20% of the cost for any project. • In 2015 the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts awarded us $12,000 to make a start on Northampton Timelines, which is designed to help us build local visibility and membership. We will certainly approach them again next year, but CFWM is changing its guidelines, and we cannot yet determine what project is likely to best match their funding goals. We may need to choose something that will boost our fundraising capability. So we really don’t have many options. Yet our buildings have been seriously neglected for years and we cannot delay repairing them. Buildings do not heal on their own. They only get worse. Case in point: When Kris Thomson uncovered the rear plate at Parsons House in the course of CPA- funded work this summer, he found that the pegs pinning the rafters to the rear plate had completely ripped the bottoms of the rafters out. The rear plate, for those of you who aren’t timber framers, is the beam at the top of the back wall where it connects to the roof. Kris also discovered that the girts that tie the front and back of the house together had slipped four inches out of position and that some of the ceiling joists were being held up only by lath and plaster. The extent of the displacement startled everybody and we were all glad this work had not been delayed. Another year or two and the situation would have been quite dangerous and far more costly to repair. Above: View of attic joist (darker) slipped entirely off the rear plate (lighter) that it should be sitting on. Left: View of rear plate (now cabled to stable beams in main house) showing how movement of plate has caused (1) the peg to rip through the rafter (foreground), and (2) the girt to slip out of its slot in the plate (upper right, near hand). Outward pull of plate on the peg has broken off the end of the rafter. Peg here Girt Plate Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 6 The 2014 CPC-funded work on Parsons House was the proverbial stitch in time that saved nine. But it isn’t the only mending we need to do. Our collections are in jeopardy because of the aging roof and damp basements in Damon House. In the barn, the serious structural damage caused by a leaky roof, neglected gutters and a tree planted too close to the building will only get worse. So where do we put our fundraising effort? Into the operating budget so we can prove we’re able to run the organization in the black and qualify for Mass Cultural Council money in another year or two but meanwhile let our buildings and collections deteriorate? Or, lacking grant support for the buildings, do we spend the last of our reserves fixing about 1/3 of what needs doing while foregoing any claim to solvency? We have already shown that we can grow local support for Historic Northampton. We just need another year to finish that process. Meanwhile, CPA funding is an appropriate way for the people of Northampton to support an important public institution at a moment when intervention can be effective in saving not only the buildings and the collections but the institution itself. CONTEXT: what was accomplished with the 2014 CPC grant A year ago when the CPC representatives made their site visit, it was clear that extensive work needed to be done everywhere they looked. Since doing it all at once was impossible, our priorities were: 1. Stabilizing building structures 2. Keeping out water (typically the cause of structural and collection damage) 3. Reducing heating costs (essential as part of getting to a balanced budget) We began working on all these issues even before the 2014 CPC grant came through, and the 2014 CPC proposal in its final form reflected them: • Shepherd House Masonry repair/grading to keep water from entering basement and rotting support posts Remove asbestos, fiberglass and mold from basement (this space is now clean and usable) Repair fallen support posts and install additional posts to support center of house o Install 30 storm windows to protect 18th century sashes and reduce heating costs • Damon House Repair, re-glaze and repaint all sashes (were in desperately weakened condition) o Install 32 storm windows to protect early 19th century sashes and reduce heating costs • Parsons House Removed asbestos, fiberglass, mold and debris from basement (funded by HN) Installed new gas boiler (funded by HN & Parsons Family, saved $8K in heating costs in FY15) Stabilize rear wall at roofline, replace sills, post, add basement and full foundation Repair and repaint sashes o Waterproof basements o Install 35 storm windows to reduce heating costs Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 7 • Shepherd Barn (funded by HN, not 2014 CPC) Removed destructive tree Replaced missing slates in roof The checkmarks show work that is already complete. The last few windows and the storm windows will be done before the heating season and the basement waterproofing should be finished in the next few weeks, bringing us to the stage that two of our four buildings are structurally secure and watertight. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED 2015 PROJECT Summary This year, we will continue to address those same priorities – structural stability and keeping out water – but focusing most heavily on Damon House and the Barn. The list below summarizes the work. A more detailed explanation follows. 1. Damon House – 46 Bridge Street, Parcel 32A-175 a. Add supports to the center of Damon House, which is sagging, much like Shepherd b. Replace the roof (which has begun to leak in several areas) c. Restore ornamental balustrade over front door (makes sense to do with roof) d. Re-set front step of Damon so water no longer runs into the front basement e. Rebuild brick veranda so water no longer runs into the back basement f. Get rid of veranda lip which is a barrier to wheelchairs and add handicap door opener g. Repair leaking bulkhead h. Install waterproof interior walls in both front and back basements i. Rent storage areas for collections while work is being done in the basements j. Purchase several storage units to facilitate temporary storage of collections k. Remove two unneeded and rotting windows from the back end of 1985 addition 2. Shepherd Barn - Parcel 32A-176 a. Preliminary archaeological survey of area to be disturbed b. Remove doors, floors, stairs, plumbing and strip lower walls to access posts c. Repair structural posts and sills; add footings and ice/water barrier d. Dig out surface below floor, install gravel, frost foam, vapor barrier and “critter walls” e. Repair roof, repair and rehang doors, rebuild ADA bathroom, stairs and interior walls f. Storage units for collections while work is being done in barn 3. Parsons House - Parcel 32A-260 a. Remove remaining knob and tube wiring b. Fix sills, posts and porch along north end of east wall of ell c. Replace three rotten sashes and small side-porch post bases and deck Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 8 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED WORK in DAMON HOUSE DAMON HOUSE Structural stabilization Like Shepherd House, which was stabilized using the 2014 CPC grant, Damon House is a four-over-four- room center hall house with two chimneys, one serving the rooms on the west side, the other serving the rooms on the east. Like Shepherd, it is sagging in the middle between the chimneys. In Shepherd, the cause was clear: water had rotted the bases of the support posts in the basement and they had fallen over. In Damon, the cause can’t be photographed because the basement ceiling and posts were covered over about 1980, but the effects upstairs are even more pronounced. On the west side, there are dramatic stress cracks in the first-floor wall plaster between the chimney and the central hall, while on the east side, the floor has dropped 1.5 inches below the bottom of the walls. Above: the center hall front stairs in Damon House, showing a crack opening up between the treads and the stair skirt as the stair itself sinks. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 9 Above: Damon West Parlor showing stress cracks over fireplace as center (to right) sinks. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 10 Above: East Parlor, less dramatic cracks where interior wall meets exterior wall (R). Below: East Parlor, floor is sinking and separating from trim between fireplace and door. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 11 Above: Research room directly behind East Parlor, showing drop in floor from other side. Below: separation of floor and wall in West Parlor to right of fireplace. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 12 The plan for fixing this is similar to what we did in Shepherd House. First we will remove part of the basement ceiling to confirm the nature of the problem. Most likely we will add a series of posts to support the beams under the walls of the center hall and under the interior partition that divides the front rooms from the back. This requires taking down and then replacing sections of the basement ceiling, which was installed in about 1980 to keep the area cleaner for collection storage. Below we show pictures of what Damon basement looks like now. Finished ceiling makes cause of sinking impossible to photograph. To right behind stair post, support column is also plastered over. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 13 Below: Here is what the posts look like in Shepherd House (which is now asbestos, fiberglass, and mold-free, not to mention mud-free and dry for the first time in living memory). The original posts are upside-down tree trunks. The modern ones on either side provide additional support for the center-hall bearing beam. Left: The black layer prevents dampness from migrating from the concrete up into the post. DAMON HOUSE Roof Replacement Our roofer, Jim Flannery, warned us some time ago that we would need to replace the Damon House roof soon. This hardly came as a surprise. We had been experiencing leaks for several years in the typical problem areas where the planes of the roof come together, but we had only been able to replace two or three small sections. The most cursory inspection shows stained and sagging ceilings in several rooms. Left: Ceiling of 2nd-floor costume storage and workroom. Right: Ceiling of stairwell leading down to back basement where collections are stored. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 14 Right: Ceiling over the quilts in the flat textile storage room. Below: Ceiling of research room over doorway to Marie’s office. Below: Photo and ephemera storage room with close-up of damage. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 15 Last fall, when we discovered yet more leaks, in this case damaging asbestos in the basement, we had new copper flashing put around the chimneys (and yes, the asbestos was also fixed). Above: Water leaked from chimney through asbestos casing around furnace pipe. Drip left a green deposit on dust cover over collections Above: Leak through the asbestos (hidden by pipe at left) Gorgeous new flashing! Then this summer when we went up to clean one of the costume storage rooms, we found a leak on the shelves holding our world-class collection of mid-19th-century bonnets.1 They are rare and irreplaceable and conservation is beyond our means. We have draped the storage shelves in plastic, but we now believe the roof to be an urgent issue. 1 When the director visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the 1990s, she was surprised to discover that the Northampton collection from this period was better than the one at the Met. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 16 Above, close-ups of bonnets stored near the leak. At right, the bonnet room as it looked in 1978. Below, two views of the upper shelf showing evidence of water dripping onto the bonnets from the ceiling. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 17 The estimate for the roof includes replacing the entire roof except for those areas recently done (see detail in attached estimate). The price is higher than one might expect because the balustrade around the edge of the roof needs to be removed and then replaced. All the posts in the balustrade have to be flashed. Left: looking up at leak-damaged ceiling crossed by a strip of wood supporting the brass rod for hanging the curtain in front of the storage shelves. Shows plaster beginning to drop. The rod fixture is probably what kept the ceiling from falling. Below right, volunteers making a plastic roof over the bonnet storage shelves. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 18 Below: View of Damon showing various roofs. The darker one in the middle is the section more recently done. Replacing the roof includes replacing the small porch roof over the front door. To do that, we need to remove the balustrade, so that makes this a good time to repair it. At least part of this structure is a modern plywood replacement. We would like to restore this properly with rounded top pieces that will shed water rather than rotting like the current ones. The Historical Commission has already approved this work. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 19 DAMON HOUSE: Waterproofing the front basement In keeping with our priorities, we are focusing on keeping water out of the basements at Damon House, which is where we store most of our collections other than textiles. In the front basement the water results from three problems. One is the lack of gutters on the east side of the 19th century back wing. This is being taken care of this fall. The second is the bulkhead, and the third and most important is the front step, which tilts backward toward the basement wall. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 20 In about 1980, the fieldstone basement foundation walls were given a waterproof coating that looks like white paint. This worked well enough where the grading and guttering were correct. But because water from the front step flows down along the outside of the front basement wall and then seeps between the stones, that section of wall is always damp, and the dampness causes spalling (the breaking off of bits of stone, mortar and wall coating). Now, with the 1980 coating broken down, the walls are dropping dust and dirt and the dampness has caused mold to grow on the collections. Therefore we want to re-set the front doorstep so that it tilts away from the house. First the columns will have to be removed. Then the plan is to use two forklifts or similar machines to lift each side of the heavy stone while workmen jam concrete underneath the back of it to change the tilt. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 21 Once the doorstep, gutters and bulkhead are taken care of, the preferred way to waterproof the interior is to line the foundation with closed-cell spray-foam insulation, as shown in the internet photo below. This creates a very effective vapor barrier which is then covered with wallboard. This treatment of the walls will give us storage areas that are environmentally stable and much easier to keep clean. But it also means moving all the collections out of the basements while the interior walls are being constructed. We hope that Parsons House will provide usable storage space once the 2014-15 work is complete, but we are still likely to have to move some collections off-site temporarily. Therefore the grant proposal includes a figure for storage rental and shelving. DAMON HOUSE: Waterproofing the back basement Just as the front step is letting water flow into the front basement, the brick floor of the veranda is allowing water to flow into the back basement. Over time, the sand underneath it has settled and the entire walkway now tilts toward the building. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 22 This picture had to be brightened to show the rain. Note the darkened low spot on the brick under the window where the water is collecting at the foundation. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 23 The seepage is not the only problem. Apparently the pressure of the tilting walkway pushing against the east foundation is causing problems in the foundation on the other side of the building. The floor in the Damon Education Wing has to span a very large open area and it is supported by a system of interlocking wooden trusses strong and stiff enough to move as a unit. The truss system is attached to the top of the masonry walls on both sides. The tilting brick walkway (which, being mortared together, also moves as a unit) is pushing against the eastern edge of this truss system. Under that pressure, the truss system has pushed the upper courses of the west foundation wall out of alignment. The lower part of the west basement wall is perfectly straight and plumb, but the top bends outward toward the Talbot’s parking lot. The mason and general contractor believe that the way to fix this is to fix the walk, to stop the pressure of the walk against the floor/sill and that then the west wall can be patched and will be OK. In the pictures below you get a glimpse of the floor trusses and the long crack that has opened on the west wall a short way below them. It is not enough to even out the sand underneath the walk and re-lay the bricks because the same syndrome is likely to happen again. Instead, the mason plans to remove the existing walkway, dig down along the edge of the foundation, and create a series of masonry supports that tie into the existing block foundation and stick out just below the walkway. Then the sand will indeed be brought up to level, but the concrete pad on top of it will have its edge resting on the new supports and will thus be supported by the basement wall and footings, so that even if the sand settles, the concrete pad shouldn’t go with it. This plan may need to be adjusted depending on what we find when we remove the brick. Since the veranda brickwork has to be redone, we will take this opportunity to fix the 1½-inch lip where the veranda brickwork abuts the brick walkway leading to our entrance from the street. This has been a serious annoyance to every person who enters our building in a wheelchair and it needs to go. At the same time, we’d like to add a handicap door-opening system with a push-plate on both sides of the doorway. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 24 DAMON HOUSE: Removing unneeded windows The last item on the Damon House list is to close up two windows at the back end of the 1985 Damon Education Wing. This will require approval by the Historical Commission. These windows have been blocked on the inside for about fifteen years because the interior space is used as a gallery. The interior covers limit the arrangement of the room and create yet one more obstacle to using our spaces. On the exterior the windows are badly damaged because for a long time trees and bushes were allowed to grow up thickly next to the building. The original materials were of very poor quality (pieced lengths of trim). Removing them and closing up the openings is cheaper than replacing them. These windows are non-functional and rarely noticed. A third window in the same gallery is also blocked on the interior, but it faces the veranda and is part of the rhythm of the public façade. That will not be changed. Left: Gallery interior showing window covers Right: Windows in question are on each side of the chimney. Below Left: Poor quality original materials Below Right: Damage requires replacement or removal Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 25 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED WORK in SHEPHERD BARN SHEPHERD BARN History The Shepherd Barn is a standard early American type called as an English barn. It is typical in size, the main building being 30’x40’, and the interior framing divides it into three bays. The central bay has doors at both ends and could be used for threshing. The side bay on the cooler east side was used for hay storage and the one on the warmer west side for livestock. Barns of this type were built from about 1770-1900, and we are not yet sure of the date of ours. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 26 Above: Main doors of the Shepherd Barn. Below: This William Sidney Mount painting done in 1831 shows a barn nearly identical to ours. "Dancing on the Barn Floor" by William Sidney Mount - From the book "Dance and American Art" by Sharyn R. Udall.. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dancing_on_the_Barn_Floor.jpg#/media/File:Dancing_on_the_Barn_Floor.jpg Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 27 The frame of the Shepherd Barn is a mix of hewn and sawn timbers (sometimes both methods are used on the same timber), and some features suggest a date close to 1800. On the other hand, sliding doors like the one on the back of the Shepherd barn typically date after 1840. It is of course possible that the sliding door is a later remodeling, and we will want to check for evidence of an earlier swinging door. The barn appears on the 1853 Northampton map below, but without the ell that is now attached to the south side. However the map DOES show a no-longer-existing ell attached to the east side. Since the east wall of the existing barn is directly on the property line both in fact and on the map, this means that ell stood on the next door neighbor’s property (#74 Bridge). While that could be a mapping defect or simply two buildings very close together, there is evidence that the two parts were indeed connected. The timber framer observed signs of an earlier door in the framing at the east end of the barn. Interestingly, the deed history supports the possibility of a single building owned jointly with a neighbor but at a much earlier date. The Shepherd lot at #66 Bridge and the next lot at #74 were both created by selling off part of the Parsons property (now #58 Bridge). In 1789, the Parsons family sold half a barn to their new neighbor Luke Lyman at #74, to whom they had recently sold part of their land. Is the Shepherd Barn that same barn? If it is, it is a good deal older than we thought. Likewise, is it possible that the current south ell is actually the older east ell moved so that the entire building could stand on a single property? The only way to arrive at a definitive answer is have the dendrochronology done on the timbers to determine the date of construction, which is why that testing is part of this project. The Shepherd barn has not been used as a museum space for many years, but in the early 1980s, the building was repaired and set up as an exhibit area for farm tools, transportation items and other artifacts that looked out of place in a parlor. Parts of this exhibit still survive under later layers of dirt and debris. The southwest loft area was dedicated to water and has an early public faucet, early bathtubs and toilets and a length of public water pipe made out of a hollowed log found when a city street was being dug up. A shoe-shine stand where an Italian immigrant plied his trade sits among the advertising signs of other Northampton businesses. In another loft there is an early sleigh, and near the stairs are the weathervanes that originally crowned the domes of the 1812 First Church and the 1813 Courthouse, both built by Isaac Damon. These important local objects have been in danger from the barn’s leaky roof and weakening structure. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 28 Below: A LONG day spent clearing out the area through the door at the left uncovered fascinating old agricultural tools, architectural elements and a coffin. Many more work days in store in the barn! Below: “Water works” exhibit with later accretions as found in 2015. Below: The Shepherd horse who lived in this earthen-floored stall probably liked to rub his itchy spots against the manger, which is scalloped with wear and had to be reinforced. The stall was found piled to the ceiling with collection items which have now been moved to an area with a floor. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 29 Upstairs, many fascinating old local business signs. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 30 Above: Our logo: the weathervane from the Hampshire County Courthouse built by Isaac Damon in 1813. In the back, visible in front of the window is the spire of the weathervane of the 1812 First Church designed by Asher Benjamin. Below: The church and courthouse built by Isaac Damon burned in 1876 & 1886, but their weathervanes are in the barn. SHEPHERD BARN: Causes and extent of structural problems The Shepherd Barn has been neglected for long enough that it has become a major restoration project. In addition to simple age, the causes of the problems it now faces include: • A “bush” planted at the corner that grew into a vampire • Gutters that rusted into holes • Broken roof slates that were not replaced • Brush and leaves piled up against walls of the building Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 31 Above: Southwest corner of barn in the vampire embrace of a badly-placed “bush.” Entire corner post must now be replaced. Below left and right: The corner post shaded by the tree is completely rotten. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 32 Water dripping through the roof where slates were not repaired has caused major damage to the rear plate, the front plate and three posts, and has worn a hole completely through the second floor, illustrated below. Above: A missing roof slate let water pour through a gap in the sheathing onto the floor below . . . Below: . . . creating a hole in the floor the same shape as the hole in the roof Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 33 Looking up at the northeast corner where there was a major leak in the roof. See close-up next page. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 34 Close-up of the east end of the rear plate, which supports the roof, showing heavy mold damage. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 35 Above: Area is too dark and distant to photograph well, but the circled juncture of post and beam appears to be reduced to splinters. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 36 SHEPHERD BARN: Plan of work Kris Thomson, general contractor for the 2014 CPC work, and Alicia Spence, the internationally-known timber framer who worked on Parsons House, have investigated the Shepherd Barn as much as is possible in current conditions, and are proposing to replace all the framing elements that appear in yellow in the diagram below: • All sills • All floor joists • Three full posts on the south (front) wall • Replace sections of the front and rear plate • Replace section of east central girt Entire floor support structure to be replaced. Three posts on south wall to be replaced, as well as part of the front plate over the main door and part of the center east girt. Photos above showing junction of post, plate and girt are of this area. Diagram at right shows north (back) elevation with replacement of sill and section of the rear plate. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 37 Note that this project does not include work on the ell. The ell was extensively renovated in the 1980s to be used as a bookbinder’s studio. At that time, the interior walls and floors were added, which implies that the renovators saw and were satisfied with the framing timbers. It is likely that the floor joists were at least supplemented at that time, perhaps entirely replaced. Since the ell is structurally separate and probably in acceptable condition, we prefer to take advantage of it as a storage area when the rest of the barn must be cleared for renovation. The goal of the work in the main building is not merely to replace the timbers but to support them so that the structure will be stable for many years to come. The process we are proposing is as follows: FALL 2015, EARLY SPRING 2015 - HN Staff moves collections and cleans and documents the barn • Remove all landscaping tools and reasonably portable collection items and store them in the barn ell, Shepherd basement or onsite locked container. • 1812 First Church weathervane will probably have to stay in the barn during the work as it is too big to move but it may need to be crated or at least wrapped. • Sweep out all debris and vacuum so that architectural elements and condition are clearly visible • Photograph and measure all areas in the barn and describe all features of interest. Print resulting document on paper for permanent preservation. APRIL - Contractor prepares building for archaeology • Dismantle handicap bathroom and first floor partitions o 19th century partitions will be removed carefully and numbered so they can be replaced o Circa 1980 partitions and stairway will be removed and probably discarded o Safely remove or cap off any exposed wiring or plumbing • Remove floor-boards carefully and number so they can be replaced (may be some exceptions) MAY - Archaeologists conduct a site examination which is likely to involve: • 4 to 6 square meters of digging inside the barn, including large and small test areas • 3 to 5 square meters of digging around the perimeter • Goal is to determine if any major features lie under the site about to be disturbed and to collect a sampling of artifacts • On-site work is estimated to take about 17 days • Off-site work includes research, processing of objects and reporting JUNE-JULY - Contractor and timber-framer repair the barn frame • Work one row of posts at a time • Pick up posts (replacing if needed), add footings, replace sills, bring posts back down • Install concrete footings for posts with layer of ice-and-water seal on top to prevent dampness from migrating into the posts • At end, wait to install sill at gable-end by driveway until after excavation phase Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 38 AUGUST • Dig out 18-24” under the floor, remove dirt and grade evenly • Lay vapor barrier over surface, topped with gravel or crushed stone • Add non-bearing concrete walls between footings to deter “critters” and below-surface foam- board to deter frost SEPTEMBER • Install wiring and plumbing while access is easy • Replace floor using original boards where possible • Add a simple lift-out floor in the horse stalls to make them more useful • Replace exterior sheathing, repair and re-hang doors and paint barn • Restore original interior walls in west side OCTOBER • Install expanded wiring and lighting for main barn • Rebuild stairway to second floor exhibit area • Rebuild handicap bathroom and utility closet in already modernized section of barn SPRING 2017 • Return collections to barn and set up areas for public use DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED WORK in PARSONS HOUSE The 2014 CPC grant addressed the two most urgent problems at Parsons House: the fact that the back wall was falling off the house, and the antiquated boiler. The wall has now been reattached and we are entering the last phase of that project. Last fall we replaced the ancient asbestos-covered oil-fired boiler with a new highly-efficient gas boiler. Half of that project was funded by the Parsons Family Association. The other half was paid for in savings since the cost of heating all our buildings in 2014-15 was $8000 less than the previous year. CPC funds are being used to add storm windows in all the houses, which will reduce our operating costs yet again this coming winter. Those critical priorities having been met, we are now looking at the next tier of maintenance issues – important but not as bad as walls falling off. These are: • Replacing knob and tube wiring – this is a safety issue • Replacing sills and posts near the side porch • Repairing rotted windows and porch elements Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 39 PARSONS HOUSE: Replace knob and tube wiring Parsons House was probably first wired after Anna Catharine Bliss moved here in 1910 with a minimal number of ungrounded two-prong outlets served by knob and tube wiring. Over the years, some sections were upgraded, especially near the west ell, which was used as an office in the 1970s. Over the years, as people required more electrical equipment, wiring was added and extended, resulting in arrangements like this: As soon as our contractor Kris Thomson saw this, he brought in an electrician and an inspector to review the entire house and he reports that it is critical to replace the wiring in Parsons House. OK, it’s pretty ugly, but is it actually dangerous? According to a nice little article published on Angie’s List (www.angieslist.com/articles/knob-and-tube-electrical-wiring-safe.htm): One of the most common problems with this kind of wiring is its insulation, which is made of rubber instead of plastic. Over time, the rubber degrades, exposing bare wires to air and moisture, in turn increasing the chance of a short or a fire. Extra circuits are also a problem because basic knob and tube installations only allowed for 12 circuits in a home. Often, homeowners who needed extra circuits would pay contractors to add new circuits at the panel or simply splice into an existing wire. Both of these modifications run the risk of overloading the system. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 40 We definitely have overloads and damaged insulation: But the article goes on: The 2008 National Electric Code addressed some issues with knob and tube wiring, most notably its high heat dissipation that poses a fire hazard when combined with fiberglass insulation. As a result, the NEC now requires that knob and tube wiring not be in "hollow spaces of walls, ceilings and attics where such spaces are insulated by loose, rolled or foamed-in-place insulating material that envelops the conductors." When Kris and his experts dug around in the attic, they found these junctions embedded in the insulation. The one at right is particularly bad because the joins aren’t even in a box. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 41 As a first step, we have already replaced all the knob and tube wiring that could be accessed from the basement. That horrifying spider web of decaying insulation and electrical tape now looks like this: But we need to extend the good work into the living spaces and attic above. We have invested so much in Parsons House, it would be very sad to lose all of it to another bit of deferred maintenance. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 42 PARSONS HOUSE: Repair water damaged sills and posts under the side porch The entire east side of Parsons House, shown below, is supported by a full foundation with a basement. The main house and east ell (jutting out toward the camera) are supported by the 1981 basement. The one-story north ell (whose roof is obscured by the tree) is supported by an old brick basement. As you can see, the sills of the entire house appear to be at ground level. The porch side of the north ell has suffered water damage going back decades. Concrete slabs and metal liners were installed around the sills in an attempt to prevent water getting in, but these only made it harder for the sills to dry out. Add to this a poorly maintained window well and the result was inevitable. Window well now half filled up Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 43 The pictures below show the ground line along the porch of the north ell. The sill that supports the north ell runs directly under the outer edge of the porch, right under the screens. In other words, the sills are below ground level and there is a basement under the porch floor. Any water not diverted from the edge of the porch will saturate the sill and eventually run into the basement (see picture next page). The outdoor faucet at left only adds to the problem. Left: This is a close-up of the sill under the left end of the porch, after we broke away half of the concrete splash slab under the outdoor faucet. The sill is clearly rotten and probably has termites. Rotten below-grade sills exposed Ground level Left: To the right of the porch is a window well which has been a major cause of water entering the basement. This summer we permanently blocked up the window itself and filled in the window well. This picture, taken in the half- filled window well, clearly shows how the sills actually lie below the surface of the ground and also how badly deteriorated they are. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 44 The picture below shows the Parsons House basement earlier this summer. Since we found water in the basement whenever it rained, we cleaned some gutters and resloped others and decided to block up all the sub-grade windows. Those steps alone were not enough to solve the problem. Water in the north ell basement after an ordinary rain. This is the problematic window, now blocked. However we will be grading around the house this fall when the basement excavation is ready to be filled in. When the perimeter is properly sloped, it will be covered with ice-and-water shield and a layer of stones. This technique has worked extremely well in solving the similar problem in the Shepherd basement. We expect that these steps will go a long way toward keeping water out of the basement in the future, and the new dehumidifier purchased with grant funds from the Beveridge Family Foundation will gradually dry out the residual dampness in the walls. Therefore we can look forward to having usable basements and a healthier house before long. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 45 This technique has resulted in a dry basement in Shepherd House. But grading and dehumidification, essential as it is, does not fix the damage done by water in the past. The sills on the north ell are compromised and they have to be replaced. Almost certainly we will also have to replace one or more connected posts, but it is not possible to predict the extent of that work as the posts are cased inside and out. However, in the area repaired this summer, termite damage in the buttery extended from the corner six feet up the post and back along the girt from the buttery sill. We expect to find something comparable in the north ell, but we will not have to create a foundation and basement because those already exist. We will use white oak timbers if we can get them and Alicia Spence will tie the new timbers into the old ones using traditional joints. Once the sills and posts are replaced, the porch floor will be replaced so that it looks similar to the current floor but is more functional. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 46 PARSONS HOUSE: Other necessary repairs In addition to these structural repairs, we add some smaller ones that should not be allowed to get worse. These include replacing three windows and fixing the bases of the columns on the little porch over the east parlor side door. The bottoms of the porch posts have already been replaced, but the modern lumber used in the repair has not held up very well. The window sashes are also modern, installed about 1980. Like the posts, the lumber they are made of has not held up to exposure to the weather. At some time in the 1990s, the decision was made to remove the storm windows and use interior storms. This looked pretty, but interior storms promote mold growth on the inside of the window sashes and offer zero protection from the weather on the outside. The 2014 CPC grant is paying for storm windows for all the buildings, so this kind of deterioration will not continue. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 47 WHAT COMMUNITY PRESERVATION CRITERIA DOES THIS PROJECT MEET? Open Space Criteria Because of our location at the edge of the downtown, we provide valuable open space in urban neighborhoods. People frequently use our grounds like a park, chatting on the veranda or in the gazebo, enjoying the roses or lazing on the grass while waiting for the bus that stops across the street. We make available the entire back yard between the Shepherd House and Barn for Bridge Street School and its School Sprouts vegetable gardens. Without our open space, BSS children could not have participated in this program. The barn restoration also indirectly preserves Northampton’s rural and agricultural character. The barn itself is an important agricultural building, conceivably as early as 1785. And as we have cleaned various sections of it this summer, we have discovered many 19th century agricultural tools including a dray, rolls of barbed wire, scythes, yoke, straw splitter, cheese press, seeder and many hand tools. We recently accepted a field scale dating from the 1850s that was used to weigh bags or bushels of produce in the field. We would like to incorporate these into the barn exhibits after it is repaired and can be reopened. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 48 Recreational Use Criteria In a town like Northampton, there is a lot of overlap between education and recreation, and there is a recreational element in much of what we do. • Our buildings and grounds support multiple active and passive recreation uses • Our programs serve a significant number of residents • We expand the range of recreational opportunities available to Northamptonites of all ages As is evident from the photos below and on the next page, we serve Northampton residents of all ages, from school children to retirees. Dozens of school children have worked in the Shepherd gardens, and well over two hundred more participated in the Parsons Community Archaeological Dig either with their classes or with their families on public days. They scraped with their trowels, measured their finds, and shook the screen frames to sift the dirt. Then they happily let off steam by running around on the lawn. Pictures above were taken during the Parsons House Community Archaeological Dig. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 49 Above: Workshop on managing archives. Half of the registrants will volunteer at Historic Northampton. Below: Lecture by Carl Walter on the Hampshire-Hampden Canal attracted mostly older attendees. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 50 Historic Northampton serves a significant number of residents and expands the range of recreational opportunities available to them. During the fiscal year that ends September 2015, Historic Northampton offered 12 exhibitions and 52 public programs over an 11-month period (we closed in January) and over 3000 visitors came through our doors on the occasions when we were counting. Three of the exhibitions and all the lectures and programs were history-related, which is valuable in a town where the arts tend to dominate. The Parsons archaeological dig was successful both as a site examination and as a public event, and for most participants it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity since most public digs charge heavy fees. Ours was free and anyone could walk in. In this coming year, we will indirectly fulfill yet another criterion for recreational use, to enhance the appreciation of the natural world and its conservation. Starting in September, we will be offering a series of six lectures by Laurie Sanders entitled Rediscovering Northampton: Local History Viewed Through An Ecological Lens. A follow-up series is scheduled for the following year. For more information see www.historicnorthampton.org/sanders-lecture-series.html Through all these programs, its services to researchers and public projects like Midnight to Midnight and Northampton Timelines, Historic Northampton clearly boosts the vitality of the community and enhances the quality of life for its residents. Our buildings and collections are the necessary infrastructure for these public offerings. People will not be able to come if the buildings are not safe to enter. We cannot offer exhibitions if our collections have to be packed up and stored off-site because our own storage areas are not fit to use. The project we are proposing to the Community Preservation Committee is essential to our ability to continue providing recreational opportunities like those we have shared with the community this past year. And once we ensure the structural safety of the barn, we will be able to open a new area for public use. Historic Preservation Criteria This project meets all five of the Historic Preservation Criteria: 1. Protect, preserve, enhance, restore and/or rehabilitate properties, features or resources of historical significance 2. Include a focus on the historical function of a property or site 3. Demonstrate eligibility for a local, State or National Historic Register listing 4. Provide assurance of the ability to maintain the historic resource over the long term 5. Include the granting of a permanent historic preservation restriction or other preservation guarantee. As noted earlier, Historic Northampton is already listed on the National Historic Register, and the City already holds a historic preservation restriction on our properties as a result of our previous CPC grants. Maintaining the properties over the long term is central to our mission as a museum. Current management has made it a high priority to inspect and understand the condition of our buildings and to create a priority list for fixing them. The greatest threat to long-term maintenance is lack of money. We Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 51 have four old buildings and not much left in the reserve. But an institutional turn-around has begun. After years in which the priority was academic research, we are now focusing on providing services to the town and the town is responding. Membership and donations have tripled and we are on track to our first financial goal, which is to balance our operating budget. The next goal is to fund a paid local director, and the third is to establish a board-restricted fund for maintenance. It may be small at first but every journey needs a first step. We probably don’t need to repeat the information given in previous sections of this narrative – it must be obvious to any reader that this project restores properties of historical significance and focuses on the historical function of our buildings and on our collections. General Criteria 1. Serves more than one CPA program area: The project meets all criteria under Historic Preservation, several under Recreational Use, and one or two under Open Space, as discussed above. 2. Contributes to the preservation of Northampton’s unique character, boosts the vitality of the community, and enhances the quality of life for its residents. How we fulfill this criterion is described most completely above under Recreational Use. 3. Saves resources that would otherwise be threatened The resources in question—our buildings and our collections—ARE under threat, both from physical conditions, which this grant proposal attempts to address, and also from the financial situation of the institution as a whole. The organization is working very hard to fix the institutional problems and has made huge progress in the last year. But we cannot pretend that we are out entirely out of the woods. This situation is discussed at several other points in this application. 4. Receives endorsement by community groups, municipal boards and/or departments See the 25 letters of support attached at the end of the application. 5. Leverages additional public and/or private funds or demonstrates that other funding sources are not readily available or sufficient. We discussed this issue earlier, in the section explaining why we are approaching the CPC for funding again. To summarize, there are four grant agencies which might conceivably help with deferred maintenance, but for various reasons, none of them can replace CPC support: • MCC Cultural Facilities Fund • Mass Historical Commission • Beveridge Family Foundation • Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 52 Even though these funding sources are unlikely to help with the projects we have outlined in this application, the fact remains that when an organization receives funding from the Community Preservation Committee, other funders see this as a vote of confidence and are more likely to support the organization themselves. Reality isn’t as simple as a direct match. Donors willing to help with operating expenses indirectly help the buildings, because we have to pay day-to-day expenses before we can pay for major maintenance. Donors who support programs are helping to increase our visibility in the community, making it increasingly easy to build membership and find new donors. Outside funders are looking for evidence of community support and a CPC grant provides very dramatic evidence in our favor. 6. Demonstrates a high benefit/cost value All the major initiatives within this project demonstrate a high benefit/cost value. The Damon House roof, for example, is essential for maintaining the structural integrity of the building and protecting the collections housed beneath it. Any money spent improving the collection storage rooms is wasted if the roof overhead isn’t sound. The same is true for the re-tilting of the front step and brick walk that are currently directing water into the basements where we store our collections. Until these are fixed money would be wasted on the interior. Likewise the structural work proposed for Damon, Parsons and Shepherd Barn are simply essential. Delaying such work only makes it cost more later on. Insulating/waterproofing the basements makes it less likely that we will have to do expensive conservation work on the collections. 7. Can be implemented expeditiously and within budget. Because the needs are urgent, our intention is to get this work done within the calendar year 2016. We will call in the electrician to deal with the knob and tube wiring in Parsons as soon as the grant contract is signed. In order to make sure we can start the barn project promptly when the ground dries out in the spring, we will start preparing for the project beginning in the fall of 2015 even before we know whether the project will be funded. We need to organize and pack the artifacts in the barn before it gets too cold to work, moving as many as possible into the barn ell or the Shepherd basement and getting the rest ready to go into rented storage in the spring. If funding is adequate, and we are not presented with major surprises, the work on Parsons House and the Shepherd Barn should be finished on time and within budget. The budget allows for the expected rotten timbers and insect infestations, but old buildings are notorious for presenting surprises and there is no way to know in advance how extensive the problems will be. 8. Addresses recommendations contained in the Sustainable Northampton comprehensive plan Sustainable Northampton recommends that the city should protect and preserve heritage resources, specifically, that it should protect heritage resources from degradation or destruction by public or private actions or inactions. Most people would agree that Historic Northampton is a heritage resource. Our three contiguous properties have been recognized as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. They contribute to the city’s unique Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 53 character in that they are a major landmark noticed by anyone approaching or leaving the eastern end of downtown on Route 9. In addition to the buildings themselves, this “heritage resource” also includes the extensive collections housed in them. Historic Northampton’s collections were given by citizens of this town because of their associations with the city’s history and they are simply irreplaceable. We don’t use that word as a synonym for “valuable.” Monetary value is generally overestimated by non-experts – too much Antiques Road Show. We mean simply that if Historic Northampton were to go out of business, defeated at last by a combination of public apathy and private incompetence, as it nearly has been, the collections would be dispersed. The archives would probably go to Forbes Library but the object collections would be sold at auction. In that transfer, all the local history would be lost. Pieces rich with local historical associations here in this city would be sold as anonymous and miscellaneous antiques, and you could NEVER get them back. We are not a replaceable organization. Smith College could pick up and move to another town and its mission would still have meaning. We have no meaning anywhere but here. A social service agency, important as its work is, could go out of business and still be replaced by another one that might do a better job. We could not. Once Historic Northampton is gone—buildings, collections, institutional expertise—a huge share of your history is gone. The closest analog is Forbes Library. Both Forbes and Historic Northampton are 501(c)(3) nonprofits governed by Boards of Trustees. Both maintain property, own physical collections, serve the whole public (not some subsection of it), and perform functions that in many other states and countries are the responsibility of government. The differences lie in governance and funding. Forbes Library’s board is elected by the people of the city and it is funded by a combination of City appropriation, endowments, and other gifts and grants. Historic Northampton’s board has no City oversight and it has no City appropriation to help with its operating budget. It will earn only about $5000 from its investments in FY15, so it has to fund nearly all its day-to-day operations, its programs and the maintenance of its four buildings by repeated annual fundraising. Grants for operating expenses are available only in the rarest of circumstances so this fundraising pressure is relieved only by renting out parts of Parsons and Shepherd Houses, which closes them to the public. We lay this all out in order to make the case that it is quite appropriate for the City to support Historic Northampton through the mechanism of the Community Preservation Committee. We could even make the argument that the City should take COMPLETE responsibility for Historic Northampton. After all, the Sustainable Northampton comprehensive plan lists as one of the strategies for meeting Goal HR-1 that the city acquire significant heritage resources, when feasible, to be incorporated into the City’s public areas or park system for purposes of resource protection as well as public education and enjoyment. Admittedly, the City doesn’t know very much about running a museum and would find it a big burden. But without taking the concept Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 54 to the logical extreme of actually acquiring the entire institution, it is obvious that the City and its citizens have an inherent interest in this organization, just as they do in Forbes. And just as occurs with Forbes, the better arrangement would be for the museum to be managed by museum professionals, have a board on which the City has some representation, and to be supported by some combination of private money and public support. Community needs served by this project Does a community need history? Perhaps not in the way it needs housing, basic services and employment. But people with damaged memories who cannot remember their own personal histories are generally objects of pity and the same is true for a city. Memory, whether individual or communal, is how we build identity. Learning the history of a community can help integrate newcomers and old-timers. Feeling as if you belong in a place is not just a matter of learning where to find the grocery store and the laundromat. It’s learning the story of the people who lived there and beginning to see how you fit in. This project is about saving buildings and collections that past generations in this city deliberately left in trust for us who come after them. That trust includes diaries, letters and account books, old photographs and ephemera, clothing, textiles, furniture, household equipment, tools and toys. It includes the artifactual history of businesses like the Gare jewelry store, Northampton Cutlery and Pro Brush. If our community wants to preserve this common heritage both for us now and for our children, then this project serves a community need. If this City is interested in understanding its own history, then Historic Northampton has a key role to play, and we need our buildings and our collections in order to do our job. This project will protect the wonderful collections stored from basement to attic in Damon House, rescue Parsons House from the termites, save our lovely old barn and return its fascinating collection of olds signs and agricultural tools to public enjoyment. Community support Community support for the project is shown most directly by the 25 letters from town residents attached at the end of this application. The people who wrote those letters did so not because they had strong opinions about fixing the veranda, they wrote them because they think Northampton should have a historical society and they want us to be able to keep doing what we’re doing. Community support is clearly shown by the size of the audiences at our programs, which are often over-subscribed. It is shown by our growing band of volunteers (more than fifty of them during the past year), who work on accessioning and cataloguing collections, cleaning and organizing storage areas, preparing mailings, maintaining the lawns and gardens, organizing programs, giving lectures, mounting exhibitions and doing project-related research. Community support is shown by the growth in our membership, which has tripled in the last year. It is shown by the increase in donations, which are much higher than in any recent year. It is shown by the anonymous local donor who is funding Laurie Sanders’ lecture series and by the $25,000 challenge grant offered by yet another unknown local person who is determined to give us a fishing pole rather than just a fish. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 55 Guarantees assuring long-term preservation Legally there is already a historic preservation restriction on the property. In the year since it has been in place, our staff has been very ready to discuss all proposed changes with the Historical Commission, as we value their input beyond the legal requirement. Historic Northampton is an established nonprofit incorporated in 1905 with a long track record and it is central to our mission to preserve these properties. The organization is currently in the middle of a promising turnaround, and the next goals are to fund a paid local director and to establish a board-restricted fund for ongoing maintenance. How will ongoing maintenance and upkeep be accomplished? Historic Northampton owns all four buildings outright so there is no question about who is responsible for them. Maintenance is primarily a matter of finding the money for it. While caring for these buildings will probably always pose financial challenges, the essential organizational structure does exist for their support. We are recognized as a public charity by the IRS, allowing us to solicit tax-deductible contributions for the support of the buildings and our historical programs, and we are governed by a local Board of Trustees charged with the preservation of the properties and collections for educational purposes. The operating budget has always included sums for regular scheduled maintenance such as inspecting and tuning up furnaces but one of our goals for FY16 is to establish and start growing a board- restricted fund dedicated to paying for predictable but major maintenance such as house-painting and new roofs. In our files, we have a very helpful report done in 1992 that explains in detail how to create and maintain a philosophically coherent maintenance plan. We are also exploring grant-funding for a buildings condition survey that will help us prioritize future work. We have a board committee responsible for buildings that is charged with conducting at minimum a spring and fall walk-about to inspect every room in every building, making written notes of the conditions found. How will the success of this project be measured? In Damon House: • By the absence of roof leaks and the continued safety of the textile & costume collection • By dry basements in which we are able to maintain low relative humidity and a clean environment • By no further cracks in the plaster of the west parlor and no further drop in the first floor • By exhibitions in the back gallery which evidence greater flexibility of layout. In Parsons House: • By the absence of termites along the northeast porch • By the fact that the house doesn’t burn down due to overheated knob & tube wiring • By the fact that none of the windows are too rotten to paint • By the possibility of opening the building to the public after years being closed In Shepherd Barn: • By the fact that it doesn’t start to sink and fall • By the improved appearance on the outside • By the possibility of opening the building to the public Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 56 PROJECT BUDGET CONTRACTOR TASK/EXPENSE TOTAL COST HN SHARE CPC REQUEST ThomsonSill/post repair in center of building 3,140 3,140 ThomsonAdd support posts in front basement 8,660 8,660 ThomsonRebuild balustrade over front door 4,020 4,020 ThomsonRepair bulkhead 1,040 1,040 ThomsonRepair portico post bases 1,280 1,280 ThomsonSupport posts for mason for brick walkway2,000 2,000 ThomsonRemove windows in gallery and wall up 940 940 - ThomsonWaterproof Damon Front Basement 12,000 12,000 ThomsonWaterproof Damon Back Basement 9,000 9,000 ThomsonRepair moldy stairwell in back basement 1,000 1,000 ThomsonAdd drain at low spot in front walk 2,000 2,000 HN purchaseStorage rental 4,000 4,000 HN purchaseShelving 2,000 2,000 - HN purchaseAutomatic door opener and handicap buttons2,200 2,200 - OrchardInstall ADA-compliant door opener and buttons800 800 - FlanneryNew roof (see estimate for breakdown 23,000 23,000 FlanneryReplace gutters on main house, squirrel repair6,600 6,600 KorpitaReset front door step away from building 1,675 1,675 KorpitaRebuild brick walkway to tilt away from building13,475 13,475 98,830 5,940 92,890 WORK IN SHEPHERD BARN U MassArchaeology (will request other estimates)53,000 53,000 ThomsonSee proposed scope of work for breakdown153,930 1,000 152,930 FlanneryGutters 1,400 1,400 208,330 1,000 207,330 WORK IN PARSONS HOUSE ThomsonRepair sills and posts at north end of east side21,060 21,060 ThomsonSmall side porch deck and post bases 1,060 1,060 ThomsonSiding repair 4,640 4,640 ThomsonGrading (swale) in front 2,500 2,500 - ThomsonReplace three rotten sashes with new 3,660 3,660 ThomsonReplace remaining knob and tube wiring 10,000 2,000 8,000 42,920 4,500 38,420 - TOTAL 350,080 11,440 338,640 While Historic Northampton must focus on raising money for its operating budget this year, we believe that we can cover the expenses itemized above at the right. We can count on the Parsons Family Association to help, though they are not a large or wealthy group, and hope to find a donor interested in handicap access. Other line items we may be able to cover through inkind donations. Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 57 PROJECT TIMELINE This project requires the staff to move a lot of collections. That work will begin this fall, but no grant- related cash expenses will be incurred until after the contract is signed, presumably by mid-December. SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 15, 2015 (pre-funding) • HN staff moves as many objects out of barn as possible • HN staff cleans, measures and photographs the barn • HN staff cleans Parsons House archaeological basement as soon as we can get back into it • Clean new Parsons basement and fill it with furniture from front Damon basement after wiping it down outdoors if possible or in Parsons parlor if necessary • Clean front Damon basement DECEMBER 15 – JANUARY 31 • Electrician replaces knob & tube wiring in Parsons House as soon as contract is signed • Conduct dendrochronological testing as soon as funding secured and test can be scheduled • Staff and volunteers move collections in Damon back basement to Parsons first floor • Staff and volunteers clean Damon back basement • Contractor finishes interior of Damon front basement FEBRUARY 2016 • Staff and volunteers move more stuff from Damon back basement to finished front basement • Contractor finishes interior of Damon rear basement LATE MARCH 2016 • Catch up with any interior work that isn’t done yet • After ground is dry, rent temporary container to store remaining contents of barn APRIL 2016 Contractor prepares Barn for archaeology • Dismantle handicap bathroom, first floor partitions, stairway and floor • Remove old elements carefully and number so they can be replaced if possible Roofer replaces Damon roof [THIS WORK CAN BE DONE ON A FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE] • Finish Education wing first so it is done before it has to be propped up for work on walkway • Remove balustrade from front roof and portico and repair as necessary • Complete main roof of Damon • Replace balustrades Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 58 MAY 2016 Archaeologists conduct a site examination which is likely to involve: • 4 to 6 square meters of digging inside the barn, including large and small test areas • 3 to 5 square meters of digging around the perimeter • Goal: to determine if any major features lie under the site and to collect a sampling of artifacts • On-site work is estimated to take about 17 days • Off-site work includes research, processing of objects and reporting Contractor works on Damon and Parsons while archaeologists are in the Barn • Contractor props up Damon House front door portico to prepare for fixing the doorstep • Contractor props up the roof of the Education Wing to prepare for relaying brick walkway • Contractor repairs sills and posts along the side porch in Parsons House • Contractor repairs small side portico in Parsons House • Mason changes the tilt of the Damon House front doorstep • Mason repairs the brick walkway along the Damon basement JUNE-JULY 2016 Contractor and timber-framer repair the barn frame • Pick up posts, one row at a time, replacing rotten ones • Install concrete footings with water barrier, replace sills, bring posts back down AUGUST 2016 • Dig out 18-24” under the floor, remove dirt and grade evenly • Lay vapor barrier over surface, topped with gravel or crushed stone • Add walls between footings to deter “critters” and below-surface foam-board to deter frost SEPTEMBER 2016 • Install wiring and plumbing while access is easy • Replace floor using original boards where possible • Add a simple lift-out floor in the horse stalls to make them more useful • Replace exterior sheathing, repair and re-hang doors and paint barn • Restore original interior walls in west side OCTOBER 2016 • Install expanded wiring and lighting for main barn • Rebuild stairway to second floor exhibit area • Rebuild handicap bathroom and utility closet in already modernized section of barn Historic Northampton: CPC Application September 2015 Page 59 FEASIBILITY As a result of previous CPC funding, there is now a historic preservation restriction on all of Historic Northampton’s buildings, and therefore everything we propose in this application will need to be approved by the Northampton Historical Commission. We do not expect objections from the Commission about the work planned for the buildings since nothing we are proposing will change the exterior appearance. The work is all repair or replacement rather than change, but we will run it all by them as soon as we can get a place on their agenda, hopefully in September. The Historical Commission must also approve any work that may disturb archaeological evidence in the ground, including any disturbance created by archaeological investigation itself. We assume they will require an archaeological site examination of the ground under and around the perimeter of the barn, which is the work described in the attached letter from U. Mass Archaeological Services. Once the Historical Commission gives us the general go-ahead, we are required by state law to apply for a permit from the Massachusetts State Archaeologist. Failure to find funding for the archaeological dig will therefore prevent any work to repair the barn. Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form. FORM B BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Photograph Topographic or Assessor's Map Recorded by:Bonnie Parsons Organization:Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Date (month / year):March, 2010 Assessor’s Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number 32A-175 Easthampton NTH.2070 Town:Northampton Place:(neighborhood or village) Address:46Bridge Street Historic Name:Isaac Damon House Uses:Present: museum Original: single-family residence Date ofConstruction:1812 Source:The Northampton Book Style/Form:Federal Architect/Builder:Isaac Damon, architect Exterior Material: Foundation:granite blocks, brick Wall/Trim:clapboards Roof:not visibleand asphalt shingles Outbuildings/SecondaryStructures: gazebo Major Alterations (with dates):museum ell added. Condition:good Moved: no |x | yes || Date Acreage:0.534 acres Setting:This south-facing building is set on a deep lot. On its west is a shopping center. The tree-shaded section of Bridge Street at this point begins the residential section of the street. INVENTORYFORMBCONTINUATIONSHEET [NORTHAMPTON] [46 BRIDGE STREET] MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Continuation sheet 1 NTH.2070 ___ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.This property is already on the National Register. If checked, you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form. Use as much space as necessary to complete the following entries, allowing text to flow onto additional continuation sheets. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. This is one of Northampton’s finest examples of high-style Federal architecture. It is a two-story building under a low hipped roof that is encircled by a latticed balustrade topped by urn ornaments. There are two interior chimneys extending above the roof. The main block of the house is five bays wide and three bays deep and windows have 6/6 sash. The center entry on the south façade has a portico with matching balustrade on its hipped roof and is supported on two Doric columns with respondent pilasters. The door surround is an architrave surround that is repeated for the windows. The clapboard-sided house rests on dressed stone foundations. On the north side of the building are two ells. A two-story ell under a gable roof, followed by a one- and-a-half story ell, which is a20th century addition. There is a one-story entry addition in the angle between the main block and the ells. It has a circular brownstone stoop leading to its single-leaf door. The one-and-a-half story ell has an arcaded porch on its east elevation. It is six bays long, three of which bays are French doors, two are windows with 6/6 sash and one bay is a secondary entry. There is an exterior wall chimney on the north end of the ell. A gazebo is located at the north east corner of the property. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Discuss the history of the building. Explain its associations with local (or state) history. Include uses of the building, and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. From Form B of 1970, “Isaac Damon, an architect of national renown, constructed this imposing house for his own home in 1812. In addition to the house, Damon erected 13 churches, 25 bridges, and 14 other buildings including several notable factories. The house was naturally built in the best fashion of the day, since Damon is thought to have studied under Asher Benjamin and Ithiel Towne, two other early architects active in the Connecticut River Valley.” BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Beers, F. W. County Atlas of Hampshire Massachusetts, New York, 1873. Hales, John G. Plan of the Town or Northampton in the County of Hampshire, 1831. Merrill, David Oliver. Isaac Damon and the Architecture of the Federal Period in New England, Yale Ph.D. dissertation, 1965. Miller, D. L. Atlas of the City of Northampton and Town of Easthampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, 1895. Putnam, Karl. The Northampton Book, Part III. Registry of Deeds, Book 983, Page 378. Springfield Union, August 29, 1959. Walker, George H. and Company. Atlas of Northampton City, Massachusetts, Boston, 1884. Walling, Henry F. Map of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, New York, 1860. Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form. FORM B BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Photograph Topographic or Assessor's Map Recorded by:Bonnie Parsons Organization:Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Date (month / year):March, 2010 Assessor’s Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number 32A-260 Easthampton NTH.2125 Town:Northampton Place:(neighborhood or village) Address: 58 Bridge Street Historic Name:NathanielParsons House Uses:Present: museum Original:single-family residence Date ofConstruction:1719 x Source:Dendrochronology - the science or technique of dating events, environmentalchange, and archaeological artifacts by using the characteristic patterns of annual growth rings in timber and tree trunks. Style/Form:Georgian Architect/Builder: Exterior Material: Foundation:stone and brick Wall/Trim:clapboards Roof:asphalt shingles Outbuildings/SecondaryStructures: Major Alterations (with dates): Wings added on west and east. Condition:good Moved: no |x | yes | | Date Acreage:0.49 acres Setting:Set behind a wood fence, this house faces south and is shaded by large maple trees. INVENTORYFORMBCONTINUATIONSHEET [NORTHAMPTON][58 BRIDGE STREET] MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Continuation sheet 1 NTH.2125 __x_ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form. Use as much space as necessary to complete the following entries, allowing text to flow onto additional continuation sheets. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. The Parsons House as it appears today on the exterior is a modest Georgian style house. It is two-and-a-half stories in height under a low-pitched, side-gable roof with a large center chimney in front of its ridge. The roof has clipped eaves in the gable ends, typical of the Georgian style. The house is set on stone foundations so low as to be almost invisible and is sided in wide clapboards or weatherboards. It is five bays wide and two bays deep and windows on the first floor are more elongated that those of the second floor, which are placed close to the eaves. Sash on both floors of thefaçade is 12/12. The center door surround has a splayed lintel. Window surrounds are flat and without drip moldings. The door is six-panel. The east elevation is three bays deep and on it is a hipped roof portico on Italianate chamfered posts. To it is attached a wing of two stories. It is only one bay wide but has a chimney and a single 6/6 window. An ell extends from the north elevation of the house and is one- and-a-half stories in height. To the west elevation is attached a one-story wing under a side-gable roof. Structural analysis of the house reveals that a 1719 First Period house remains within the current Georgian structure. In 1719 the house was two-and-a-half stories in height and only one room deep. It is believed to have had diamond pane casement windows and there is evidence of a pentice or hood above the main entrance on the south façade. The first addition was ca. 1750: a lean-to on the north side of the house, adding a second kitchen to the house. Between ca. 1795 and 1815 a second floor was added to the lean-to, which raised the rear roof and made the house two rooms deep on both stories, or a double-pile house. This alteration brought the house to its current Georgian style with double-hung windows replacing casements and weatherboards added over the original siding materials. The second addition was that of the ell and east wing, which occurred ca. 1815-1830. The ell contained a summer kitchen and the east wing provided a room – perhaps a dining room - at the end of the lean-to on the first floor and a second room – possibly an office or bedroom - on its second floor. The west wing was added to the house between 1815 and 1830 as well, but there is no evidence that it was added simultaneously. It contains a single room that may have served as an office or parlor. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Discuss the history of the building. Explain its associations with local (or state) history. Include uses of the building, and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. From Form B of 1970, “To view Northampton architecture is to view the Northampton Historical Society’s Parsons House. The house reflects the architecture of three centuries of American development. The social, economic and political changes of three centuries of national growth are manifested in the house’s history – from the early witchcraft trial of Mary Parsons in 1674 to the saga of the Bliss family during the Victorian age of development. Thus, the Cornet Joseph Parsons House is truly ‘a house for the town’. This is the oldest house in Northampton. It contains portraits, furniture and weapons, gunsmithing and blacksmithing tools of General Seth Pomeroy, first General named by George Washington. The first child in the settlement was born in this house. It was in the Parsons family for 4 generations. In 1807 owned by the Wright family. In 300 years it was owned by only 2 families. Miss Anna Bliss willed it to the Historical Society in 1941. Original kitchen and stairway. “ Subsequent research by Historic Northampton has firmly dated the house as beginning construction in1719 and lasting for several years thereafter.Research documents that the house stands on its original site on the eastern section of the homelot granted to Joseph and Mary Bliss Parsons ca. 1654.Nathaniel Parsons (1686-1738) owned the property from 1709 to 1738, which changes its first attribution to Joseph and Mary Bliss Parsons to that of theirgrandson Nathaniel. Following Nathaniel’s death, his second wife and widow Abigail Bunce Parsons and their children Nathaniel, Experience and Elisha inherited the INVENTORYFORMBCONTINUATIONSHEET [NORTHAMPTON][58 BRIDGE STREET] MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Continuation sheet 2 NTH.2125 house. Experience in 1768 sold her share in the house to her brother Nathaniel and the twobrothers Nathaniel and Elisha lived in the house along with Nathaniel’s wife Sarah Rust Parsons. Elisha left in 1777. It is thought that the house may have been divided during this period into a two-family as there were two kitchens at that time. From 1785 Nathaniel began selling off the homelot and then his sons Nathaniel and Luther bought what remained of the homelot and included the house from their father. Nathaniel Sr. died in1807and the two halves of the house were sold. Luther sold his half to Seth Rust and in a series of sales it came to Chloe Wright that year. Nathaniel, Jr. sold his half in 1808 to Chloe Wright’s stepson Ferdinand Hunt Wright. So in 1808 the house passed out of the Parsons family and into that of the Wright family. It remained in the Wright family through four generations until it was willed to the Northampton Historical Society in 1941. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Beers, F. W. County Atlas of Hampshire Massachusetts, New York, 1873. Bliss, Anna C. The Oldest House in Northampton: The Home of Cornet Joseph Parsons, NHS Publication, n.d.. Daily Hampshire Gazette, October 19, 1953. Hales, John G. Plan of the Town or Northampton in the County of Hampshire, 1831. Miller, D. L. Atlas of the City of Northampton and Town of Easthampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, 1895. Northampton Tercentenary Committee. The Northampton Book, 1954. Trumbull, James. History of Northampton, 2 v, 1898. Walker, George H. and Company. Atlas of Northampton City, Massachusetts, Boston, 1884. Walling, Henry F. Map of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, New York, 1860. Will of Anna Catherine Bliss, Hampshire County Case 23971, File 13, February 18, 1941. www.historic-northampton.org Clancey, Gregory and John Leeke. Report on the architectural examination of the Parsons House, 1992. Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form. FORM B BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Photograph Topographic or Assessor's Map Recorded by:Bonnie Parsons Organization:Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Date (month / year):March, 2010 Assessor’s Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number 32A-176 Easthampton NTH.2071 Town:Northampton Place:(neighborhood or village) Address:66Bridge Street Historic Name:Asahel Pomeroy House Uses:Present:museum Original: single-family residence Date ofConstruction:1792 Source:Historical Society Records Style/Form:Federal Architect/Builder: Exterior Material: Foundation:brick and stone Wall/Trim:clapboards Roof:slate Outbuildings/SecondaryStructures: Major Alterations (with dates):west porch added ca. 1900. Portico added ca. 1870. Condition:good Moved: no | x | yes | | Date Acreage:0.692 acres Setting:South-facing house is set close to the street, behind a white picket fence. INVENTORYFORMBCONTINUATIONSHEET [NORTHAMPTON] [66 Bridge Street] MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Continuation sheet 1 NTH.2071 __ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. This property is on the National Register. If checked, you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form. Use as much space as necessary to complete the following entries, allowing text to flow onto additional continuation sheets. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. This is a late Federal style house, two-and-a-half stories in height under a slate-covered, side-gable roof whose eaves make full returns to create pedimented gables. The house is five bays wide and three bays deep and it has two interior chimneys. The windows have large 6/6 sash with architrave surrounds topped by lintels with crown moldings on the first story. On the second story the window surrounds are architrave without the added lintels. The center door surround is architrave with corner blocks. It has a Gothic Revival style portico with slender corner posts supporting wood tracery at the top, mid-way along the sides and at the bottom of the portico. The door itself of the entry is six-panel and has its own louvered shutters and narrow flanking sidelights. To this main block of the house is attached a one-and-a-half story shed roof addition on the north and a hipped Colonial Revival style porch on the west.The porch rests on Doric columns and has fine, square baluster railings. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Discuss the history of the building. Explain its associations with local (or state) history. Include uses of the building, and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. From the Form B of 1976, “The builder of this house was Asahel Pomeroy, a son of General Seth Pomeroy, a famous soldier of the Colonial Wars and one of the heroes of Bunker Hill. The house was given to the Historical Society in the will of Thomas M. Shepard (1856-1923).” BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Beers, F. W. County Atlas of Hampshire Massachusetts, New York, 1873. Hales, John G. Plan of the Town or Northampton in the County of Hampshire, 1831. Miller, D. L. Atlas of the City of Northampton and Town of Easthampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, 1895. Northampton Historical Society. Representative Families of Northampton, “Seth Pomeroy”, lecture by Thomas Monroe Shepard; file on Shepard House. Walker, George H. and Company. Atlas of Northampton City, Massachusetts, Boston, 1884. Walling, Henry F. Map of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, New York, 1860. Page 67 DAMON HOUSE (46 BRIDGE) PARSONS HOUSE (58 BRIDGE) SHEPHERD HOUSE (66 BRIDGE) Letters of support follow from these individuals and organizations:      1.  Laurie Sanders, A Natural Focus LLC    2.  Gwen Agna, principal of Bridge Street School, Northampton    3.  Sal J. Canata, principal of Leeds Elementary School, Leeds    4.  Sarah Madden, principal of the Robert K. Finn Ryan Road Elementary School, Florence    5.  Kathleen Wang, principal of Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, Hadley    6.  Pam Hannah, Northampton Ward 1 School Committee member    7.  Ann M. Hennessey, Northampton Ward 5 School Committee member    8.  Hope Guardenier, executive director of School Sprouts Educational Gardens    9.  Kevin Rozario, director of American Studies Program, Smith College  10.  Linda M. Ziegenbein, academic advisor in Sociology and adjunct lecturer in Anthropology,  University of Massachusetts Amherst  11.  Suzanne Beck, executive director of the Northampton Chamber of Commerce  12.  David Drake, chair of the Northampton Historical Commission  13.  David Tebaldi, executive director of Mass Humanities  14.  Alison Morse, Circles for Jewish Living  15.  Dave Musante, general manager of Northampton Radio Group  16.  John Sinton, co‐moderator of The Mill River Greenway Initiative  17.  Steve Strimer, director of The David Ruggles Center for Early Florence History &  Underground Railroad Studies, Florence  18.  Carol Bevan‐Bogart  19.  Mark Carmien  20.  Nancy Felton  21.  Janet S. Gross  22.  Catherine Linberg  23.  Richard H. Millington  24.  Aubin Tyler  25.  Joseph and Phyllis Wilhelm  26.  Barbara Wright  A Natural Focus LLC 56 Montague Road Westhampton, MA 01027 anaturalfocus@crocker.com August 31, 2015 Downey Meyer, Chairman Northampton Community Preservation Committee 210 Main Street, City Hall Northampton, MA 01060 Dear Mr. Meyer and Members of the CPC, I am writing in support of Historic Northampton’s request for funding to help cover the costs of restoring three of its historic buildings and improving its archival storage conditions. My support for the project stems from my involvement with Historic Northampton, which only began a few years ago. Like many people, although I’ve lived in the Valley for nearly thirty years, I only recently visited the organization’s Bridge Street property. My reasons weren’t because of a lack of interest in history, but more because the place always looked closed. My first venture to the property was in 2012. As part of my work on the City’s natural history, I made an appointment to see Historic Northampton’s collections of maps and photographs. I was impressed by their holdings, but since then what has really gotten my attention—and support—has been the change in the organization’s role in the community. Thanks to new leadership, the staff and board have gone back to their core mission, shifting away from more academic scholarship to a program that puts the interests of Northampton’s residents first. And hooray for that! After nearly twenty years of quiet, Historic Northampton is becoming a vibrant place in the community and public eye. Not only are there many more public programs, but thanks to the grants from the CPC and others, long-deferred maintenance needs are finally being attended to. From my perspective, among the many benefits, those changes have helped reveal the role that a revitalized Historic Northampton can and could play in the Northampton community—for kids, adults, families, tourists, researchers and yes, still for scholars. In addition, the changes come at a time when many Northampton residents are hungry to learn more about their City’s history and its place in the world. Last year, for instance, so many people turned out for a talk on the history of the Northampton-New Haven Canal that Historic Northampton had to ask the speaker back in order to accommodate everyone who wanted to hear the presentation. In terms of this request for CPC support, I believe the work is important because it would do much more than help to restore “some old buildings.” These particular properties have housed some of the City’s most important and influential families. Fundamentally, the proposed work would address structural and curatorial needs, but at the same time it would also increase Historic Northampton’s capacity to interpret and tell the lives of the buildings’ former owners. Visitors will be able to learn not just their names and when they lived, but about how they lived, what they believed in, as well as about the events and ideas that shaped their lives. In short, the proposed improvements will help bring local history to life. And that will help Northampton residents further their “sense of place.” I urge you to support Historic Northampton’s application and help fund its efforts to restore, preserve, protect and interpret Northampton’s history. Sincerely, Laurie Sanders, M.S. Gwen Agna, Principal 120 Jackson Street y Northampton, MA 01060 Phone: 413-587-1510 y Fax: 413-587-1524 y E-Mail: gagna@northampton-k12.us Web: http://www.northampton-k12.us/our-schools/jackson-street-school Northampton Community Preservation Committee Dept. of Planning & Sustainability City Hall Northampton, MA Dear CPC: I am writing in support of Historic Northampton’s application to the Community Preservation Committee for funding to continue restoring and preserving the Parsons, Shepherd and Damon Houses (a Historic District as designated in the National Register of Historic Places), buildings held in trust for the people of Northampton. I am impressed by the significant work already being done thanks to the generous CPC grant awarded to Historic Northampton last year. Most dramatic, the back wall of the Parsons House has been re-attached and a new basement is nearing completion. In Shepherd House, asbestos, fiberglass and mold have been professionally removed, the water that rotted away several critical support posts has been completely stopped and new timbers are now supporting the first floor. The Damon House windows are nearly all repaired and new storm windows will protect the antique sash as well as reducing heating costs. However, these historic properties—essential to preserve as part of Northampton’s history and to house collections from colonial times to the present—need additional work. I wholeheartedly support the work that Historic Northampton has done and the additional work they propose in their fall 2015 CPC grant application. I am impressed with the diligence and determination of the Acting Director and the active Board of Trustees, not only for completing physical tasks and overseeing repairs by professional contractors, but also for balancing the operating budget with operating revenue for the first time in 20 years, for hosting an increasingly active schedule of public programs and exhibitions, and for collaborating with schools and other local organizations. I had the good fortune to be given a tour of the facilities by Nancy Rexford. I was so impressed with her vision, her dedication and her enthusiasm for the potential and increased benefit Historic Northampton can have for our community’s school children. She showed me the vast collection of artifacts that are currently stored but can and will be exhibited – all of which I know will engage and fascinate the students. It is critical that our young people understand their community from an historical perspective. And in order to ensure that they do, the facility must be improved and renovated. I am excited that this will continue with CPC support. Again, I add my voice to the many in support of the work of Historic Northampton and their application for funding from CPC. This will benefit us all in Northampton. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Gwen Agna, Principal 317 Russell Street, Hadley, MA 01035 Phone: 413-582-7040 Fax: 413-582-7068 Email:info@pvcics.org Web: www.pvcics.org Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School August 24, 2015 Northampton Community Preservation Committee Dept. of Planning & Sustainability City Hall Northampton, MA 01060 Dear CPC: I am writing in support of Historic Northampton’s application to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) for funding tocontinue restoring and preserving theParsons, Shepherd and Damon Houses (a Historic District as designated in the National Register of Historic Places), buildings held in trust for the people of Northampton.There has been impressive andsignificant work alreadydone thanks to the generous CPC grant awarded to Historic Northampton last year. Our K-11th grade students come from all over the Pioneer Valley and they visit local historic sites on field trips in the area. The historic properties are essential to teaching local public school studentsabout this areaand seeing real sites makes history tangible. We hope you will grant thefunds needed to preserve these buildings as part of Northampton’s history and to house collections from colonial times to the present.I wholeheartedly support the work that Historic Northampton has done and the additional work they propose in their fall2015 CPC grant application. Please help Historic Northampton to preserve its historic buildings so that they can continue to make history present for generations to come. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Kathleen Wang Principal Northampton Community Preservation Committee Dept. of Planning & Sustainability City Hall Northampton, MA Dear CPC: I am writing in support of Historic Northampton’s application to the Community Preservation Committee for funding to continue restoring and preserving the Parsons, Shepherd and Damon Houses (a Historic District as designated in the National Register of Historic Places), buildings held in trust for the people of Northampton. I am incredibly impressed by the significant work already being done thanks to the generous CPC grant awarded to Historic Northampton last year. Most dramatic, the back wall of the Parsons House has been re-attached and a new basement is nearing completion. In Shepherd House, asbestos, fiberglass and mold have been professionally removed, the water that rotted away several critical support posts has been completely stopped and new timbers are now supporting the first floor. The Damon House windows are nearly all repaired and new storm windows will protect the antique sash as well as reducing heating costs. However, these historic properties—essential to preserve as part of Northampton’s history and to house collections from colonial times to the present—need additional work. I wholeheartedly support the work that Historic Northampton has done and the additional work they propose in their fall 2015 CPC grant application. I am impressed with the diligence and determination of the Acting Director and the active Board of Trustees, not only for completing physical tasks and overseeing repairs by professional contractors, but also for balancing the operating budget with operating revenue for the first time in 20 years, for hosting an increasingly active schedule of public programs and exhibitions, and for collaborating with schools and other local organizations. As an educator, I know how powerful places like Historic Northampton can be for students. My two young children love walking through history and posing questions about life in the past. These moments are essential for students who study history – actually seeing things brings meaning and understanding. Funding Historic Northampton is essential to continue their wonderful work. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Ann M. Hennessey Northampton Ward 5 School Committee Member Supervisor, Social Studies Department, Chicopee High School 99 Pleasant Street Northampton, MA 01060 P. 413-584-1900 F. 413-584-1934 W. www. explorenorthampton.com August 212015 Community Preservation Act Committee City of Northampton 210 MainStreet Northampton, MA 01060 2015 Board of Directors Christine Aubrey Coldwell Banker Upton-Massamont Realtors Donna Bliznak, TREASURER Jeremy Brown Hampshire Hospitality Group Tricia Canavan United Personnel Julie Cowan Clarke Schools for Hearing & Speech Jay Czelusniak Czelusniak Funeral Home David DeSwert Smith College Jody Doele, PRESIDENT Thornes Marketplace John Ebbets UMass Fine Arts Center Bob Fazzi Fazzi Associates Debra Flynn Eastside Grill Ann Latham Uncommon Clarity, Inc. John Majercak Center for EcoTechnology Noreen Mickiewicz Hayes ServiceNet, Inc. Russell J. Peotter ex-officio WGBY Public Television for Western New England Robert Reckman Sandra Smith Florence Savings Bank Bud Stockwell Cornucopia Al Williams NCTV Dear members of the committee: You received an excellent proposal from Historic Northampton tocontinue restoring and preserving theParsons, Shepherd and Damon buildings. These buildings are held in trust for Northampton residents and as living examples of our history. I’m very excited about this project and its potential to educate and excite visitors and residents about the history of Northampton. Historic Northampton is the steward of our history. The Board, volunteers and Acting Director have led a very successful year in restoring the organization’s strength and capacitywhile overseeing restoration projects and continuing the events and exhibitions that educate us.This proposal is an important example of theirstrategic actions tofulfilltheir mission today and into the future. The Chamber has a special perspective to offer. Weassistvisitors from all over the country. Whether it’s Jonathan Edwards, Calvin Coolidge, Sojourner Truth or our historic cemeteries, people travel here just for the purpose of learning about our significant place in history. These historic houses are a window into that history, providing important context connecting historic events to theplaces and people who inspired them. Goodluck with your review of, I’m sure, many worthy applications. I do hope that this one rises to the top and gets a unanimous “yes” from the committee. Sincerely and with thanks for your efforts, Suzanne Beck Executive Director Northampton Community Preservation Committee Dept. of Planning & Sustainability City Hall Northampton, MA August 28, 2015 Dear CPC Members, I am writing in support of Historic Northampton’s application to the Community Preservation Committee for funding to continue restoring and preserving the Parsons, Shepherd and Damon Houses (a Historic District as designated in the National Register of Historic Places), buildings held in trust for the people of Northampton. As a long time Northampton Ward three resident, I am delighted to behold a slow yet steady revitalization of the buildings and programs that constitute Historic Northampton. The campus' location in the heart of town and its proximity to the Hawley Street Arts Trust provide an anchor for historic, cultural, and art exhibitions and events so vital to our town. In January of this year, I met Julia Mines, a member of HN's board of trustees. We were connected through a mutual friend who was advertising a seasonal program that I founded in 2013, called StoryCafe. At its inception StoryCafe met at various arts organizations with an eye to settling in one centrally located space. Julia volunteered to be one of three first round story tellers at the January Cafe. Three months later, StoryCafe met at Historic Northampton for the spring gathering and then returned this summer. We are looking forward to establishing a long term home for this program at Historic Northampton. On a very practical level, the site provides heating and cooling (not necessarily available at all arts organizations), spacious grounds, and a warm reception from the staff and board members. We are grateful for this opportunity to rent space that is so well suited to an arts program like StoryCafe. Please consider this one more vote to help Historic Northampton preserve its buildings and programs through its grant application to the CPC in 2015. With gratitude for all that you do... Warmly, Alison Alison Morse, M.Ed. Circles for Jewish Living www.circlesforjewishliving.com  August 22, 2015 Northampton Community Preservation Committee Dept. of Planning & Sustainability City Hall Northampton, MA Dear Members of the CPC It is with pleasure that we of the Mill River Greenway Initiative heartily support Historic Northampton in its quest to refurbish, upgrade, and, indeed, save parts of their properties on Bridge Street.Historic Northampton has been one of MRGI’s partners for the past 3 years, and we have been amazed at the vitality and progress they’ve displayed over the past 2 years. What a wonderful presence they’ve become in our community, and how greatly we appreciate the generosity of spirit and effort they’ve shown to us and to other partners. I’ve gone over the details of Historic Northampton’s repair, preservation, and restoration plans with Kiki Smith, head of the Board, and I find their request eminently sensible, especially since it is based on strategic planning and a strong commitment to increase membership and outreach. MRGI looks forward to working closely with Historic Northampton in planning educational and outreach programs. I am tremendously impressed with their progress since they have hired new staff and elected a new board, and have every reason to believe they will accomplish exactly what they’ve set out to do – preserve and enhance Northampton’s historic resources as they spread the word throughout our community. With pleasure and hope, John Sinton, co-moderator “Florence has emerged as one of the most important Northeast locations for the interpretation of African Americans’ cause for freedom. Establishing an historical education center on Nonotuck Street will serve to signi cantly deepen the civic-engagement and learning experiences of students, teachers and the general public.” Neil Larson President, Larson Fisher Associates, Inc. Historic Preservation and Planning Services The David Ruggles Center Committee Lisa Baskin Brian Boyd Nancy Capron Faith Deering Tom Goldscheider Tristram Metcalfe III Terry O’Toole Marie Panik David Rosenberger Steve Strimer Emikan Sudan Kris Thomson Marie Troppe Mark Wamsley Reynolds Winslow Linda Ziegenbein Ruggles image courtesy Periodyssey www.periodyssey.com1RQRWXFN6WUHHW‡%R[‡)ORUHQFH0$ Dear NEH Landmarks of American History Review Panel: The David Ruggles Center is pleased to be included as a partner in the “Forge of Inno- vation: The SpringÀ eld Armory and the Genesis of American Industry, Four Models of Development”. Our Center is located in Florence, Massachusetts and is grounded in history from early industry through the late 19th century. Our archives and rotating galleries feature primary sources and records that highlight the history of this area, focusing particularly on the life of David Ruggles and his work with the Underground Railroad. In the early 1840s, three vital À gures from the abolitionist movement – Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth and David Ruggles – visited or lived in this area, making it a hotbed of abolitionist activities. Our organization believes strongly in the value of historical study and teaching that is grounded in the use of primary sources and connects these sources to a larger historic narrative. By learning how history actually happens through diaries, maps, letters and other primary sources, students can see the impact of national events through the lens of personal experience. Abstract concepts become tangible and accessible when viewed from this perspective. We look forward to working with scholars and other museums to provide the resources teachers need to develop their own links to local history resources. This program promises to provide the best in scholarship-based content and innovative teaching resources. We look forward to working with you on this project. Sincerely, Steve Strimer Director, The David Ruggles Center for Early Florence History & Underground Railroad Studies The David Ruggles Center for Early Florence History & Underground Railroad Studies March 2, 2014Northampton Community Preservation Committee Dept. of Planning & Sustainability City Hall Northampton, MA August 30, 2015 Dear CPC: I write in support of Historic Northampton’s application to the Community Preservation Committee for funding to continue restoring and preserving the Parsons, Shepherd and Damon Houses (a Historic District as designated in the National Register of Historic Places), buildings held in trust for the people of Northampton. Thanks to the generous CPC grant awarded to Historic Northampton last year we have been able to stabilize the back wall of the Parsons House with a new basement nearing completion. In Shepherd House, asbestos, ÀEHUJODVVDQGPROGKDYHEHHQSURIHVVLRQDOO\UHPRYHG7KHZDWHUWKDWURWWHGDZD\ several critical support posts has been completely stopped and new timbers are now VXSSRUWLQJWKHÀUVWÁRRU7KH'DPRQ+RXVHZLQGRZVDUHQHDUO\DOOUHSDLUHGDQG new storm windows will protect the antique sash as well as reducing heating costs. However, there is much work still needed to be done. This work of stabilizing and repurposing historic buildings must continue while the Board of Trustees use their fundraising efforts to build membership and provide for adequate operating income in our effort to rejuvenate our organization. The Board at Historic Northampton frequently reassesses and evaluates priorities for preserving its heritage resources in Northampton. At this time, the most urgent issues are replacing dangerous wiring in Parsons House, stabilizing the environment in the Damon basements where the collections are stored, and stabilizing the long-neglected Shepherd Barn. Members of the Board are donating their time, and money, to support this project, and they are gathering contributions from others in the community. But four historic buildings are a lot to take care of, and this important local institution also needs funding from the Community Preservation Act. Please help Historic Northampton to preserve its historic buildings so that they can continue to make history present for generations to come. Thank you for your support of this exciting project. The David Ruggles Center ŽŵŵŝƩĞĞ Lisa Baskin Nancy Capron Faith Deering Tom Goldscheider Sara Lennox Suzanne Love Tristram Metcalfe III Terry O’Toole Marie Panik Alexander Papouchis Stephanie Pasternak David Rosenberger Steve Strimer Emikan Sudan Kris Thomson Marie Troppe Linda Ziegenbein 54 South Park Terrace Northampton, MA 0160 Northampton Community Preservation Committee Department of Planning and Sustainability City Hall Northampton, MA Dear CPC, I am writing in support of Historic Northampton’s application for funding to continue the restoration and preservation of the Parsons, Shepherd and Damon Houses in the Historic District. Much work on the houses has been completed through the generous CPC grant to Historic Northampton in 2014 but there is more work to be done to assure the preservation of the collections from colonial times to the present. As a member of the fourth generation of my family to live in Northampton, I was moved to become a volunteer after reading the recent articles in the Gazette about Historic Northampton. I admit that my initial response was selfish, since my family donated my great-grandfather’s trunk that he brought with him from Ireland to the museum over a decade ago. After meeting with Nancy Rexford to discuss the possibilities in becoming a volunteer, I was even more committed to working with her and the Board of Trustees to help continue their work. It is astounding that the preservation work has been overseen and the budget has been balanced while hosting numerous programs and exhibitions, particularly outreach to school children who will be the caretakers of the collections in the future, and it was all managed by volunteers. As part of their commitment to assuring the preservation of its historic resources, the Board of Trustees are donating their time and money to continue the work on the wiring of Parsons House, stabilizing the Damon House basements where collections are stored and continuing work on the Shepherd Barn. These buildings are an integral part of Northampton’s heritage and if preserved will continue to enlighten and educate residents in the future. If that is to succeed, Historic Northampton needs funds from the Community Preservation Act to continue restoring and preserving its historic buildings so that it can continue to make history present for generations to come. Sincerely, Carol Bevan-Bogart September4,2015  NorthamptonCommunityPreservationCommittee DepartmentofPlanningandSustainability 210MainStreet Northampton,MA01060  DearMembersoftheCPC: IamwritinginsupportofHistoricNorthampton’sapplicationtotheCPCforfundingtocontinuethe restorationoftheParsons,ShepherdandDamonHouses.Thisgrantwillallowtheimportantworkof restoringthesehomesinfrastructuresowecanensuretheywillbewithusforgenerationstocome. Theworkproposedislargelystructuralandmechanical,butthese“bones”foundationprojectsare necessarytogetcompletednow–beforefurtherdecayandneglecttakeabiggertoll–beforethe finishingworkthatismorevisibletothepublic’seye. AsaformermemberoftheNorthamptonChamberofCommerce’sTourismCommittee,andasabusy realestateagenthereinNorthampton,Iknowfirsthandthatmany,manyvisitorsarecomingto Northamptonandsupportingourlocaleconomyindoingso.Oneofthefeaturesthatmosttouristslike todoonvacationisvisitthelocalhistorymuseum,especiallyinatownsuchasoursthatissosteepedin historyandsignificanceinthefoundingofAmerica.Ineverycentury,forthepast360years,people fromNorthamptonhavelefttheirmarkonanationalmovement,beitreligious,environmental,health, educational,woman’srights,GLBTrightsorenergyconservation.OurownHistoricNorthampton collectionofhousesistherepositoryofthathistory,andthoseartifactsdeserveahomethatissafeand structurallysoundforgenerationstocome. Thankyouforyourconsideration,andanticipatedsupport,ofthisgrant. Sincerely,  MarkCarmien 218TurkeyHillRd Florence,MA01062 413Ͳ320Ͳ1162 29 Northern Avenue Northampton, MA 01060 August 29, 2015 Northampton Community Preservation Committee Department of Planning and Sustainability City Hall Northampton, MA 01060 Dear CPC: I am writing in support of Historic Northampton’s application to the Community Preservation Committee for funding to continue the restoration projects in the Parsons, Shepherd and Damon Houses. These houses are part of a Historic District as designated by the National Register of Historic Places and are held in trust for the people of Northampton. Major work has already been done, thanks to the generous grant awarded by the CPC last year, but additional work is needed. Funding from the CPC would be used to modernize dangerous old wiring in the Parsons House, stabilize the environment in the basement of the Damon House, where the collections are stored, and repair the Shepherd Barn so that it can be returned to public use. As a member of Historic Northampton, a former chair of the Sojourner Truth Memorial Statue Committee, and a neighbor who walks by these buildings every day, I have been impressed with the work of the Acting Director and the Board of Trustees to provide vibrant programming for our community while balancing the budget (for the first time in 20 years) and drawing on a growing group of volunteers. They have done a wonderful job of fundraising from our community and have given much of their own time and money. The responsibility for taking care of four historic buildings is a large one, and CPC money is needed to help preserve this important contribution to understanding Northampton’s history. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Nancy Felton 38 Round Hill Road Northampton, MA 01060 August 28, 2015 Northampton Community Preservation Committee Dept. of Planning & Sustainability City Hall Northampton, MA Dear CPC: I am writing in support of Historic Northampton’s application to the Community Preservation Committee for funding to continue restoring and preserving the Parsons, Shepherd and Damon Houses (a Historic District as designated in the National Register of Historic Places), buildings held in trust for the residents of Northampton. Significant work has already been completed thanks to the generous CPC grant awarded to Historic Northampton last year, and results are impressive. Most dramatic, the back wall of the Parsons House has been re-attached and a new basement is nearing completion. In the Shepherd House, asbestos, fiberglass and mold have been professionally removed; water that destroyed several critical support posts has been stopped completely, and new timbers now support the first floor. The Damon House windows are nearly all repaired, and new storm windows will protect antique sashes as well as reduce heating costs. However, these historic properties—all integral to Northampton’s history and essential for housing collections from colonial times to the present—need additional work. I wholeheartedly support the work that Historic Northampton has done and the additional work they propose in their fall 2015 CPC grant application. The diligence and determination of the Acting Director and the many activities of the Board of Trustees are exceptional; not only have they completed daunting physical tasks and overseen repairs by professional contractors, but they have also balanced the operating budget for the first time in 20 years, hosted an increasingly active schedule of public programs and exhibitions, and engaged in creative collaborations with schools and other local organizations. The Board of Trustees at Historic Northampton frequently reassesses and evaluates priorities for preserving its heritage resources in Northampton. At this time, the most urgent issues are replacing dangerous wiring in Parsons House, stabilizing the environment in the Damon basements where the collections are stored, and stabilizing the long-neglected Shepherd Barn. Members of the Board are donating time and money to support this project, and they are gathering contributions from others in the community. But four historic buildings require considerable care, and to do so this important local institution also needs funding from the Community Preservation Act. Please help Historic Northampton preserve its historic buildings so they can continue to make history present for generations to come. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Janet S. Gross 57 Prospect St. Northampton, MA 01060 Sept. 3, 2015 Northampton Community Preservation Committee Dept. of Planning & Sustainability City Hall – 210 Main St. Northampton, MA 01060 Dear CPC: This letter is to support Historic Northampton’s application to the Community Preservation Committee for funding to continue to restore and preserve the Parsons, Shepherd and Damon Houses. Historic Northampton has been especially helpful to me in my research for a book project on the 1840s utopian community in Florence, the Northampton Association. In fact, I’ve been so impressed that I recently decided to up my status as a supporting member and volunteer my time and effort too. This collection of buildings is a precious resource -- the embodiment of our town’s history. We cannot afford to lose it. Director Nancy Rexford has done an astonishing job with CPC’s previous grant award. Basic structural repairs and cleanup of all three buildings have halted further deterioration and remediated critical environmental problems like asbestos, fiberglass and mold. These structures are now clean and dry and inviting. However, these historic properties need additional work. I wholeheartedly support the work that Historic Northampton has done and the additional work they propose in their fall 2015 CPC grant application. Committed board members and volunteers are donating their time, and money, to support this project. But this important local institution also needs funding from the Community Preservation Act. Please help Historic Northampton to preserve its historic buildings so that they can continue to make history present for generations to come. Sincerely, Aubin Tyler Northampton Community Preservation Committee Dept. of Planning & Sustainability City Hall Northampton, MA Dear CPC: I am writing in support of Historic Northampton’s application to the Community Preservation Committee for funding to continue restoring and preserving the Parsons, Shepherd and Damon Houses(a Historic District as designated in the National Register of Historic Places), buildings held in trust for the people of Northampton. I am impressed by the significant work already being done thanks to thegenerous CPC grant awarded to Historic Northampton last year. Most dramatic, the back wall of the Parsons House has been re-attached and a new basement is nearing completion. In Shepherd House, asbestos, fiberglass and mold have been professionally removed, the water that rotted away several critical support posts has been completely stopped and new timbers are now supporting the first floor. The Damon House windows are nearly all repaired and new storm windows will protect the antique sash as well as reducing heating costs. However, these historic properties—essential to preserve as part of Northampton’s history and to house collections from colonial times to the present—need additional work. I wholeheartedly support the work that Historic Northampton has done and the additional work they propose in their fall 2015 CPC grant application. I am impressed with the diligence and determination of the Acting Director and the active Board of Trustees, not only for completing physical tasks and overseeing repairs by professional contractors, but also for balancing the operating budget with operating revenue for the first time in 20 years, for hosting an increasingly active schedule of public programs and exhibitions, and for collaborating with schools and other local organizations. The Board of Trustees at Historic Northampton frequently reassesses and evaluates priorities for preserving its heritage resources in Northampton. At this time, the most urgent issues are replacing dangerous wiring in Parsons House, stabilizing the environment in the Damon basements where the collections are stored, and stabilizing the long-neglected Shepherd Barn. Members of the Board are donating their time, and money, to support this project, and they are gathering contributions from others in the community. But four historic buildings are a lot to take care of, andthis important local institution also needs funding from the Community Preservation Act. Please help Historic Northampton to preserve its historic buildings so that they can continue to make history present for generations to come. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Barbara Wright