HC-CPC-St. John Cantius-Stover comment 7-20-2022.pdfGerrit Stover 55 Fairview Avenue Northampton, Massachusetts 01060
Brian Adams, Chair
Community Preservation Committee
210 Main Street
Northampton, Massachusetts 01060
Martha Lyon, Chair
Historical Commission
210 Main Street
Northampton Massachusetts 01060
July 20th, 2022
Dear Historic Commission and CPC:
I have followed the odyssey of St. John Cantius church for several years -- and have treasured the
presence of this beautiful and historic building since moving to Northampton in 1979. In fact, my love
for our unique downtown led me to serve on the committee which created the Central Business
Architectural ordinance (and many years later, to purchase office space in an historic building here). My
land conservation career included involvement in the statewide effort to pass the Community Preservation
Act: Even if admittedly not an expert in the letter of these two laws, I certainly do understand their intent.
It seems that there are three questions before you:
1) Is St. John Cantius Church an historic building worthy of preservation?
The answer is surely ‘yes’. The church is on the State Historic Register, is a key architectural
component of the Pomeroy Terrace Historic District, and clearly played an important role in the history of
the Polish immigrant community.
2) Is the nature of the proposed restoration work an appropropriate use of CPA funding?
Owners of regulated historic buildings are, for reasons of economic or structural feasibility, often
allowed to substitute materials or construction methods similar to, but not identical to those used
originally. Changes from historic use, physical configuration, and architectural details necessary to
enable re-use are also frequently allowed, to make re-use possible and thereby prevent loss of an entire
building: Insisting on unattainable adherence is an instance where ‘the perfect is the enemy of the good’.
Considering the above, O’Connell Development Group’s originally proposed substitutions were
perfectly appropriate. It is worth pointing out, too, that the latest proposed details of their restoration plan
are even closer to replicating original conditions.
3) Is O’Connell Development Group an appropriate recipient for CPA funding?
Some apparently have philosophical objections to CPA dollars going to any entity which is not
municipal or a non-profit. That constraint is nowhere to be found in the Community Preservation Act, for
any of the four categories of projects the Act covers. Furthermore, there are no competing applications
from non-profit or municipal entities.
But there are two other, critical, essential facts: The purpose of the ‘Community Preservation Act’
is just that. Funds are to be used to support projects which sustain, augment, or add to historic
preservation, affordable housing supply, protection of critical natural and agricultural lands, and
recreational opportunities. It is not the recipient, but the benefit to the community that matters.
Restoration and permanent protection of St. John Cantius delivers substantial benefits to Northampton.
And, finally, in Northampton, only a few of the buildings which form our beautiful, historic
downtown are owned by government or non-profit organizations: If support for preservation is confined
to those few structures, our architectural and historic heritage will inevitably disappear as building owners
are faced with restoration needs they cannot financially justify on business reasons alone.
Sincerely,
Gerrit Stover