Massachusetts historical committee drafts demolition guidelines

The Old Kings Highway Historic District Committee, Barnstable, Massachusetts, has written a draft of guidelines for demolishing historic buildings, a report by The Sandwich Enterprise says. The committee says establishing guidelines will help owners determine whether structures on their property are historically significant.

The guidelines state that if buildings are more than 75 years old and are in the historic district, the committee should be consulted. The committee would research the history of the building to determine its significance.

If the building is significant, the committee would help owners determine the best course of action. The report says ideally, owners would follow the Massachusetts Secretary of the Interior’s guidelines to restore, repair and replace.

If the building must be demolished, the committee would prefer if the building materials were salvaged, the report says. A committee member suggested an independent engineer should be hired on a case-by-case basis to inspect historic homes before demolition to determine if the home can be saved.

Concern over historic building demolition rose after a home that was built for glass factory workers, was razed. The historic district committee and Sandwich Historical Commission attempted to stop the demolition, but the efforts were suspended after the building’s inspector found the building was unsafe, the report says.