Category Archives: Historic Preservation

Historic preservation, Newburyport, MA, preserving, conserving and protecting buildings, objects, landscapes and street-scapes of historical significance in Newburyport, Massachusetts

Newburyport, 11-13 Ship Street—Sold

Magical places, yup 11-13 Ship Street is what I would consider to be one of those magical places. It is a two family federalist home. The property goes back to Smith Street. And in the back of the house is the most delightful orchard. The property has a wonderful spirit to it and a remarkable sense of place.

The property sold in March to 1804 Associates, LLC at 16 Grapevine Road in Wenham, Massachusetts.

The fairly substantiated rumor is that whoever these folks are, they are going to demolish the property and put up a “replica.” Ouch.

I’ve been in contact with the Newburyport Preservation Trust and unfortunately at this point they do not know anymore than I do.

I did a little snooping to try and find out who the buyers, 1804 Associates, might be. All I could find out was that 16 Grapevine Road is a residential area in Wenham, Massachusetts that is owned (this is courtesy of www.salemdeeds.com) by a Mr. Minot Frye.

The only thing I could find about Mr. Frye on Google was a paper on real estate risk management written in 1998. That’s it. It is not even clear whether or not Mr. Minot Frye is actually part of 1804 Associates.

It is clear however, that someone from out of town has bought this remarkable property, and it appears that their first response is demolition. Ouch.

When I talked to the folks at the Newburyport Preservation Trust they said that they would try and get in touch with the buyers and explain the financial incentives for historic preservation.

It would be really horrible to see this remarkable property destroyed.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, 30-32 Marlboro Street — Sold

For those of us who have wanted to know what was happening to 30-32 Marlboro Street, the property between Purchase Street and Hancock Street that goes all the way back to Madison Street, well, it sold on June 30, 2006.

Not to keep anyone in suspense or anything, this is all public record that can be found on Salem Deeds Online, www.salemdeeds.com (see link at the side of the Newburyport Political Blog,) the property sold to the neighbor at 36 Marlboro Street (who lives on the corner of Marlboro and Hanock) on June 30, 2006.

Well, relief, relief. The neighbor, Mr. Matthew Pieniazek, reportedly has tried to buy the property for years. Well yeh!

Mr. Pieniazek has done a beautiful job restoring and adding on to the other property next to his house on the corner of Hanock Street and Madison Street across from the “Neps.”

The house on 30-32 Marlboro Street is in pretty bad shape. It is a two family and was built I think in 1850. I have no idea if a demolition permit will be sought, but if the house on Hancock Street is any indication, well, Mr. Pieniazek appears to care a lot.

The neighbors say that a saltbox is going in on the Madison Street side of the property. This, however, has not been verified.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Massachusetts, Infill, Magical Places

There are absolutely magical places in Newburyport, Massachusetts. And many of them are hidden away in Newburyport’s Historic District. They are often found in side yards and backyards.

And yes, many of them are in danger because those spaces are just so juicy for the possibility of development.

And as an artist, I often go hunting for those magical places, and I’ve included two in this post. A hidden garden treasure on Milk Street.

garden-1.jpg
Milk Street Garden
Oil on Paper 7” x 7”
Mary Baker © 2005

And speaking of Milk Street, in Newburyport Massachusetts, there is a rumor there that very much upsets the neighborhood. The rumor is that 22 Milk Street is for sale. That alone is no problem. What has neighbors worried is that the property contains one of those large magical places, a large back yard that is ripe for development.

And what really has the neighborhood worried is that to get to that juicy back yard, part of a very historic home would have to be demolished.

Now this is all rumor, but the neighborhood is extremely concerned. And if anyone out there in web-land could offer some concrete (no pun intended) information that would be most helpful.

The magical garden depicted in this post is right next to the area that the neighborhood is so concerned about. If there is any truth to this rumor, you can see that not only an historic home would be endanger, but yet another one of those amazing Newburyport magical places would be effected as well.

Garden-2.jpg
Milk Street Garden
Oil on Paper 5” x 10”
Mary Baker © 2005

Mary Baker Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport, Nice Rumor, the Wheelwright House Property

I heard a nice rumor. (I much prefer nice rumors to lousy ones.) It was a nice rumor about the Wheelwright House Property that is for sale along High Street in Newburyport, Massachusetts. This is one of the properties that so many people have been beside themselves about, so I sure do hope this nice rumor is true.

The rumor that I heard would be that residents would “be pleased” at the outcome of this sale. How about that one.

(Although the house was still “for sale” in the Newburyport MLS listings when I recently checked? ) (When I did check the Newburyport MLS listings I was amazed at how many houses there are over a million dollars, I mean not 1.1 million, but more like 1.6, million-that’s a lotta dough folks, but I digress…)

When I heard this lovely rumor, it at the very least gave me a glimmer of hope, a feeling of mild relief. (When I’ll really be relieved is when we all find out if it is actually true or not.)

That is one huge piece of property that could really be butchered and destroyed by the wrong person. It could really destroy the Ridge (the elevated section of High Street, between State Street and Lime Street,) it could really destroy the historic roadway and it could really do major damage to our small historic seaport city.

I hope this lovely rumor is true. I really, really, really want to “be pleased” by this one.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Questioning the Advantage for Positive Infill for Newburyport, Massachusetts

I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that there could be an advantage for Newburyport, Massachusetts for the idea of “positive infill” as it has been defined in an earlier post. And in particular “increasing the number of units,” especially within Newburyport’s Historic District.

As I am beginning to understand it, infill can be an antidote to “urban sprawl.”

But, in Newburyport we now have the Open Space Residential Development Ordinance (OSRD), the purpose of which is to prevent “urban sprawl” or to quote the Ordinance itself:

“A technique to build residential subdivisions that maximizes the amount of preserved open space and protects local resources while not reducing the number of units built compared to a conventional sub-division.”

(The link to the entire ordinance is under “Helpful Links” at the side of the Newburyport Political Blog.)

I looked up the “Zoning Ordinance of the City of Newburyport” and under the purpose of the Ordinance it lists (among other things) the following:

* “To conserve the value of property, with due consideration for the character of the zones and their peculiar suitability for particular uses.”

* “To lessen congestion in the streets.”

* “To prevent overcrowding of land and to avoid undue concentration of population by regulating the height, number of stories and size of buildings and other structures, the percentage of the area of the lot that may be occupied, the size of the yards, courts, and other open spaces.”

* “To control the density of population by regulating the location and use of buildings, structures and land for trade, industry, residence or other purposes; and the height, size and location of these uses within the limits of the City of Newburyport.”

So it would seem to me that “positive infill” in Newburyport’s Historic District would go against the intent the Zoning Ordinance itself, not by “regulating the height, number of stories and size of building,” but by incrementally increasing an unduly amount of units that in that particular area because:

* It adds to congestion in the streets.

* It creates overcrowding of land.

* It increases the density of population.

* And it could decrease the value of the property within Newburyport’s Historic District and therefore Newburyport as a whole. (For example, if we start destroying High Street with infill in back or in front of those stately mansions, everybody’s property value would decrease, because Newburyport’s historic gateway, a key to its economic value, would at the very least be compromised, if not destroyed.)

And I would also add that “increasing the number of units” would seem to burden existing City services – schools, water and sewer, wear and tear on existing roadways.

And in regard to affordable housing, smaller lot size in this case would not “be reflected in lower costs.” Lots within Newburyport’s Historic District are extremely expensive, making the creation of affordable housing much more difficult in this particular area.

So while I can see where reasons for “positive infill” might apply to other municipalities, especially municipalities whose more urban areas are underutilized, I have a real problem with successfully applying this criteria to Newburyport’s Historic District in particular.

For me this would not be an example of “smart growth,” in fact for me it would be the very antithesis of “smart growth,” because this is an area in my mind that is beyond “dense,” this is an area that is on the verge of a “saturation point.”

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Infill Proposal at 347 High Street Touches a Nerve

Wow, there has been a lot of concern about the proposal that went in front of the Planning Board about a large infill project at 347 High Street.

The proposed infill project is a 2,800-3,200 square foot Greek Revival replica in front of a very historic Federal House. Apparently 347 High Street was one of the first Federal Houses on High Street (Possibly the first. I believe research is being done on that subject.)

The Newburyport Planning Board very intelligently decided not to give the applicant the go ahead. The Newburyport Planning Board felt that it would set a very bad precedent, building houses in front of existing houses on historic High Street.

As I said in an earlier post, since apparently a fair amount of effort has gone into the preliminary presentation, that it would not be unlikely to see this infill project at 347 High Street go before the Newburyport Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA.) One only hopes that the ZBA is as wise as the Newburyport Planning Board and also says “no.”

One of my concerns is that one of the members of the ZBA has recently sold their house at 325 High Street, thus enabling a 3 house infill project by Jim Mellett of Marlin Properties to take place. It would seem that this would be an enormous conflict of interest on the part of this ZBA member.

At the moment there is “open space” in front of 347 High (as well as on the other side of the historic colonial at 349 High Street.) The proposed dwelling would certainly impact both 349 and 343 High Street (which are both very close to the property line,) as it would the rest of this historic street.

There is also a very large street tree that would be impacted by a proposed driveway.

I know that two members of the Newburyport City Council who are on the Planning and Development Committee, Bruce Vogel and chair of that Committee, Tom Jones feel very strongly that this project should not take place. I cannot imagine that Councilor James Shanely, who is also on that committee, would not feel exactly the same way.

This particular proposal has hit a real nerve within the community of Newburyport. So much so, that it is reported that members of the neighborhood are investigating protecting at least part of the street by looking into forming a Local Historic District (LHD.)

This is music to my ears folks. Newburyport has fought having a Local Historic District for at least 50 years, feeling that it would impinge too greatly on people’s property rights.

But I cannot say it enough. The only sure way to protect the intrinsic character of historic Newburyport is a Local Historic District. (And we are one of the very few municipalities that do not to have a Local Historic District – they are the norm.)

The folks on Fruit Street are working on a Local Historic District for that street. I certainly hope that when that comes in front of the Newburyport City Council for a vote, that the Newburyport City Council will vote “yes.”

The eroding of the intrinsic character of Newburyport, Massachusetts has gone on for too long. I am always heartened when people are moved to take action.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport, Infill Proposal at 347 High Street

In the Newburyport Daily News, June 6, 2006, there was an article by Stephanie Chelf on four infill development projects that were going in front of the Newburyport Planning Board the next day. One of those proposed projects was at 347 High Street.

347 High Street is a large historic house in the Northend of Newburyport on the “Ridge” side of the street. The house is set way back from High Street. There is a great deal of land in front of the house. And there is a great deal of land in back of the house as well. If you go to the GIS map at the City’s website (see earlier post) and put in 347 High, you can see just how much land belongs to the property.

347 High Street is also a deeded 2 family house.

Yup, you guessed it, ripe for an infill project in a major way.

The owners of the property (I haven’t seen the minutes of that meeting yet, so I may not get this 100% right) came before the Newburyport Planning Board for preliminary hearing for I believe a special permit.

What the property owners proposed was a “modern” 2,800-3,200 square foot home that would be built in front of the existing house (4,755 square feet) that would be right along High Street. I believe the proposed house was a Greek Revival replica.

It is my understanding that the Newburyport Planning Board was not too impressed with the proposal because it sets such a bad precedence for building houses in front of the “Ridge.” Good for the Newburyport Planning Board.

Now this is just speculation, but I would imagine that since there is so much property involved and it is a deeded 2 family house that the owners probably would not stop at an unfavorable preliminary hearing in front of the Newburyport Planning Board.

I not sure what the next step could be. They might be able to go in front of the Newburyport Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and ask for a variance. My understanding is that the amount of frontage needed is not off by that much.

They could also build in back without any permission from the Planning Board or the ZBA since it is a deeded 2 family and if they kept within the zoning laws, which in this case doesn’t look like it would too difficult.

If I were a neighbor, I would go and talk (make an appointment) to Julie LaBranche at the Planning Office ASAP. Julie is a city planner. The phone number for the Planning Office is 978-465-4400.

I would also be calling my City Councilor Bruce Vogel, who is very much against “infill” and would be very helpful in this situation.

I would also call Tom Jones the chair of the Newburyport City Council Planning and Development Committee. And also give James Shanley a call, who along with Bruce Vogel is also on that same committee. All three of these men are very insightful and sensitive to the issue of “infill” in our city.

I would also be calling Linda Smiley, the chair of the Newburyport Historical Commission, and Linda Miller of the Newburyport Preservation Trust.

And yes, this is where I miss our ousted Planning Director, Nick Cracknell. Because Mr. Cracknell would know what the property owners would likely be able to accomplish. He would have been able to tell the neighbors and the various boards and committees whether it would be wise to compromise on a smaller, less intrusive project that would have less impact on the surrounding houses. Or whether this is an infill project that could be avoided all together. Or what infill project would be the least offensive on this site.

After all, this is High Street, the Grand Dame of Newburyport, the gateway to our historic city.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport, High Street and Development

I’m really disturbed by this new “infill” project at 325 High Street. This isn’t just any old street, (not that any of our streets are really “any old street”) but this is High Street, the “Grand Dame of Newburyport,” the amazing gateway to our small, historic city.

One of the things that concerns me is that as small properties in the Northend and Southend of Newburyport gradually get “eaten up,” what’s left for developers to make money on in Newburyport’s historic district is High Street.

There is a tremendous amount of land behind those gorgeous houses that are on the “Ridge” side of the street. 325 High Street is an excellent example. So is the Wheelwright House (again, I have no idea what is happening with that property.)

It would be incredibly ironic if having fought MassHighway so hard for the beauty and historic character of High Street, only to have it be marred by developers. Ouch.

Not to sound like a broken record here, but this sort of thing was something very much on the mind of former Planning Director, Nick Cracknell. And he was working on solutions to this dilemma. Like putting a zoning overlay on the front part of the “Ridge” (the area on High Street between State and Lime Street) to protect people from building in front of those beautiful houses. (You know, as a City we can still do that one.)

I’ve talked to people about putting on deed restrictions on their High Street properties. Some have actually done so. Others want the option of being able to sell to developers, because they know that that’s how they are going to make the most money.

Again, things felt a lot safer when Nick Cracknell was around, because at least I trusted him to come up with thoughtful and sometimes, to me, astounding solutions to what often seemed to me to be unsolvable dilemmas.

And frankly, I don’t think any of the alternatives (shown on the Undertoad Blog) are in anyway acceptable. Not even the one that shows the potential use of the new cluster zoning law, because it’s still a version of urban sprawl on High Street. Good grief.

And when I read that a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals was the seller, let’s just say that my blood pressure went way, way up. There is the New Yorker in me that just wants to shake my finger and go “honey, you should know better.”

So what do we do? Hope that Mayor John Moak comes up with a new planning director who can negotiate with developers, and architects and lawyers for the overall good of the city. We had one of those and he’s gone.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport, Old South Church Silent Auction

I would like to help get the word out about the Old South Church silent auction. The silent auction is not to help the congregation, it is to help preserve the steeple of the defining building of our neighborhood. I’m not a member, just a neighbor who would like to see it restored.

The steeple of the Old South Church, which is on the corner of Federal & School Street, is leaning. It must be repaired. It is going to cost more than $200,000. This is more than its small congregation can afford.

Old South Church is the oldest church in Newburyport, Massachusetts. George Washington attended a service there. And George Whitefield is buried under it. It has great significance.

There is a silent auction to benefit the Historic Restoration Fund on Saturday, March 25, from 6 to 8 PM ( the preview is at 5 PM ). There are lots of interesting items in the auction, including special dinners, a sailing charter, and antiques.

There will be food and entertainment and a chance to meet your neighbors.

Dick Monahan, Newburyport

Newburyport Preservation Trust

The newburyportpreservationtrust.com is currently up and running. It is in its infant stages and I as well as others are working closely with Linda Miller as the website of the Newburyport Preservation Trust develops. Linda’s goal is to have an efficient, successful site to inform all interested parties of the trust’s importance, how to join, recent success’, how to get involved etc.

It is encouraging to see all the support on this blog. Please make frequent
visits to the newburyportpreservationtrust.com to see updates.

Thank you for all your support. Anyone interested in finding out more can
visit the website or contact Linda Miller at 978-462-9079 .

Thank You
Diane Dodge, Newburyport

Editor’s note, October 24, 2006: The new web address for the Newburyport Preservation Trust is www.nbptpreservationtrust.org

Newburyport, Peter Miller and the High Street Email List

I first met Peter Miller in early January 1999. We both went to a meeting about High Street, held in the Newburyport City Council chambers. Peter Miller and Maria Nortz had just moved to town.

At that meeting, as I was making the decision to create Citizens to Save High Street, Peter Miller was taking down everyone’s email address. Now you have to remember, email was really new in 1999 ( yes, hard to fathom) and we all really wondered what the heck Peter Miller was up to.

Peter Miller was ( and still is, sadly, he and Maria Nortz have moved out of town) one smart cookie.

Peter Miller started the High Street email list, and I learned an awful lot from Mr. Miller. Peter Miller and the High Street email list were one of the very big inspirations for the Newburyport Political Blog.

From Peter Miller, I learned about how to make the tone of a “email posting” civil by using the words “could, would, might, may.” I was just amazed at how an email posting changed when those few verbs were applied.

Peter Miller also tried to make everyone look good, whether he agreed with them or not. He would make sure that the grammar was correct and that everything was spelled right. If he had questions about an email someone sent in, he would send it back and ask if they were sure that they would like it posted. If the answer came back “yes” that email was sent on to the High Street email list. And sometimes, after they had time to think about it, they often decided that maybe sending the email out to the High Street email list just wasn’t a good idea.

After the fight to save High Street had settled down, I was amazed at how many people had read the High Street email list. People printed it, passed it around, saved it, even archived it as a part of the history of how High Street was saved.

And the High Street email list also turned out to be an incredibly powerful political tool.

So if the Newburyport Political Blog survives, it will be due in great part to what I learned from Peter Miller. And I sure wish Peter Miller and Maria Nortz would move back to town. I sure could use their wisdom, their expertise and help. And a lot of other people miss them too.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

The Newburyport Preservation Trust is Great News

Hearing that someone has started an organization dedicated to the preservation of Newburyport is great news. The Newburyport Preservation Trust is something that is long over due in this city and I can’t wait to learn more about it.

I hope that its founder, Linda Miller, or one of its members, may post on this blog, and enlighten us to exactly what the Trust’s short term and long term goals are. Also, perhaps they could further explain exactly what membership would entail, as I am sure there are many citizens that are interested in having more information.

I wish the Trust all the good fortune in the world, and I wish to thank them for taking the first steps in preserving and maintaining the city which we have all come to love.

Ben Laing, Newburyport

Newburyport Preservation Trust, Website is Up

The Newburyport Preservation Trust’s new website is up. The Newburyport Preservation Trust was founded by Linda Miller, a local preservation architect. It is a private, non-profit corporation.

The Trust hopes to be proactive in working with the Newburyport Planning Department, the Newburyport Historical Commission and the Massachusetts Historical Commission in protecting the essential character of Newburyport, Massachusetts. To act to safeguard threatened resources–buildings, streetscapes and landscapes in our small New England historical city.

The Newburyport Preservation Trust has professionals “on-call.” Two local attorneys (for a fee) to answer legal questions and write deed restrictions. A Local accountant (for a fee) to answer tax and accounting questions. And an architect to answer questions about applicability of preservation techniques and what is or is not worth saving.

I think this is a tremendous resource for the citizens of Newburyport, Massachusetts. Many thanks to Linda Miller and to all the other people involved in making the Newburyport Preservation Trust happen.

Linda Miller can be reached at:
20 Ship Street,
Newburyport, Massachusetts, 01950
978-462-9079

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Editor’s note October 24, 2006: The new web address for the Newburyport Preservation Trust is www.nbptpreservationtrust.org

Newburyport, David Hall a Great Example of a Thoughtful Developer

In another response to Ron Martino’s post, David Hall, of Hall and Moskow, is a great example of someone in the community who has combined the old with the new.

David has also won the trust of the community.

David Hall has done an incredible amount for historic preservation–the gallery for the Art Association and moving an historic building that was on his property to another site are two examples. He has the well earned trust of people in town who value historic preservation.

He has also been working on the Rail Trail for years and managed to raise the money as well as help build the Skate Park at the Newburyport Nock Middle School.

I think part of why David Hall has been so effective is that he also appreciates and respects all the work that the City boards and commissions do. He has his ego in check. He works well with the Planning Office and enjoys them. And has had, I think, a pretty good relationship with various city councils and administrations, partly because of his easy going personality, and partly because all of the variety of ways that he has enhanced life in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

David Hall has built, what I consider to be a beautiful new building at the Tannery (not to mention the Tannery itself, which is a whole other post) which is contemporary, but fits in with Newburyport’s environment. To my knowledge there hasn’t been any contention about the new building (he also had a terrific opening where he invited the public in for a huge all day party for free–great public relations and marketing.)

The new building exists where two huge and unsightly storage tanks were once located. The new Tannery building consists of both residential and commercial units. It also provides parking and a pedestrian walkway connecting Water Street to the proposed Bike Path and to the Newburyport’s Waterfront. (And also in response to Ben Laing’s post, I think that this is an excellent example too of a development that benefits the citizens in Newburyport, Massachusetts.)

The Federal Street Overlay has been criticized by some architects as “being like Disney Land.” ( People tend to forget what might have gone in there, a huge 40-B housing project and also that the two historic homes on the property have been saved and beautifully renovated) Although I don’t agree with that opinion, I hope that most architects would agree that the new Tannery building is an architectural accomplishment as well as being an excellent example of a “win-win” situation for Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Mayor Moak Wins Hearts, Money of Local Business (and yes, Developers)

Tom Ryan, the editor of The Undertoad, way back in November wrote that developers won when John Moak was elected mayor.

One of today’s leading stories in the Newburyport Daily News is about how the largest donations to Mayor Moak’s campaign were from local developers and business owners. The Newburyport Daily News goes on to name them.

(Having the story on the front page of the Daily News this morning made me wonder if Mr. Moak and his supporters are actually reading the Newburyport Political Blog and would like their side of the story to be told.)

I would like to say for the record that my experience has been that often the business community has been reluctant if not the very last segment of the Newburyport community to get behind issues that are important to local historic preservation.

In fighting for High Street’s preservation against MassHighway, I found myself frustrated in getting the business community to take a stand against such an obvious threat to the community and their own economic prosperity.

In the fight to save One Temple Street against demolition, it was actually an institution in the business community that was destroying part of historic downtown Newburyport.

Most of the developers that are listed in the Newburyport Daily News are not historic preservationist. Often the shell of a building that these developers “restore” maybe left standing, but all the historic elements are usually gutted and often rescued by someone in the community who understands their worth.

No wonder that there are supporters of John Moak who dislike Nicholas Cracknell, Newburyport’s Planning Director, so much. Mr. Cracknell is a planning director that is holding developers in Newburyport accountable and fighting for real historic preservation.

If I were Mayor John Moak, I would not be proud of the article in today’s Newburyport Daily News. I would be embarrassed that there are people who supported his campaign that often actively work against historic preservation. They may deny it, but people in Newburyport, Massachusetts know that it’s true.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Please Save the Perkins Mint on Fruit Street

I was a resident of Newburyport from 1922 to 1940. I am keenly interested in Jacob Perkins’s workshop and have been talking with Jim Roy, Nick Cracknell, Al Cliffordf, Jay Williamson, Wilhelmina Lunt and others.

Nicholas Cracknell is absolutely necessary for Newburyport. Without him historic Newburyport will crumble.

James Lagoulis’s plan to restore the front of the “Mint” and to place living space inside the “Mint” is the least attractive of the many solutions.

I have written the Bureau of Engraving and Printing asking them to make a site visit to view the building where Jacob Perkins created his inventions in relationship to steel engraving and the development of the methods to produce paper money. I will work towards interesting them in assisting in the reconstruction of the Perkins Mint. Newburyport survives on history, historic sites and historic heritage.

I applaud your writings in the Newburyport Political Blog, Mary. My feelings are similar to yours.

Melvin Shoul, Newton, MA

Jim Roy’s Article on Mayor Moak’s Threatening to Fire Nick Cracknell

I got a phone call this morning saying something to the effect of “Oh my #@ Mary! You were right! I voted for the wrong person! I should have listened to you! Have you read Jim Roy’s article in the Current this morning? John Moak is going to fire the planning guy!”

A little late I’m afraid for an “I told you so.” (The Undertoad did “hint” at this possibility as well.)

One of the things I’ve always liked about Jim Roy is that he doesn’t beat around the bush (anyone who knows Jim Roy, knows that to be an understatement.)

So to quote Jim Roy in today’s Newburyport Current, January 27, 2006:
“Candidate Moak spent a lot of time this past fall blathering on about our city’s architectural heritage, yet what is he doing now? Threatening to fire city planner Nick Cracknell because developers hate him.”…”If Moak has Cracknell walk the plank, it will represent a betrayal to even lip service that he intends to protect our architectural legacy.”

The whole article is well worth reading. You can find it on line at www.townonline.com/newburyport.

A Story from Todd Woodworth and Why I Don’t Think the Newburyport Waterfront Will be Solved in my Lifetime

Todd Woodworth, one of Newburyport’s beloved local historians, told me a fascinating story. Now, because Todd Woodworth told it to me, I believe it is true. (I’ll admit, I haven’t double and triple checked it with Todd.)

Todd Woodworth told me a story about the statue of George Washington that is at the Newburyport Mall (which for those of you who have never been to Newburyport, is on historic High Street above Newburyport’s historic downtown.)

Apparently after completing the statue of George Washington, the artist was so upset with the people of Newburyport that he put his own name below the statue on the marble pedestal instead of George Washington’s name.

According to my conversation with Todd, it took the Newburyport Historical Commission 50 years to get the City of Newburyport to change the name from the artist and put George Washington’s name below the statue instead.

What fascinates me about this story is what did the people of Newburyport do to make the artist so angry that he put his own name below the statue instead of George Washington’s. As well as the fact that it took 50 years for the City to put in the statue’s correct name.

For approximately 30 years Newburyport has been debating on what to do with a piece of property downtown that goes along the mouth of Merrimac River called the “waterfront.” The debate continues with yet another administration.

Unfortunately, unlike the statue of George Washington, there are no obvious or easy answers to this controversy. I figure if it took the City of Newburyport 50 years to put the correct name under the statue of George Washington, it’s very likely that the waterfront won’t be resolved in my lifetime.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport’s Site Plan Review, a Strong Planning Director and the New Mayor

Several years ago the City of Newburyport established the “site plan review.” In today’s Daily News (January 26, 2006) Doug Locy, the Chairman of the Planning Board, explains that the purpose of the site plan review is to “protect the city’s historic characteristics.”

Mayor John Moak is quoted in the Daily News today as saying that he feels Nicholas Cracknell, the Planning Director for Newburyport, is “forcing ‘too much personal taste’ on developers” and would like to create a new board to take over the reviewing process.

Jonathan Woodman, a Newburyport architect, is also quoted. Mr. Woodman has become an extremely controversial figure, having taken on the project of expanding the Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank. This project has entailed the demolition of one of Newburyport’s historic downtown buildings, One Temple Street. This has been felt by many to set a dangerous precedent, seeing that almost none of downtown Newburyport is protected from similar destruction (see earlier post.)

Mr. Woodman has also been criticized for creating a structure that is out of keeping with Newburyport’s historic character. Anger over the project has become so heated at points that the outspoken editor of The Undertoad, Tom Ryan, has gone so far as to call the design a “goiter.”

In the article Jonathan Woodman is quoted as saying, “sections of the site plan review law are stifling design” and that “the design review process should look at making things better, not making them conform.”

It appears to me that yes forming a review board is an excellent idea. But what seems to be the real issue is that Mr. Cracknell has ruffled many a feather in fighting to keep Newburyport’s historic character. Having sat through almost the entire site plan review of the Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank, I would guess that a few of those ruffled feathers have been Mr. Woodman’s and quite likely the bank’s and portions of the business community itself, along with any number of developers.

It does not sound from the article in the Daily News that Mayor Moak has any real enthusiasm for keeping on Planning Director Nicholas Cracknell. One gets the feeling that an extra three-month trial (see earlier post) will most likely not change his mind. The City of Newburyport will loose a defender of historic preservation.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

The Newburyport Preservation Trust Supports Newburyport’s Planning Director Nicholas Cracknell

The City of Newburyport has benefited greatly from having Nick Cracknell as Planning Director.

Many good projects have been completed that would not have been successful if he were not here. Long-range planning issues such as growth, waterfront development and open space have been addressed in a thoughtful, long-term direction.

Preservation of buildings, streetscapes and landscapes is the principle mission of the Newburyport Preservation Trust and we hope to be working with Nicholas Cracknell for a long time.

Mr. Cracknell is dedicated, enthusiastic and insightful in his job and uses the long-term welfare of the City as his goal.

We strongly support the retention of Nicholas Cracknell as Newburyport’s Planning Director and hope others will come forward to give support, and encourage the City to look at the larger picture.

Linda Miller, Newburyport

Linda Miller is the founder of The Newburyport Preservation Trust. Linda is also a restoration and preservation architect who works in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Linda can be reached through her website at www.lindamillerarchitect.com.

Editor’s note, October 24, 2006: The new web address for the Newburyport Preservation Trust is www.nbptpreservationtrust.org