Newton, Massachusetts Community Preservation Program  >>  Proposals & Projects

Citywide Historic Resources
location:
   citywide
goals:
   Citywide studies, inventories, and plans conducted to set piorities for or guide the preservation of historic buildings and sites throughout the City of Newton.
see also separate webpages for:
   City Archives and Historic Newton projects
total
funding:
  
$186,530 CP project funds appropriated  (historic resources)
$12,000 CP administrative funds committed by CPC
projects:
   6 (listed below in reverse chronological order)
- City Historic Buildings Survey
- Historic Architecture Survey: 1830-1840, Early Industrial Period
- Historic Preservation Guidelines
- Archaeology Survey
- Heritage Landscapes Report
- Local Historic Districts - Signage
primary
contact:
(for most projects below)
   Brian Lever, Senior Preservation Planner
Planning & Development Department
City of Newton
1000 Commonwealth Avenue
Newton, MA 02459
email:  blever@newtonma.gov
phone:  617.796.1129
secondary
contact
(for City Historic Buildings Survey):
   Stephanie Gilman, Public Buildings Commissioner
City of Newton
52 Elliot Street
Newton Upper Falls, MA  02464
email:  sgilman@newtonma.gov
phone:  617.796.1603
July 2004
   citywide historic resources goals: display from community process
used in developing Newton's Comprehensive Plan

City Historic Buildings Survey
location:
   city wide
goals:
   Identify the City's most historically significant public buildings, evaluate their significant features, and make recommendations for their preservation, rehabilitation, and adaptive re-use, within the context of the City's overall Capital Needs Assesment.
project
funding:
  
$98,780 CP funds appropriated  (historic resources)
$395,000 City of Newton Overlay Surplus Reserve Account
$20,000 CDBG (federal funds) 
$513,780
TOTAL COST
for City Capital Needs Assessment
PROPOSAL REVIEW & APPROPRIATIONS
7 January 2011
  pre-proposal
28 January 2011
proposal
28 January 2011
public hearing presentation (incl. photos)
18 March 2011
  letters of support
4 March 2011
  CPC funding recommendation
21 March 2011
  Board order (appropriation)
PROJECT NEWS
26 September 2011
  phase 1 report:      part 1;       part 2;      (long files, may load slowly)

Phase 1 was a brief survey of all City buildings, with rankings & recommendations for further, in-depth assessment of certain buildings.
6 December 2011
  phase 2 pilot format,  approved by CPC

Phase 2 provided detailed analyses & recommendations for the treatment of the most historically significant buildings identified in phase 1.

Historic Architecture Surveys
 Early Industrial Period (up to 1850)
location:
   city wide
goals:
   Correct and expand existing partial surveys of Newton's earliest buildings, to guide regulatory preservation, including the demolition delay, as well as future decisions about preservation funding.  Some significant early buildings have been lost since previous surveys were done; and the City's current information about many of its oldest buildings is either inaccurate or inadequate.
project
funding:
  
$37,500 CP funds appropriated  (historic resources)
$16,700 Massachusetts Historical Commission Planning Grant
$11,133 contributed services by Newton Planning Dept.  
$65,333
TOTAL PROJECT COST
PROPOSAL REVIEW & APPROPRIATIONS
14 October 2010
  proposal
Sept-Oct 2010
   proposal letters of support
17 November 2010
  public hearing presentation
25 January 2011
  CPC funding recommendation
21 March 2011
  Board order (appropriation)
PROJECT NEWS
April 2011
  $16,700 Massachusetts Historical Commission grant awarded for pre-1830 survey.
December 2011
  Work on the pre-1830 survey revealed that the City had about 400 remaining buildings from 1830-1850, rather than the 140 originally estimated for 1830-1840. Staff are pursuing an additional grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, which has required the new proposal to cover 1830-1850.  If that grant is not awarded, staff will document highest-priority 1830-50 buildings using CPA funds only.

Historic Preservation Guidelines
goals:
   Create guidelines to assist the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) and the Newton Historical Commission (NHC) in evaluating the eligibility of proposals for funding as required under the Community Preservation Act; and to assist proposal sponsors in meeting the Newton CPC's requirement to apply federal standards in establishing  significance, identifying significant features, and choosing appropriate treatments for historic buildings. The guidelines will use Newton-specific examples to illustrate both appropriate and inappropriate changes to historic buildings, by style and period.

The Newton Historical Commission will serve as the project manager in finding additional required matching funds, in hiring and overseeing a qualified consultant, and in leading adoption of these guidelines by both the NHC and Newton's local historic district commissions, to promote consistency between CPC funding recommendations and the City's regulatory decisions.
total
funding:
  
$12,000 Newton CPC administrative funds 
$15,000 Massachusetts Historical Commission grant
TBD contributed services from members of the Newton Historical Commission and other volunteers, including local preservation architects
$27,000
TOTAL PROJECT COST
contact:
   Newton Historical Commission
c/o Brian Lever, Senior Preservation Planner
Planning & Development Department
City of Newton
1000 Commonwealth Avenue
Newton, MA 02459
email:  blever@newtonma.gov
phone:  617.796.1129
PROJECT NEWS
14 October 2009
  original proposal
18 November 2009
   project presentation  (incl. photos)
17 June 2010
  administrative funding request
7 September 2010
  commitment of Newton CPC administrative funding 
15 March 2011
  Massachusetts Historical Commission grant

Archaeology Survey
location:
   city wide
goals:
   To guide future preservation and funding decisions, use above-ground data and ground-penetrating radar to identify probable archaeological resources in Newton.
project
funding:
  
$37,750 CP funds appropriated including $750 for City of Newton legal services  (all funds for historic resources)
PROPOSAL REVIEW & APPROPRIATION:
5 December 2008
  proposal
Jan-Feb 2009
   proposal letters of support
14 January 2009
  presentation at public hearing
9 March 2009
  CPC funding recommendation
April-May 2009
   additional letters, including descriptions from other communities of how they have used such surveys
15 June 2009
  Board order (appropriation)
PROJECT NEWS:
2001

   Bolton, MA archaeological resources webpage, with:
sample public report, archaeological surveys & programs in other MA communities, state & federal requirements (incl. confidentiality), etc.
2003
   Westport, MA archaeological survey table of contents,
with links to all chapters (may take some time to load)
15 October 2009
  Newton, MA archaeological survey request for proposals
24 May 2010
  Newton, MA archaeological survey contract
6 December 2011
  final summary slide show presented to CPC
(large file, may load slowly)
2011
  final popular report
The final technical report of this survey is in the permanent files of the Newton Planning & Development Department, which will use it in recommending measures to mitigate possible negative impacts on archaeological resources from proposed development or other activities.

Heritage Landscapes Report
location:
   city wide
goals:
   Identify and evaluate historic public landscapes and streetscapes throughout the City, to inform management, preservation, and funding priorities for these resources.
project
funding:
  
$5,250 historic resources
$2,625 open space
$2,625 recreation land
$10,500
TOTAL CP funding
PROPOSAL REVIEW & APPROPRIATION:
10 December 2007
  proposal
4 April 2008
  CPC funding recommendation
22 April 2008
  Board order (appropriation)
PROJECT NEWS:
website
   Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation & Recreation
Heritage Landscapes Program
June 2008
  request for qualifications for Newton report
August 2008
  project summary (flyer) for Newton
22 April 2008
  schedule & handout  for community meetings in Newton
25 February 2009
  Newton Heritage Landscapes Report, first draft
30 April 2009
  Newton Heritage Landscapes Report, final
18 May 2009
  MAP of Newton's heritage landscapes (for final report)

Local Historic Districts - Signage
goals:
   Preserve the historic fabric of the Newton Upper Falls and Newtonville local historic districts by installing small outdoor signs to increase public awareness of these districts and their boundaries. Design will be consistent with signs that already designate the Chestnut Hill local historic district.
total
funding:
  
$2,000 CP funds appropriated  (historic resources)
PROPOSAL REVIEW & APPROPRIATION:
3 November 2003
  proposal
28 January 2004
   CPC funding recommendation
15 March 2004
  Board order (appropriation)

CONTACT:  
Alice E. Ingerson, Ph.D., Community Preservation Program Manager
Newton Planning & Development Department,
City Hall, 1000 Commonwealth Ave., Newton, MA 02459
phone 617.796.1144, email  aingerson@newtonma.gov, TDD / TTY 617.796.1089