October 6-10 Jack Kerouac Festival Lowell
Celebrating the spirit of Kerouac in his home town. Donations Requested
www.lowellcelebrateskerouac.org October 22 "Welcome to Our Home"
A Living History Tour Concord, MA An interactive tour lead by a guide in period clothing, telling first hand stories and anecdotes about the Alcott family and their friends. Adults $12.00; Seniors/College Students $10.00;Youths (6-17 years) $8.00; Children (2-6 years) $4.00; Family Rate (2 Adults & up to 4 youths) $30.00; (Orchard House Members, Half-price on individual tickets only); Space is limited; reservations & pre-payment strongly suggested. Phone 978-369-4118 x 106 for information/reservations. www.louisamayalcott.org October 23 J.C. Ayer & Co. During the Civil War Lowell 1-2:30pm A few short stories of the J.C. Ayer Company's activities during the Civil War. Free October 25 How to Research Your Historic Home Boston, MA Mark Kiefer of the Beacon Hill Architectural Commission presents a lecture on the tools you can use to learn more about the history of your home, as well as the stories of past inhabitants. Historic New England's Manager of Preservation Services Sally Zimmerman is on hand to discuss useful resources available to historic homeowners. Cosponsored with the Beacon Hill Civic Association. $10 Historic New England members, $20 nonmembers; Registration is recommended. Please call the Beacon Hill Civic Association at 617-227-1922 for more information or to register. www.historicnewengland.org October 29 School Street Cemetery Restoration Lowell
10am-2pm We will be doing gravestone inventory and mapping, gravestone cleaning, light landscaping around the site, and uprighting fallen stones. This is a Lower Highlands Neighborhood Group project. Volunteers are needed and welcome. Free Contact Taya Dixon lowerhighlands01851@gmail.com
November 20 Old English Cemetery Tour Lowell
12p Discover the cemetery's history, gravestone symbolism, and the on going effort to preserve this historic burial ground.Free
Contact kzunino@lowellma.gov
Chapter Meeting of the Association for Gravestone Studies Lowell 1:30-5pm A series of presentations on the study of gravestones and cemeteries. Free Contact kzunino@lowellma.gov Check out the full cultural calendar at COOL's website www.cultureiscool.org Culture is alive and well! |
October 11, 2011 November 14, 2011 December 12, 2011 *To place an item on the Agenda advanced notice is required. Contact the Administrator at sstowell@lowellma.gov |
ABOUT the LOWELL HISTORIC BOARD |
The Lowell Historic Board is the City of Lowell's historic preservation agency charged with the preservation, protection, and enhancement of Lowell's historic resources. Created by state statute in 1983, the Board has design review, permitting, and enforcement authority in eleven review districts. In addition, the agency maintains a comprehensive survey of over 2,500 historic resources in Lowell; provides citywide technical assistance related to preservation, design, and history; and has an active education and outreach program including house markers, historic cemetery initiative, and Doors Open Lowell, the first such event in the United States when first presented in 2002. See our website for more information about the Lowell Historic Board |
| | | | Welcome Back to the Lowell Historic Board's quarterly newsletter, PRESENCE from the PAST! After a several-year hiatus, we've brought back our newsletter in a new on-line format which we hope you like and we'd love to hear from you regarding any topics you'd like to see in future editions. Things are very busy at the Historic Board from recently approving over 1,200 solar panels at Loft 27 downtown, to the creation of the new Livingston Harvard Neighborhood District back in June, to working with our many property owners and businesses downtown on maintenance and signage needs, to helping assist in the preservation of Lowell's historic cemeteries such as Claypit and Hunt-Clark. Through this newsletter we hope to keep you informed on the Historic Board's diverse activities and programs throughout the city that help protect and highlight Lowell's historic resources. Stephen Stowell Richard Lockhart Administrator Board Chairman |
New Neighborhood District Created Stephen Stowell In an effort to better protect neighborhood character and guide future development activity, in June the Lowell City Council established a new neighborhood district under the jurisdiction of the Lowell Historic Board. The Livingston-Harvard Neighborhood District is comprised of approximately 65 parcels and is similar to eight other neighborhood districts established in 2005 in that only demolition and/or new construction will be reviewed and approved by the Board. Located in the Highlands neighborhood, the district includes properties found on portions of Harvard, Livingston, Nicollet, Troy, and Winona Streets as well as Princeton Boulevard. Historically the area is representative of the development of new neighborhoods in outlying areas of Lowell in the late 19th century, due in part to the expansion of electric trolley lines. Homes in the district are reflective of styles found in other similar subdivisions developed during the same period in Lowell and include homes found in the Italianate, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival styles among others. Created as a middle class neighborhood, the area saw two major waves of development. In the 1890s newly available land attracted wealthy business owners to build their homes on the farm land surrounding Lowell's city center. During the 1920s the area was rapidly developed into blocks of affordable single family homes. The Livingston-Harvard Neighborhood District seeks to protect the existing historic structures in the neighborhood from demolition while also assisting in helping ensure that any proposed new construction is in keeping with character of the area. Other than review of demolition or new construction, the Board does not review any other work in the District in terms of existing buildings such as siding, roofing, windows, and paint. Work is also ongoing to include the district on the National Register of Historic Places similar to other districts found throughout the city and in the Highlands such as Tyler Park.
Contact Stephen Stowell at sstowell@lowellma.gov
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Keeping Downtown (and Your Building) Shining Stephen Stowell Take a look around downtown in the last few weeks and you're bound to come across some fall projects that are addressing maintenance needs at several buildings. Ranging from painting to roofing, these projects keep these historic properties from falling into a state of disrepair which could lead to more extensive and costly repairs down the road. Proper maintenance and upkeep of these structures helps maintain the historic character of downtown and the National Park. 
| Masonry repointing at Trio, 30 Market Street |
Over at 30 Market Street, the Trio Condominiums housed in the former Hamilton Manufacturing Company Dye House (1883) is undergoing 100% repointing of its brick masonry façade. Enterprise Bank is not only undertaking masonry repointing at Old City Hall (1829) at 222 Merrimack Street but also extensive window restoration, new slate roofing, and painting among other items. Further down the street at 104 Merrimack, the Robbins Block (ca. 1855), one of downtown Lowell's earliest Italianate style commercial buildings, is having its period storefronts repaired and the entire façade is being repainted in a new, period-appropriate color scheme that should draw attention. The Mitchell Block (ca. 1887) at 17 Kirk Street just recently had its façade repainted. And finally, both 72 Merrimack Street (former First Unitarian Church, 1832) and 92 Central Street (Spaulding Building, ca. 1845) are having their storefronts repaired and repainted. The Historic Board has worked with all of these property owners on the review and permitting of their work scopes to ensure that the work is appropriate and consistent with good preservation practice and the district's guidelines. Minimum maintenance of all structures is a requirement in the Downtown Lowell Historic District and these owners have been very proactive in doing cyclical maintenance on their own initiative and working with the Board. Unfortunately, some are not as proactive and notices sometimes have to be sent to property owners who fail to minimally maintain their properties. Good stewardship of historic properties in the downtown is a responsibility of every property owner and the Board is always available to provide guidance on any maintenance questions or concerns. |
Historic District Goes Solar
Stephen Stowell At the September Historic Board meeting, members voted unanimously to approve the installation of 1,260 solar panels on the roof of Loft 27 on Jackson Street. Located in the former Hamilton Manufacturing Company's Mill No. 7 (1911), this National Historic Landmark structure is home to over 170 apartments owned and managed by the Winn Companies. This $1.7 million project will provide 327kw of electricity and despite the size of the installation, will be virtually invisible when looking at the building from the surrounding area. Rooftop mock-ups were viewed in advance that helped guide the careful placement and location of the solar panels so that there would be minimal effect on the historic appearance of the building. The Historic Board has taken the approach that solar panels, green roofs, and other green and/or sustainable elements can be successfully integrated into historic structures by working with applicants throughout the design process. With the Loft 27 project, the Board has approved nearly 3,500 solar panels in the Downtown Lowell Historic District since November 2010 including projects at Western Avenue Studios and North Canal Apartments.
Contact Stephen Stowell at sstowell@lowellma.gov |
The Value of Historic Cemeteries  In the early days of Lowell, cemeteries played a vital role in the community. Besides a final resting place for the dead, they were also valuable green spaces in the growing city, popular for passive recreation and peaceful reflection. Even today one can see people walking through local cemeteries, enjoying a spell in nature.
Besides green space, cemeteries serve as an anchor, a reminder of the shared history of the community itself. A stroll through a cemetery will find names shared with streets, parks, and other neighborhood features. Cemeteries serve as outdoor museums, where one can see past cultural traditions set in stone. The symbolism found on older gravestones shows the changing attitudes the community had towards death. Benjamin Franklin once stated, "Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you  have." Simply put, the condition of a community's burial grounds directly reflects on the surrounding community. Just like a deserted, crumbling building is detrimental a
neighborhood, so is an unkempt cemetery. How we care for the final resting places of those who came before us says a lot about our communal values. The City of Lowell has six municipal cemeteries, three of which, the Old English, the Pawtucket, and the School Street Cemeteries, are now closed to new burials. There are several large private cemeteries, like St. Patrick's Cemetery and the Lowell Cemetery, as well as several smaller private grounds, like the Woodbine Cemetery and the Hildreth Family Cemetery. There are two of undetermined ownership, the Hunt-Clark and the Claypit, as well as two managed by the town of Dracut (the Hildreth & Hamblett Cemetery). Contact Kim Zunino at kzunino@lowellma.gov |
We Can Help You House Marker Program: Do you wonder who lived in your house? The LHB House Marker program began in 1996 as a way to honor historic homes located in the historic neighborhood districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It has since been expanded to include homes that meet certain criteria which are not in a NR district. The markers are either hunter green (NRHP district) or burgundy (non-NRHP home) with cream graphics. Once an application is received, the staff will research the history of your home using various resources. Using public records, we can determine when the house was built, who the original owners were, and any changes made to the home over the years.  When the research is complete the owner will be notified of the information and a template will be designed. Once approved, the template will be brought to the sign company to have the marker created. When the marker is finished, it will be given to the owner with a bound report containing the history of the home. |
Then & Now! In each newsletter we will include a historic photograph of a building in Lowell. The building may or may not be still standing, but it is your challenge to figure out where it is and what the building looks like today. The correct answer and a current-day photograph will be included in the next newsletter. 
| This photograph is courtesy of the Center for Lowell History |
Submit your answer to: kzunino@lowellma.gov |
| | Lowell Historic Board Lowell City Hall ▪ 375 Merrimack Street Lowell ▪ MA ▪ 01852 ▪ 978.446.7200 |
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