January 5 Green Drinks Lowell Lowell Green Drinks Lowell is held at the new Lowell Beer Works at 201 Cabot Street in Lowell, MA every First Thursday of the month. (Lowell Beer Works is now located downstairs from the Brewery Exchange). Find us in the Private Function room or ask for us at the hostess stand. People gather from 5:30 until 7:30 or later. Consultants, students, tradespeople, and other interested citizens gather each month to share ideas and concerns about green topics. February 2 Green Drinks Lowell Lowell Green Drinks Lowell is held at the new Lowell Beer Works at 201 Cabot Street in Lowell, MA every First Thursday of the month. (Lowell Beer Works is now located downstairs from the Brewery Exchange). Find us in the Private Function room or ask for us at the hostess stand. People gather from 5:30 until 7:30 or later. Consultants, students, tradespeople, and other interested citizens gather each month to share ideas and concerns about green topics. Annual Lowell Winterfest The City's Annual Winterfest Celebration comes to downtown Lowell with winter fun for the whole family including the Soup Bowl Competition, Human Dogsled Competition, live performances, and family friendly arts & crafts activities. Visit Check out the full cultural calendar at COOL's website |
January 9, 2012 February 13, 2012 *To place an item on the Agenda advanced notice is required. Contact the Administrator at sstowell@lowellma.gov ** Click HERE for a complete list of submittal deadlines |
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 to our winter edition of PRESENCE from the PAST. The past few months have been busy as work in the Downtown Lowell Historic District is exceeding last year for the same period and we're eagerly anticipating beginning design review of projects at the Boott Mills, Lawrence Mills, and Massachusetts Mills. Elsewhere in the downtown, work continues on construction of the new Hamilton Canalway along Jackson Street and fall maintenance projects are wrapping up for the season in several locations. Other projects gearing up are having various final elements of their designs approved including the new University Avenue Bridge, Lowell Community Health Center in the Hamilton Mills, and 110 Canal Street in the Hamilton Canal District. Finally, we've assisted in co-sponsoring and organizing two cemetery workshops in Lowell in November that brought over 275 people to Lowell from several states. Stephen Stowell Richard Lockhart Administrator Board Chairman |
Neon, lit, or internally illuminated window signs 
| Haffner's recently restored vintage neon sign |
are one of those nagging details that can detract from much of the investment and hard work that has taken place over the years in the Downtown Lowell Historic District. Looking at the history of the neon sign and clearing up misconceptions can help everyone understand the reasoning as to why they can be so problematic in downtown's historic context. The first issue is the misuse of the term "neon sign." Neon signs are a type of signage that uses neon gas and glass tubing, often custom made for an individual business. The signs most commonly seen today are not neon, but mass-produced digital LED signs. Neon signs were an invention of the early twentieth century, most popular from the 1920s-1940s. It was discovered that neon or argon gas glowed when an electric charge passed through them. Glass tubes could be molded into any shape or form and even set on timers so images seemed to move. The Haffner's Gas sign, a landmark Lowell sign that was recently restored, is an example of this type of design. Another historic, period neon sign that survives is on the roof of the Sun Building in Kearney Square. Of course, tastes change and neon signs went through several phases, from Art Deco, where the elaborate signs were part of an overall building design, to the futuristic designs of the 1950s, when space travel was on everyone's minds. These signs are an important part of American history, and the LHB standards make an exception for custom designed neon signs that are compatible with the building's historic and architectural character. Context, character, design, and a building's era all play into the review of any proposed neon, lit, or internally illuminated sign.  
| LED & mass-produced neon signs are not allowed in the Downtown District |
That being said, mass-produced neon and digital signage (or any other internally illuminated signage) is not allowed to be placed in the windows of any building in the downtown. Examples include "OPEN" signs and any other signs that scroll, flash, etc. While not allowed to be in the windows, they are allowed in the interior of the store as long as they are on a wall at a right angle to the storefront. In addition, the Board can provide a custom open/closed sign free of charge for your business upon request that is more in keeping with downtown's character. The reasoning behind this regulation is multi-leveled but the main reason mass-produced digital and illuminated signage is prohibited is because it does not fit with the unique historical character of the downtown. Nothing distracts from the beautiful 19th century streetscapes like a street full of lit, blinking, scrolling, and flashing signage. |
Lowell Has Style Italianate By Stephen Stowell 
| Italianate house on Coburn Street |
In each newsletter, we'll focus on a different architectural style found throughout Lowell to help you discover the many treasures in the community. There are many architectural styles found in Lowell's downtown and neighborhoods ranging from the Federal of the early 1800s to a wide range of Victorian styles. In this edition, we'll focus on an early Victorian style, the Italianate.
Inspired by Italian villas and country homes, the Italianate style departs from the formality of the earlier Greek Revival style. The style is distinguished by the heavy use of ornamental brackets under wide cornices and under door and window hoods.
First appearing in the United States in the 1830s, pattern books published by Andrew Jackson Downing greatly influenced the spread of the style. Downing's books, Cottage Residences and The Architecture of Country Houses, helped popularize so-called Picturesque styles
| Coburn Street door bracket detail |
such as the Italianate through images, plans, and details. The style dominated American house construction from 1850 to 1880.
New technology and machines also helped the style flourish. Scroll saws, jig saws, and molding machines, all products of the Industrial Revolution, allowed the mass production and easy availability of details such as ornamental brackets. It was not uncommon to find earlier style buildings which were "modernized" during the mid 19th century with Italianate details due to their ready availability and relative inexpense.
The first appearance of the style in Lowell occurred with residential construction in the Washington Square Historic District in Lower Belvidere in the early 1840s. Other residential examples can be found in the Andover Street, Belvidere Hill, South Common, Wannalancit Street, and Wilder Street Historic Districts. 
| The Nesmith Building downtown displays paired arched windows and brackets. |
Italianate commercial buildings are easy to identify because, like residential
buildings in this style, they feature decorative, scrolled brackets and deep projecting roof cornices. Other details typically found on Italianate commercial buildings are projecting window caps and sills of either brick, stone, or wood. Several examples can be found along streets throughout the Downtown Lowell Historic District and in various millyards.
Identifying Features of the Italianate Style
* Low pitched roof with widely overhanging eaves with decorative brackets beneath
* Tall, narrow windows that are often arched or curved above
* Some residences include a square cupola or tower
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We Can Help You Lowell City Hall Archive
Lowell City Hall houses many public records dating back to the 1820s that can aid in genealogical research. The Lowell Historic Board has undertaken a project to identify and index many of the historical public records found in the attic of City Hall. A group of volunteers, including the Greater Lowell Genealogical Club, has been creating digital indexes that will soon be available to the public. The original records will continue to be housed in City Hall.
There are two collections containing information on veterans and a large collection containing information on those who applied for financial aid around the turn of the century. Other collections include passports and birth/baptism records that were surrendered when people were applying for work permits or public schooling during the heyday of Lowell's textile manufacturing. Click for description of indexes and collections |
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.
:Submit your answer to kzunino@lowellma.gov
*Please put Then & Now! in your Subject line. |
Fall 2011 Then & Now! Answer: Appleton Mills/Hamilton Canal  
- The Appleton Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1838.
- The majority of the complex was rebuilt between 1905 and 1918
- Appleton Mills is the most recent artist loft conversion project in downtown Lowell.
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| | Lowell Historic Board Lowell City Hall ▪ 375 Merrimack Street Lowell ▪ MA ▪ 01852 ▪ 978.446.7200 |
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