September 18, 2013

Town Hall

Medfield, MA 02052

Dear John:

After last night’s hearing and due process, the Medfield Historical Commission is invoking the demolition delay bylaw on a Techbuilt house at 9 Causeway Street owned by Greg Whelan.  The commission finds the house to be a “preferably preserved and historically significant structure.”  Therefore, no demolition permit may be issued for the house, for a period of 18 months, without the commission’s express permission.

The house, built about 1958, is one of the few surviving Midcentury Modern houses in Medfield, and it contributes significantly to the small Causeway Lane neighborhood of houses in that general style. Six area residents came to the hearing, and all those who spoke encouraged its preservation.

At the hearing, Greg Whelan said he had changed his mind and only wanted to demolish the garage; he’d keep the house and make improvements.  However, the application was to demolish the house, and we adhered to it and invoked the delay.   He said he’d come back with a counter proposal that he hoped we’d view favorably.  There is some chance that the garage was originally a carport (most Techbuilt houses came with carports to keep costs down), but if so, fuzzy or nonexistent records will make it hard to tell when it was enclosed as a garage.

Sincerely,

David F. Temple

David F. Temple, Co-Chair

cc: Board of Selectmen