Dalton Historical Hopes to Send Historical District Data to StateBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:30AM / Monday, July 08, 2024 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The first phase in establishing the proposed second historical district is moving along nicely, Historical Commission co-Chair Louisa Horth said at Wednesday's meetings.
The commission hopes to send its material to Massachusetts Historical for review and approval by the end of July.
During its meeting last month, the commission divided the proposed district into multiple sections and assigned specific commissioners to each section.
The proposed district would run from the cemetery on Park Avenue down to Depot Street. Thus far, the district has pictures of all the historical homes from Park Ave to Depot Street.
Massachusetts Historical has to review this material to verify that the area has enough historical significance to be considered a Historical District.
In the first phase of this project, the commission is responsible for taking pictures of every building within the district that meets historical status.
In the first phase, the photos will include the building's address, age, and lot number. In the second phase of the project, the commission will have to complete documents for every building to provide more information, such as the buildings' historical significance and architecture.
Commissioners commented that they have been getting conflicting information on when some of the buildings were built but said they will confirm with the assessor's site.
Horth said Massachusetts Historical did not guarantee it will approve establishing the district. If approved, the commission can hire a preservation specialist to start the process of getting this designation.
The Cultural Council awarded the commission a $5,000 grant to hire a preservation specialist. The funds must be spent by December.
It is unclear how long it will take Massachusetts Historical to review the preliminary information.
If the district is not approved or does not hear back from Massachusetts Historical regarding the district's status, then the funds can be used for something else, co-Chair Debora Kovacs said.
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