ORLEANS – Can historic preservation funds through the Community Preservation Act be used to finance new construction? That was the question facing the Centers for Culture and History in Orleans regarding its application to use $55,000 in community preservation money to help fund the design and engineering of a new building to house the historic CG36500 lifeboat. Jay Stradal, president of the CHO's board of ...

Construction Puts Museum Off-limits HARWICH — The front steps to Brooks Academy are gone and so are the in-person visits to the Harwich Historical Society’s museum. With the new foundation work underway to shore up the historic structure, the society will be functioning remotely. “ Since the foundation repair and excavation on the building is phase one of a multi-step plan for Brooks Academy, the soci...

HARWICH – T h e planning board has unanimously approved permits for the historic West Harwich schoolhouse to be converted into seven one-bedroom apartments and for a second structure with three additional one-bedroom apartments to be built on the east side of the property. There is one additional approval necessary before the project can move forward. Project proponent John Carey requested a 60-d...

Time Will Allow Inspection By Historic Preservationist CHATHAM – How deep should the historical commission delve to determine if an old building is historically significant? That was one of the questions facing the commission last week when it considered a request to demolish a 117-year-old Stage Harbor Road house. While representatives of owners Susan Probst and Anthony Grimm asserted that there was nex...

HARWICH – T h e Harwich Fire Association and the H arwich Conservation Trust becam e the new owners of the former fire station property at 203 Bank St. last Thursday, and that evening the association was before the community preservation committee seeking $350,000 to restore the facade of the aging building. Firefighter Joseph H. Rego, III, the project manager, made a presentation to the commi...

ORLEANS – A revised application for funding renovations to the Main Street community center is going back before the community preservation committee for reconsideration. The select board voted 5-0 Nov. 16 to submit the application for consideration for the annual town meeting in May. In March, the CPC voted against supporting the use of Community Preservation Act money for renovations to the center, common...

CHATHAM – A week after the zoning board of appeals shot down a request to build a single-family home on the former Monomoy Theatre property, the board declined to approve a second house on the land off Depot Road. The two homes are part of a four-lot subdivision that owner Greg Clark hopes to build to help finance the restoration of the historic Monomoy Theatre building and Washington Taylor House on the Main ...

CHATHAM – Plans for a four-house development at the former Monomoy Theatre property were dealt a blow last week after the board of appeals turned down a request for a special permit to build one of the homes. Board members said they didn't feel the proposed dwelling was compatible with the area. “It's a nice house, but it doesn't belong there,” said David Thomson. This is the second time the proposed dev...

HARWICH – The shoring up of historic Brooks Academy will begin soon after the selectmen approved the contract for the project Monday. Of the four bids submitted, Campbell Construction Group of Peabody’s was the only one within the town’s appropriation for the renovations. “Campbell Construction Group has successfully completed numerous projects with us over a period of about 20 years. We know them and their...

BREWSTER – The Brewster Historical Society has canceled its Taste of Brewster food festival scheduled for Oct. 6 due to continued COVID concerns and restaurant staff shortages. An email from the group said advance sale ticket money would be refunded. Those wanting to donate to the society’s annual appeal to bring home the “White Lady” figurehead from Henry Sears’ ship, Imperial, are invited to do so at www.bre...

HARWICH – T h e new owner of the former West Harwich schoolhouse was before the affordable housing trust last week with a preliminary plan for housing at the historic structure. Although in the conceptual stage, John Carey said he is planning to establish seven apartments at 5 Bell’s Neck Rd. Carey also said there would be very little alteration to the historic facade of the schoolhouse, con...

Historic Building Would Become Apartments HARWICH – Despite two town meeting petition articles related to the West Harwich Schoolhouse, selectmen voted Monday night to enter in a purchase and sales agreement for the historic structure. The town received three requests for proposals to purchase the town-owned building on March 25. Selectmen voted 4-1 to enter into the agreement with the high bidder, John Car...

ORLEANS – A request for funding to restore the Orleans Community Center on Main Street will not go before town meeting voters this spring as hoped. But advocates behind the project aren't about to throw in the towel on plans for the historic building. "We are committed to making this happen," Alan McClennen, who chairs the town's community center renovation task force, told the select board March 16. McClen...

ORLEANS – As the town's first fire station, there's no arguing the historic value of the Main Street Community Center. But the community preservation committee wasn't sold on the need to spend $2 million to restore the aging building. The committee voted 5-4 March 10 against endorsing the use of Community Preservation Act funds to make improvements to and bring up to code the building at 44 Main St., which dat...

CHATHAM – The National Register of Historic Places was established by National Historic Preservation Act in 1966 as a way to “identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archaeological resources,” according to the National Park Service, which administers the register. More than 96,000 properties across the nation are listed, representing 1.8 million contributing resources, including buildings, sites, d...

CHATHAM – Instead of armoring the eroding Ryder's Cove shoreline to protect a historic antenna tower, officials plan to investigate relocating the 100-foot-tall steel lattice structure inland. Moving the tower would be far less costly than installing some sort of coastal protection in front of it, according to a structural engineer, and could help open the shoreline as part of a planned park on the town-owned ...