The Preservation Collaborative

The weather will be sunny but not too hot. Please come to the Wellington Neighborhood this Saturday, July 27, at 10 AM. We will be learning about this terrific part of Medford! Free!

May is preservation month! Join us on May 11, 2024 at 9AM for one of two walking tours of Haywardville, Massachusetts. Reservations are required. Please be sure to snag your free tickets by reserving them by clicking the link on our Facebook event (https://www.facebook.com/events/965544051424884) or directly on our Eventbrite page here: https://haywardville.eventbrite.com/

Going up! Framing is underway for the Littleton project. Check out the scale of the addition and how it carefully mimics that of the original cottage. A few interior shots give a glimpse into how the space will be used. What a fantastic new great room. This area provides much-needed space for many different uses. We look forward to seeing the building fully enclosed and ready to start to receive rough-ins and finishes.

A few views of our West Medford project. Want your dream house? I can help! Send an email and I'll be happy to meet with you!

We have a solid surface! The floor has been poured and that means the framing can start their task of enclosing the new addition. This is a time when the most change is visible. Out of thin air comes a building. Tune in next week as we provide an update on the shell and all the great work that the owner's contractor, Nexus II Construction and project management, did to complete this project.

Who likes concrete? We do! The foundation walls are complete. Next up, rough in for plumbing so that the floor can be poured. As soon as that is done, walls can start to be framed!

All good projects start with a solid foundation. The Littleton project (now complete) kicked off a year ago with excavation of the hillside for an addition that will double the size of this cottage-style home. We look forward to sharing more on this project while we gather up more history tidbits, prepare walking tours, and work on designing additions for our existing clients. If there's something you'd like us to talk about, drop a line and we'll look into it!

How about a splash of color to warm you up on this chilly Saturday? Wallpaper can make a statement. Our clients chose to have an accent wall in their half bathroom. The paper plays off the chrome green walls, which is actually a historic color found on many homes in New England. The colors bring out the white fixtures, that match the flavor and style of the house.

The Preservation Collaborative is pleased to announce that President Ryan D. Hayward will speak at the Eastern Massachusetts Historical Commission Coalition Meeting on demolition delay and the many forms of mitigation used to avert the loss of our historic resources. Join him virtually on February 6, 2024, at 10AM to learn more about what Medford and other communities are doing to encourage the resource of our irreplaceable historic assets. You can sign up for the program by following the link in this post.

Eastern Massachusetts Historical Commission Coalition – MAPC The Eastern Massachusetts Historical Commission Coalition is a partnership between MAPC, the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and Preservation Massachusetts started in 2023.

With winter weather this week, it has us thinking about insulation. Insulation can be a great addition when it is done right. In older houses, there are many different products being touted to help button up against the cold. The biggest one in our age is spray foam insulation. Is it the right product for our older houses? Not necessarily. In some applications, it can actually cause more problems than it solves. See this excellent article by VTDigger that dives into the downsides (https://vtdigger.org/2023/05/22/i-wanted-to-cry-devastating-risks-of-spray-foam-insulation-hidden-from-vermont-homeowners). Time tested materials such as fiberglass or blown-in cellulose might be more appropriate and save you thousands of dollars down the road. Be sure to do your research and know what the risks are before settling. Use the right product for the right application. Meeting code is just one of the many considerations. Want to know more, check out Old House Journal's guide to insulating (https://www.oldhouseonline.com/repairs-and-how-to/7-insulation-tips/).

New Salem Academy is a unique stacked plank structure. The building is constructed using dimension lumber placed in layers (think of it like a log cabin with more uniformity in the boards) to form the walls. The academy was charted in 1795 and operated into the 20th century. The schools main building dated to 1838. It has been carefully restored and now serves as a museum. Our firm worked with architect B. Goba & Associates to find a solution allowing universal access. Our work included documenting the structure and providing architectural drawings to the architect.

A few shots from when we documented and confirmed measurements on a historic brick masonry building in Boston's leather district. Located near South Station, this converted warehouse is now multiple offices. The owner needed updated plans to reflect the latest rental requirements. We confirmed the layout of every floor and updated plans to reflect existing conditions.

A few documentary photos of the now-demolished Thomas Clark House. Our firm volunteered to prepare architectural measured drawings and photograph the building. These are a few of our favorite shots of the house.

Happy November! As the spooky season winds down, we want to celebrate the preservation work at the Salem Witch House. The museum required special care as it boasts 17th-century original elements and an early 20th-century restoration to the present form. Existing conditions were carefully documented. Detailed drawings and specifications made the project approvals and construction go smoothly. The building has welcomed thousands of visitors since its completion.

Details make a project! The West Medford house renovation is moving along. Cabinets are taking shape, and outside details are nearly complete. We're inching toward final photographs and we can't wait to show this one off to the rest of the world!

Historic preservation is restoration, not ripping, stripping, and replacing. Work is carefully uncovered, assessed, measured, and reverse-engineered. Skilled builders will know how to work with old technology. They can rebuild even the smallest details, like this window removed years ago. A new window will be dropped in once the sill is rebuilt. The frame is fine, and the trim will be added once again. All nails will be wire nails like the original, but the claps will continue to be machine-cut nails with oval heads. Caulk and painting will follow. Once again, the window will provide light to an otherwise dark and dingy space. One could easily add a new construction window, but this is not the right way, nor stripping everything and starting fresh. Preservation is the right way to go with an older building.

The West Medford project moves right along. Exterior finishes are applied while the interior takes shape. This project added a new bedroom suite on the third floor and a mudroom and half bathroom on the first floor. The owners wished to match the existing finishes so we made every attempt to design a compatible building.

A glance back at our Arlington job where we renovated an empty attic into a new bedroom suite complete with bathroom and walk in closet! The owner kept all the existing details and charm on the main level while renovating the kitchen entirely. The project is a great example of old and new working together.

Looking back almost a year ago, when our Medford clients started construction on their renovations adding a mudroom/bathroom as well as a dormer for their new third-floor bedroom suite. This job is done, but we'll post periodic construction updates so you can follow along with their progress! In this post, we hit ledge while pouring the foundation, and up goes the new framing.

This remarkable Italianate residence sitting on a hill behind Medford Square was constructed as a gift to Henry Bradlee (1821-1861) and his wife Hephzibah Hall (1821-1908). The house was built on land owned by the Hall Family and was held in trust by Hephzibah's Brother's Frederick Dudley and Horace Dudley Hall. The house is remarkably well preserved on the interior. The exterior will receive a much-needed facelift to restore its lost character-defining elements. This work is guided by historic photos as well as surviving evidence hidden under its aluminum cladding. It is not clear who designed this beauty but we're proud to be helping return this home to landmark status.

Our Cambridge clients are interested in exploring both interior and exterior renovations that will increase the functionality of the building while restoring a bit of its past character. The house is Federal Style, and we're digging into the design development phase to see how we can make small changes with big impacts. Here's a very early rendering of the rejuvenated exterior.

We've been absent for months! We'll post regularly mid-week to keep you updated with our happenings. Our clients in Winthrop are moving forward with their renovation. Our design will add a half bathroom to their existing kitchen space. To make the room feel more open, we'll remove the non-structural wall between the dining room and make one neat entertaining space! Sketches will be turned into construction documents next.

Looking for something fun to do on Saturday? Come to Lexington and support the various reenactors who portray both sides of the hasty retreat to Boston from Concord. The battle at Tower Park is one of many reenactments during Patriots Day Weekend. It kicks off at 4PM so arrive early if you want to get a good seat. It's worth it!

Projects are happening! Our architectural historian is supervising the preservation work being undertaken at Pomp's Wall in West Medford. Constructed by an African American named Pompeii, the brick structure is a rare reminder of slavery in New England. The wall was in imminent danger of collapse and is being restored by expert mason Richard McGrath. When efforts are complete, the wall should stand for years to come.

Hello, beautiful living space! This stunning house in Somerville has been lovingly restored following extensive repairs. The kitchen is deliberately modern to set it off from all the old school materials. The blend is a wonderful example of how new and old can coexist. Contrary to how most developers feel, not every building needs to be gutted to meet modern lifestyle requirements.

What can a new dormer do for your house? It can often add much-needed head height. Our Somerville project created a new en suite, laundry closet, and bathroom for the other two bedrooms on the third floor. The homeowner chose finishes that match the existing 20th-century duplex. Stay tuned for the kitchen renovation!

Plan books were an extremely popular tool for building a house in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Thousands of houses across the country were built from catalog designs. By far the most popular was Sears but the Radford Architectural Company was not far behind. Here is an example of what was offered. The advertisement for plans shows the house and for just $5, you received the design plans, elevations, and details. These tools are still used today, although we often dive deeper into detailing given the multitude of products offered now. Still we share a mutual love for good lines and styles that match our neighborhoods.

It is sad to see that our historic resources are no longer being treasured. This historic 18th-century house in Conway is slated for demolition to be replaced with nothing more than a non-descript commercial business. With open land about, you would think more room could be found elsewhere to accommodate a growing economy and historic preservation. The two are not enemies and often go hand in hand. People move in for character and a strong definition of place. Let us remember in this new year that we can do better. While we can't save everything, surely you can influence what is going on in our world. Participate in a zoning meeting, historical commission review, or more. Bottom line...get engaged!

Historic Center Conway property to be razed CONWAY — A Center Conway home built in 1771 that local historians say held one of Conway’s first town meetings is set to come down.