THREAT TO AMES SHOVEL SHOP AND H.H. RICHARDSON LANDMARKS IN NORTH EASTON

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1 THREAT TO AMES SHOVEL SHOP AND H.H. RICHARDSON LANDMARKS IN NORTH EASTON Jay Wickersham, FAIA, Esq. & Chris Milford, AIA September 12, 2008 Ames Memorial Hall - HH Richardson 1881 Ames Free Library - HH Richardson 1879 North Easton Train Station HH Richardson 1884 Ames Shovel Shop Machine Shop 1857 Ames Shovel Shop Engine House 1853 The Ames Shovel Shop Complex in North Easton, Massachusetts is under threat. The proposed redevelopment of the Shovel Shop complex by its new owner, Easton Shovel Shop LLC, would radically alter one of the most architecturally and historically significant industrial sites in Massachusetts. Four of the six largest buildings on the site, along with numerous smaller additions and outbuildings, would be demolished or radically changed. New four-story buildings would be constructed adjacent to three National Historic Landmarks designed by H. H. Richardson, the greatest American architect of the 19 th century a change that would irreparably damage the context for the Richardson buildings and thereby diminish their character. We are asking, on behalf of a citizens group, for the support of architects, architectural historians, and preservationists to help the developers, the town, and state officials understand the value of these resources. This understanding can lead to alternative redevelopment approaches that satisfy the goals of both community revitalization and historic preservation. North Easton Shovel Shop Alert Page 1 of 6

2 1881 VIEW 1. Train Shed (replaced by Richardson Train Station, 1881) 2. Long Shop (1852) 3. Antrim Opening Shop (1868) 4. Machine Shop (1857) 5. Store House (1869) 6. Steam Hammer Shop (1883) 7. Ames Free Library (Richardson,1877) 8. Ames Memorial Hall (Richardson, 1879) 9. Site of F.L. Olmsted Rockery (1884) All the major buildings shown in this 1881 view have survived, substantially intact, to the present. Significance of the Ames Shovel Shop Complex The Shovel Shop complex is one of the most important and best-preserved factory complexes in Massachusetts, and it forms the core of the North Easton National Register Historic District, designated in The district is also listed on the State Register of Historic Places, maintained by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC). The complex, built by the firm Oliver Ames & Sons, includes five major granite buildings built between 1852 and 1885, along with numerous masonry, concrete, metal, and wood additions and outbuildings. The granite factory buildings have survived in a good state of exterior preservation, with relatively few changes; a later concrete and steel frame structure built in 1928 (the Glass Store House) has been reclad with a windowless metal exterior skin.. Surrounding the Shovel Shop, the National Register / State Register District also includes numerous civic buildings and houses built or supported by the Ameses, including three adjacent National Historic Landmarks designed by H. H. Richardson: the Oliver Ames Free Library (1877), the Oakes Ames Memorial Hall (1879), and the Old Colony Train Station (now the Easton Historical Society) (1881), along with several areas landscaped by F.L. Olmsted. The district also includes notable buildings by other 19 th century architects including Ware & Van Brunt, Snell & Gregerson, John Ames Mitchell, and Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge. North Easton is known nationally for its magnificent H.H. Richardson buildings, but it is equally significant for its role in the industrial transformation of 19 th century America. The Ames Shovel Shop was one of the first centers of mass-production; by 1870 the Ames firm was making 60% of all the shovels produced in the world in these buildings. The money and power generated by the shovel company created one of America s first great industrial fortunes. Congressman Oakes Ames and his brother, Union Pacific Railroad president Oliver Ames Jr., were instrumental in the creation of the transcontinental railroad in the late 1860s and much of the actual construction work on the line was carried out with Ames shovels. In short, Ames shovels made in North Easton both literally and figuratively bound our nation together after the Civil War. North Easton Shovel Shop Alert Page 2 of 6

3 2008 DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL 1. Train Station (Richardson,1881) 2. Long Shop (1852) to be partially demolished 3. Antrim Opening Shop (1868) to be demolished 3A. Glass Store House (1928) to be demolished 4. Machine Shop (1857) to be partially demolished 5. Store House (1869) 6. Steam Hammer Shop (1883) to be radically altered 7. Ames Free Library (Richardson, 1877) 8. Ames Memorial Hall (Richardson, 1879) 9. Rockery (Olmsted, 1884) Diagram approximating the proposed new construction with remaining original Shovel Shop buildings. Adverse Impacts of the Proposed Redevelopment The current redevelopment proposal, which involves 182 mixed-income housing units and 364 parking spaces, would radically alter the two-story Shovel Shop complex, demolishing about half of the original buildings and overwhelming the scale of the complex with four-story wood structures. The 1852 Long Shop, the oldest and largest structure, would have a hole cut through it to provide parking circulation. Half of the remaining structure would be absorbed within a four-story wood frame building; the 1868 Antrim Opening Shop would be completely demolished to make way for the same building. The 1883 Steam Hammer Shop would be partially demolished, and its remaining walls completely engulfed within another new four-story wood frame building. The concrete-frame 1928 Glass Store House would also be demolished and replaced by a third large new four-story wood frame building. The project would also involve the demolition of numerous smaller additions and outbuildings, and the insertion of large parking areas would significantly alter the landscape character and pedestrian experience of the complex. Finally, the demolition of major elements of the complex, and their replacement by insensitive and out-of-scale new buildings, would radically change the experience of Richardson s Library, Memorial Hall, and Train Station. Using Review Procedures to Identify Alternative Development Approaches The current proposal will need to undergo a variety of local and state reviews. The developer has already taken initial steps toward applying for a comprehensive permit under the state s affordable housing law, Chapter 40B; a preliminary letter of eligibility for the project was issued by the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency on April 29, 2008, and an application has North Easton Shovel Shop Alert Page 3 of 6

4 been filed with the town. Meetings have also begun that could lead to submitting the project under the state s smart growth overlay zoning law, Chapter 40R. 1 Separate from these local processes, the project will require a permit for an on-site wastewater treatment plant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This in turn will trigger the need for review by MHC under the Massachusetts Historic Preservation Act, and by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and the Environment under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). 2 What You Can Do To Help The citizens group is not trying to stop development; we believe that the best way to preserve historic buildings like the Ames Shovel Shop complex is to ensure that they remain in active use. The sensitive redevelopment of the Shovel Shop for mixed-income housing would enliven the historic core of North Easton and further the state s sustainable development principles. But this will only happen if pressure is brought to bear on the state and local reviews of the proposed project from interested parties such as you. Specifically, we are looking for letters to be submitted as written testimony to local and state regulators. Time is of the essence; if you want to help, your letter should address the following points, and it should be received by October 1, 2008: Your assessment of the architectural and historical significance of the Shovel Shop Complex, the H.H. Richardson buildings, and the North Easton National Register District. Your concern over the magnitude of the impacts of the proposed project on these historic resources. Your request that all local and state proceedings should require the identification and analysis of feasible development alternatives that would preserve the historic character of the site. Please state clearly your academic and professional credentials in the field. Don t be modest; your expertise lends greater credibility to your testimony. 1 Under Chapter 40B, a developer may seek to override local zoning within a town where the percentage of affordable housing units does not meet state standards. If the town denies or conditions the 40B permit, the developer may appeal to the state s Housing Appeals Committee, where the town bears the burden of proving that independent factors, such as historic significance, can justify its decision. Chapter 40R is an alternative program allowing the town to develop site-specific zoning and design standards for high-density residential and mixed-use projects. 2 The Easton Historical Commission, which uses the Richardson Train Station to display excellent exhibits about the town s history and architecture, does not have any legal power to regulate development. North Easton Shovel Shop Alert Page 4 of 6

5 Letters should be sent to: Easton Zoning Board of Appeals and Massachusetts Historical Commission Walter Mirrione, Chair Brona Simon, Executive Director 136 Elm Street 220 Morrissey Boulevard North Easton, MA Boston, MA File reference: RC Please send a copy of your letter to: Easton Historical Commission and Jay Wickersham Melanie Deware, Chair Noble & Wickersham LLP 136 Elm Street 1280 Massachusetts Avenue North Easton, MA Cambridge, MA Or at: jw@noblewickersham.com By sending us copies, we can draw upon your expertise in framing specific legal arguments in the different regulatory processes, and we can submit copies of your letters in other proceedings, such as the state MEPA process for environmental impact review. In addition to submitting written testimony, the citizens group plans to identify feasible alternative redevelopment plans that would meet programmatic and financial goals while preserving the historic character of the Shovel Shop complex and the National Register District. If you know of any organizations or other sources of support that could be helpful in this effort, please let us know. Also, please let us know if you would like to receive updates on our efforts; if we don t hear from you, we will take your name off our distribution list. We have visited the Shovel Shop complex and the Richardson buildings many times over the past twenty years, and each time we have gained a greater appreciation of their value. This past May we co-led, together with Frederick Ames, a tour of North Easton and the Richardson buildings for the National Convention of the American Institute of Architects. The reactions of architects from around the country showed us once again how deeply people are moved by this extraordinary place. Your support can be critical in preserving the historic character of the Ames Shovel Shop complex and guiding it toward a vital new future. Jay Wickersham, FAIA, an architect and lawyer, practices environmental and construction law in Cambridge, MA and teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He served as director of the state MEPA Office and drafted the state s regulations for the 40B and 40R programs. Chris Milford, AIA, is a principal of the architecture and interior design firm Milford & Ford Associates, in Wellesley, MA; he has taught architectural history and theory at the Boston Architectural College and has a degree in Urban Design. For questions or more information contact: Jay Wickersham Chris Milford jw@noblewickersham.com cmilford@mfa350.com North Easton Shovel Shop Alert Page 5 of 6

6 References Eight Historic Buildings to be Demolished in Easton By Vicki-Ann Downing, Posted Jul 09, Brown, Robert F., The Aesthetic Transformation of an Industrial Community, Winterthur Portfolio 12 (1977), Garner, John, "Architecture and Philanthropy in a Model Company Town, Places 5/2 (1988), Meister, Maureen, ed., H.H. Richardson: The Architect, His Peers, And Their Era (Cambridge: MIT, 1999). Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, H.H. Richardson: Complete Architectural Works (Cambridge: MIT, 1984). O Gorman, James F., H.H. Richardson: Architectural Forms for an American Society (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1987)., Living Architecture: A Biography of H.H. Richardson (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997). Pierson, William H., Jr., The Beauty of a Belief: The Ames Family, Richardson, and Unitarianism, in Meister, supra, pp. xviii - xliv. These stalwart granite structures prefigure, in a way, Richardson s handsome buildings that were erected nearby. Architecture and Philanthropy in a Model Company Town by John S. Garner SHOVEL SHOP COMPLEX View looking Northwest of the Shovel Shop Complex from Ames Shovel Shop Stationary (1885) with Richardson s Train Station on the right. North Easton Shovel Shop Alert Page 6 of 6