Had it not been for the intervention of the Historic District Commission nearly 30 years ago, Belmont Center — specifically the municipal building campus — might look a lot different than it does today.
According to Precinct 1 Town Meeting member Anne Marie Mahoney, plans were developed in the early 2000s to renovate the town’s three brick municipal buildings. Those plans, however, led to a discussion on whether to demolish the Homer Building, or “the Annex” as it was known. Mahoney recalled a plan for a new building with an underground parking lot to replace it.
“I was on the Select Board at the time and was horrified that we would take down that building,” she said in an email to The Voice.
So, Mahoney began working with the Historic District Commission — particularly members Mike Smith and Lydia Ogilby Phippin—and ultimately was able to convince the other two members of her board to save and renovate the building instead.
“There was a lot of discussion about it,” said Lydia’s son Henry Ogilby, the Historic District Commission’s representative from the Belmont Historical Society, where he serves as the society’s board director. “But fortunately, at least in my opinion, the Town Hall and the School Department are all considered historic buildings. They didn’t tear down the Homer Building.”
The Homer Building was originally built in 1899 as a high school that was converted to a junior high school in 1915, and then a grammar school in 1926, according to the town website. In 1937, it became an administration building and in 1996, it was partially renovated. In 2005, after calls to demolish it, the building was, instead, fully renovated.
“I think the work [the commission does] is very important to the town and it’s important to preserve these historical resources,” said Planning Division Manager Conor McCormack, who serves as the staff liaison to the commission.
Those historic resources include singl-family properties, commercial buildings, or even parcels of land. McCormack said the intention is to review any proposed work to the exterior of properties within the respective districts (which are visible from a public way) to make sure the historical integrity of the district remains intact.
Three seats are open on the Historic District Commission. Two of the seats are alternates while the third is a full member, according to McCormack. There are a total of 10 seats on the commission, which was established by a Town Meeting vote in April 1972.
“On top of just reviewing the proposed work within the historic districts, the commission will also be … the point commission for historic-related planning,” he said. “With the comprehensive plan that is being developed now, the commission has been involved in reviewing the plan in relation to historic resources.”
According to Ogilby, there are four historic districts in town: the Pleasant Street District, the Common Street District, the Richardson Farm Historic District, and the Thaddeus Frost Historic District. For those who live in these districts, it is legally required to seek and receive approval for any applicable exterior alterations prior to the commencement of work. In Belmont, the Historic District Commission oversees the review process associated with improvements proposed in the local historic districts.
Ogilby pointed to recent examples when homeowners wanted to change the paint color of their home, or the windows. One homeowner wanted to add a fence. In all situations, the goal was to ensure the end-result is historically relevant.
For Ogilby, preserving the historic districts is a little bit personal, and a “really important part of [his] history.”
“Belmont was incorporated in 1859, but the reason it came to be was that all the surrounding communities wouldn’t pay any attention to the farmers in Belmont,” he said. “So they got upset and they formed their own town and they formed their own bank: The Belmont Savings Bank was originally in the basement of Town Hall.”
According to the Belmont Historical Society, the town was named for the 200-acre estate “Bellmont” of John Perkins Cushing, the largest taxpayer of the proposed town and biggest advocate for the town’s creation.
Ultimately, Belmont was incorporated March 18, 1859 — making this week the 167th anniversary.
Of the then total area of 5 square miles, 2.26 were taken from Watertown, 0.67 from Waltham, and 2.82 from West Cambridge, according to the Historical Society. The population was 1,175, of whom 170 were registered voters and 325 were school children. The new town was a widespread collection of fruit farms and market gardens.
Ogilby’s great-grandfather operated what is now the last farm in Belmont, Belmont Acres. Back then, his great-grandfather would take his wagon of produce to the market in Boston.
“We have the barn that the family built,” he said. “We have the wagon that went to Faneuil Hall. … It’s still a working farm, and I’m very proud of that.”
Ogibly said it’s important to him to ensure future generations understand the history of Belmont, and the farm makes an effort to keep that history alive—much like the work of the Belmont Historical Society.
“The whole idea of having the Historical Society and a repository for a lot of the history and having the commission, really, is to try to preserve,” Ogilby said. “But it isn’t just preserving, it’s creating new uses for beautiful old buildings is what it is, and I love that.”
He pointed to several examples around town, in which historic buildings found new uses— the most notable is the old fire station, where il Casale on Leonard Street is now located.
“It didn’t meet the standards of a modern fire station,” Ogilby said. “But they were able to repurpose the building and it’s just wonderful what they’ve done with it.”