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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Comment Letter 2TO: The Barnstable Historical Commission www.town.barnstable.ma.us/historicalcommission CC: Jessica Rapp Grassetti Precinct7@comcast.net FROM: Ken Alsman and Linda Scott April 26, 2022 SUBJECT: PROPOSED MODIFICATION/RESTORATION OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER BARN AT 108 LITTLE RIVER ROAD, THE SOUTH EAST CORNER OF OLD POST ROAD AND LITTLE RIVER ROAD, COTUIT, MA 02635 We have owned our property at 460 Old Post Road for over 31 years. During that time we have admired and appreciated the presence of this stately old barn as we walk down to the beach at the end of Little River Road or drive along Old Post Road. It is an important part of our area and a vivid reminder of the history of Cotuit. Please accept our comments, concerns and recommendations about the redesign proposal currently before the commission. Over the past year the owners of this property have been making significant changes to the main house and landscape at 108 Little River Road, working on the interior, adding a pool, removing most of the existing trees, paving etc. However, until recently they had not disturbed the historic (we understand late 1800’s) carriage house/barn at the corner. We understand that the barn was originally part of the historic Otis property (521 Old Post Road) located across Little River Road. However, a few weeks ago neighbors noticed that contractors had removed the barn’s concrete flooring and short entrance drive, apparently including portions of the foundation and footings for the supports that hold the three sets of barn doors facing the street. According to Tim Luff, the project architect, this premature demolition inadvertently resulted in the loss of the structural integrity of the barn. Sheets of plywood now cover the door and window openings and the building is apparently shored up from the inside. Many of the neighbors were very concerned that the community may lose this historic architectural element of our neighborhood and village. When asked for copies of the plans for the neighbors to review, Tim said he was not authorized to release them. He did agree to host a Zoom meeting for neighbors on Sunday, April 17th to reveal the proposed design and discuss the status of the barn. Thankfully, Tim began by assuring us that the barn will not be demolished; the owner will preserve and restore the building. On questioning he said the owner intends to continue to use the building for storage but he did not expand on other potential uses. He also noted the addition of a loft and stairs to replace those removed some time ago, but he did not explain other interior changes or uses. Tim went on to describe the proposed architectural exterior changes. He noted that the basic footprint of the building will be the same with new shingles and roofing. The cupula will be retained, either rebuilt or restored. He said they will need to rebuild the three barn doors facing Little River Road, emphasizing that the new doors will match the existing door design. He also showed elevations with changes of the location, size and style of the existing windows on the north and south sides and relocation and redesign of the rear doors. Apparently, the proposal includes “lowering” the interior floor by several inches. The before and after elevations were a bit confusing with respect to how this change will impact the front of the building, particularly the height, and the location of the doors in the front façade. This change in elevation could significantly change the historic proportions and design of the front façade. The existing façade of the north-side-elevation, facing Old Post Road, consists of the hayloft doors and hay-lift beam on the loft level with a small 3-pane window set high on the first floor. The new plan for this face of the building concerns many of us. The architect is proposing to remove the hayloft doors and hay-lift beam, replacing them with a large window and to replace the lower small window with a larger window on the lower level. This change will remove an important historic marker of the barn’s original use. Tim stated that, as an architect, he objected to the historic design since the doors were not centered on the side of the building, but the window would be. Several neighbors noted the historical reference embodied in this street facing façade, and that removing the Hayloft doors and Hay-Lift Beam would destroy an important element of the former use of the carriage house. Please deny this proposed change. The south-side-elevation, facing toward Little River Road, now has three identical divided light, double hung windows of the period, symmetrically arranged on the façade, one on the upper loft area and two on the first floor. The architect is proposing to reduce the height and proportions of the two lower windows, creating two basically square frames. The new design for the upper window would replace the existing window with a larger, modern window system, inconsistent with the period and design of the original building. Tim has stated that he feels the existing windows are not historic but have snap-in muttons (on closer inspection, the existing double hung windows are true-divided, single pane design); and that although all of the windows will have different sizes and shapes, they will be historically consistent since they will be of divided-light design. We believe that installing new windows that retain the size and shape of the existing windows is vital to preserve the historic design of this façade. The design for the rear-elevation replaces the existing single-wide sliding barn door with double French doors and moves the existing entrance door from the center of the façade closer to the south wall. If the owner wants a wider door to enable the removal of a boat as stated, a sliding barn door (perhaps large enough to pass over French doors) would be more historically appropriate. Overall, we are of course pleased that this historic, National Register, building will remain as an important landmark in our community. However, we sincerely feel that many of the proposed changes are unneeded and inappropriate to the historic design integrity of the old “Otis Barn.” With the simple change to the proposed building “redesign,” and maintenance of the historic design, we believe both the community and the present owners can achieve their goals.