[MassHistPres] Demolitions

[Garrett Laws]

All,

>From a historic renovation contractors perspective, plan for the contractor
that's looking to beat the system otherwise you will have someone following
the letter of the law and you will lose all of the historic character of
the thing you're looking to preserve.

- Get on the same page as your building department and make sure there's a
system in place that flags historic properties where historics have to
approve PRIOR to ISD being able to issue a permit! (Newton and Brookline do
an amazing job of this) I haven't done anything in Cambridge for a while
but past experience leads me to think you're ahead of the curve. The city I
live in does not have a system like that in place.
- When do the percentages relating to demolition kick in, prior to zoning
approval, prior to permitting, once projects commence etc. I've seen many
situations where plans submitted to zoning (and approved) don't match,
issues were "discovered" once a project was in motion and there's simply no
way some issues could have been missed (1X roof rafters! I'm not kidding),
after exterior wall framing is found to have a rotted sill and the entire
wall is deemed unsafe etc

Sorry for the rant but I've been in the trades for more than 30 years and
realize that there were many times that old buildings were deemed
substandard and then replaced by buildings with "new" materials that aren't
maintained as designed and create a detrimental end result while losing
historic fabric AND charming character.

Please make strong policy while putting enforcement in place with penalties
(preferably a % some cost) that give pause to people prepared to do the
wrong thing.

Many Thanks,
Garrett Laws

The Copper & Slate Company <https://copperandslate.net>

Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/copperandslatecompany/>

The Copper & Slate Company, Inc.
Fine Roofing and Historic Carpentry
238 Calvary Street,
Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 893-1916

*LEAD FREE SINCE 2008*


On Thu, Apr 16, 2026 at 8:34 AM Sullivan, Charles M. via MassHistPres <
masshistpres at cs.umb.edu> wrote:

> When we drafted Cambridge’s demo delay ordinance in 1978, we discovered
> that there was no accepted definition of demolition in law or in practice.
> We consulted several authorities, including Webster’s Collegiate, and came
> up with this: “‘Demolition’ means the act of pulling down, destroying,
> removing or razing a building or commencing the work of total or
> substantial destruction with the intent of completing the same.”
>
>
>
> This was pretty effective in most circumstances but generated an ongoing
> discussion with successive building commissioners over the meaning of the
> term “substantial destruction” (there’s never been a debate about the
> meaning of “total destruction”). Building commissioners have concerns about
> public safety and the orderly conduct of building operations, among other
> things, that affect their operative definition of what requires a
> demolition permit. There’s a lot of building activity in Cambridge, and the
> CHC has always relied on Inspectional Services to flag demolition permit
> applications. While alterations can constitute a loss of character that
> some might consider demolition, CHC’s practice has evolved to be tolerant
> of most such activities.
>
> CHC staff meets regularly with Cambridge ISD to discuss operative
> definitions of demolition. The current ISD definition includes several
> permitting triggers that reflect the relatively recent construction
> industry preference for gut rehabs rather than preservation of original
> fabric:
>
>    - Total destruction.
>    - Relocating a building, or
>    - removing 50% or more of the area of the exterior walls or roof
>    (framing), or
>    - removing a roof (including but not limited to raising the overall
>    height of a roof, rebuilding roof to a different pitch, or adding
>    additional stories to a building), or
>    - removing 50% or more of floor framing, or
>    - removing 50% or more of the foundation, or
>    - removing 25% or more of the volume above grade of a building.
>
> Preservation goals and community character vary so much across our 292
> towns and 59 cities that it’s difficult to imagine a single satisfactory
> definition. I think the choice might be to maintain the constructive
> ambiguity of “substantial destruction” or eliminate the category completely.
>
> Charles Sullivan
>
> ___________________________
>
> Charles Sullivan, Executive Director
>
> Cambridge Historical Commission
>
> 831 Massachusetts Avenue
>
> Cambridge, Mass.  02139
>
> 617 349-4684
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu> *On Behalf Of *jakerox---
> via MassHistPres
> *Sent:* Friday, April 10, 2026 8:19 AM
> *To:* Chris Skelly <ccskelly12 at gmail.com>
> *Cc:* MHC MHC listserve <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
> *Subject:* Re: [MassHistPres] Demolitions
>
>
>
> Yes that's why I'm asking.  I was under the impression that it was a
> statewide statute.  Thanks for your quick reply.
>
>
>
> *Mark Ferencik*
>
> *jakerox at comcast.net* <jakerox at comcast.net>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* Chris Skelly <ccskelly12 at gmail.com>
> *Sent:* Thursday, April 9, 2026 7:49 PM
> *To:* jakerox at comcast.net <jakerox at comcast.net>
> *Cc:* MHC MHC listserve <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
> *Subject:* Re: [MassHistPres] Demolitions
>
>
>
> Mark, is your question related to your demolition delay bylaw?  If so,
> then it really depends on how your bylaw has defined what constitutes a
> demolition.  This varies greatly across the state depending on the wording
> of the bylaw.  Chris.
>
> *Chris Skelly*
>
> *Skelly Preservation Services*
>
> Community Planning and Preservation
>
> www.skellypreservationservices.com
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.skellypreservationservices.com/__;!!GolgDdAAPFHvrrz0!f4HwGtm-CrqNc56yx1SWAG5KEVLMvT3w_hbwBXUOWX2MJWbiXANpm2JgFqDSPep8GgIsxUX6nV1s8Secv95SpvULEwuZLUo8$>
>
> ccskelly12 at gmail.com
>
> *Community planning with the past, present, and future in mind*
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 9, 2026 at 1:09 PM jakerox--- via MassHistPres <
> masshistpres at cs.umb.edu> wrote:
>
> Hello all, I remember a presentation a while back that stated changing a
> roofline constitutes a demolition.  I have been unable to find the
> Massachusetts General Law that supports this.  Does anyone know the
> specific MGL number that states this?
>
>
>
> Thank you
>
>
>
> *Mark Ferencik
>                                             Foxborough  Historical
> Commission*
>
> *jakerox at comcast.net* <jakerox at comcast.net>
>
>
>
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