[MassHistPres] Lexington Historic Districts Concern

[Dennis De Witt]

I would think if it really is seasonal and is popular, and town owned, there may be more significant uses of the commission’s political capital than getting in a big fight over it — unless there is a genuine risk that someone might want to make it permanent in which case go for an agreement that it won’t be.

Re Richard’s point, without fully understanding the role of the ZBA re a temporary structure, I’d assume this might be a Dover Amendment situation, limiting the ZBA’s scope of action.

Dennis De Witt

> On Jul 24, 2026, at 11:05 AM, rcsmitharch--- via MassHistPres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu> wrote:
> 
> I assume this is the arts center down the street.  The first thing that I would ask is- where is the Zoning Board of Appeal on this?  Generally front yard setbacks, especially in residential neighborhoods, are fairly sacrosanct and unlikely to get a variance to put a structure there.  One thing here that is different is that the canopy is apparently seasonal, and different towns bylaws may vary in their treatment of temporary structures.  I would wonder about having acoustic performances on Massachusetts Avenue and how much amplification is likely to be used because of traffic noise.  I live about 500-600 feet from the town hall lawn in Swampscott, and we often hear Wednesday concerts on that lawn from our house.  The visual question is “Should a historic district forbid elements that are clearly not historic?”
>  
> I don’t think this will significantly obstruct the view of the tavern from anywhere in the public way.
>  
> Richard Smith
> Swampscott Historic District Commission
>  
> From: MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu <mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu>> On Behalf Of Susan Bennett via MassHistPres
> Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 2:17 PM
> To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu <mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
> Subject: [MassHistPres] Lexington Historic Districts Concern
>  
> An arts center in Lexington that leases a 1904 town-owned building in the Munroe Tavern Historic District on Massachusetts Avenue has proposed to build a "performance pavilion" in its front yard that would obscure the view of the historic building. Residents of the District are opposing this structure as inconsistent  with the mandate of of the Historic District Commission to protect the setting of sites within the District as well as to preserve exterior architectural features viewable from a public way.
>  
> Are there any other towns that have faced a similar issue and how have concerned preservationists approached it?
>  
> Thank you
> Susan Bennett
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