Town Of Dedham: High Street-Upper East Street Neighborhood Survey

Press release from the Town of Dedham:

12/10/2021 10:30 AM

The Town of Dedham is beginning a Historical Survey of buildings along High Street through Upper East Street this month. The Historical Survey will build upon the Mother Brook – East Dedham Corridor Study (2018) by connecting East Dedham with Dedham Square.

The Dedham Historic Districts Commission/Historical Commission has identified the High Street-Upper East Street neighborhood as an area where there are potentially significant historic resources that may be threatened for redevelopment, due to economic pressures, in the near future and where further information is needed to guide future protection efforts. Though the Town has made a considerable investment in the character and functionality of this critical location (i.e., the Dedham Square Guidelines 2018), measures to protect any of the remaining buildings have yet to be considered without objective information regarding their historical significance.

Having recently been designated a Certified Local Government by the National Park Service in August 2020, the Town has committed to the Historical Survey and the protection of important historic assets throughout the Town, including both the built and natural environment. Historic Preservation Consultant Stacy E. Spies (identification card below) will be providing professional research and documentation services to complete a historic properties survey that meets current Massachusetts Historical Commission survey standards. Ms. Spies will complete the survey through a combination of site visits and historical research. If as part of the survey, Ms. Spies will need to visit a property, she will first make contact with the property owner and request access. For the most part, however, close observation and photography of buildings will take place from the sidewalk or the public way. Ms. Spies will have the identification card below on her at all times during the survey.

The project is funded in part by the Town of Dedham, and in part through a Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey and Planning Grant, with Federal funds made available from the National Park Services.

The project will be divided into four phases, to be completed over a nine-month period, beginning in December 2021:

• PHASE I (December 2021) – Identification of documentary materials available for the project and development of methodology;
• PHASE II (February 2022) – Identification of properties to be surveyed and production of sample inventory forms;
• PHASE III (July 2022) – Production of complete draft inventory forms for review by the Dedham and Massachusetts Historical Commission; and
• PHASE IV (August 2022) – Production of final forms, reports and maps.

The project is anticipated to be completed by September 2022.

In the future, a community-wide survey plan to establish the objective, scope, phasing, and budgeting of comprehensive survey efforts, as recommended by the 2018-2022 State Historic Plan, would be an appropriate next step, but has not yet been confirmed. A dedicated project page on the Town website is under development and will be launched soon that will include information about future public involvement opportunities.

To learn more about the Dedham Historic Districts Commission/Historical Commission, please visit their Town page here: www.dedham-ma.gov/government/historic-districts-commission.

For more information about this Historic Survey, please contact Assistant Town Planner Michelle Tinger at mtinger@dedham-ma.gov or (781) 751-9244.

The Town of Dedham is beginning a Historical Survey of buildings along High Street through Upper East Street this month. The Historical Survey will build upon the Mother Brook – East Dedham Corridor Study (2018) by connecting East Dedham with Dedham Square.

The Dedham Historic Districts Commission/Historical Commission has identified the High Street-Upper East Street neighborhood as an area where there are potentially significant historic resources that may be threatened for redevelopment, due to economic pressures, in the near future and where further information is needed to guide future protection efforts. Though the Town has made a considerable investment in the character and functionality of this critical location (i.e., the Dedham Square Guidelines 2018), measures to protect any of the remaining buildings have yet to be considered without objective information regarding their historical significance.

Having recently been designated a Certified Local Government by the National Park Service in August 2020, the Town has committed to the Historical Survey and the protection of important historic assets throughout the Town, including both the built and natural environment. Historic Preservation Consultant Stacy E. Spies (identification card below) will be providing professional research and documentation services to complete a historic properties survey that meets current Massachusetts Historical Commission survey standards. Ms. Spies will complete the survey through a combination of site visits and historical research. If as part of the survey, Ms. Spies will need to visit a property, she will first make contact with the property owner and request access. For the most part, however, close observation and photography of buildings will take place from the sidewalk or the public way. Ms. Spies will have the identification card below on her at all times during the survey.

The project is funded in part by the Town of Dedham, and in part through a Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey and Planning Grant, with Federal funds made available from the National Park Services.

The project will be divided into four phases, to be completed over a nine-month period, beginning in December 2021:

• PHASE I (December 2021) – Identification of documentary materials available for the project and development of methodology;
• PHASE II (February 2022) – Identification of properties to be surveyed and production of sample inventory forms;
• PHASE III (July 2022) – Production of complete draft inventory forms for review by the Dedham and Massachusetts Historical Commission; and
• PHASE IV (August 2022) – Production of final forms, reports and maps.

The project is anticipated to be completed by September 2022.

In the future, a community-wide survey plan to establish the objective, scope, phasing, and budgeting of comprehensive survey efforts, as recommended by the 2018-2022 State Historic Plan, would be an appropriate next step, but has not yet been confirmed. A dedicated project page on the Town website is under development and will be launched soon that will include information about future public involvement opportunities.

To learn more about the Dedham Historic Districts Commission/Historical Commission, please visit their Town page here: www.dedham-ma.gov/government/historic-districts-commission.

For more information about this Historic Survey, please contact Assistant Town Planner Michelle Tinger at mtinger@dedham-ma.gov or (781) 751-9244.

This press release was produced by the Town of Dedham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.