What: Hearing on whether the Warren home should become a designated historic site. If you are in the area and feel strongly on the matter, do attend the public hearing.
Why: The future of the Warren house is uncertain. The situation causing concern is summarized here. The Warren house has never been officially certified in any manner, a situation leaving open possible scenarios of its obliteration or alteration beyond recognition.
Heedless “urban renewal” in the past has resulted in the loss of irreplaceable and distinctive Boston architectural landmarks of neighborhood, City, Commonwealth, and National importance. Our predecessors of long ago sometimes had been asleep at the wheel in previous situations. Thus we are left to lament the fates of Dr. Warren’s North End office (from which Warren dispatched Paul Revere on the iconic Midnight Ride) and the Green Dragon Tavern (where Joseph Warren met with fellow Boston Sons of Liberty and St. Andrew’s lodge Masons).
Several aspects of the Warren homestead are notable: 1) it is the childhood home of an American Founder; 2) the first distinctly American apple variety – the Warren Russet (also known as Roxbury Russet and Boston Russet) – was bred and grown on this site in the late 17th and 18th centuries, 3) the structure is built entirely of puddingstone, a rare intact example literally built of the earth of Roxbury and of Massachusetts, and 4) the current structure is a unique habitable monument, one built 170 years ago to commemorate the location and its people but also to be lived in and used by future generations.
Where: Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC), Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201. The meeting will be held in Room 900.
When: Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at about 7:25 PM. Arrive by 7:00 PM.
Who: Rosanne Foley, Executive Director of the BLC, rosanne.foley@boston.gov, 617-635-3850. Mr. Curtis Perrin, an architect familiar with historic preservation, and acting as a concerned resident of Roxbury, has moved forward the petition (designated #254.16) required to initiate BLC review.
About the Boston Landmarks Commission (as derived from their official website): The BLC is the municipal preservation agency for Boston’s historic buildings, places, and neighborhoods. A preliminary hearing before the Commission is the first step toward formal designation as a landmark. When a property is designated as a Landmark, it becomes subject to review by the Commission and physical changes must be approved before they are undertaken.
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