Trust for Architectural Easements Supports Local Efforts to List Boston Historic District

March 3, 2009 - PRLog -- If approved, the Breed’s Hill Historic District in Charlestown, MA will be listed on the National Register of Historic Places and will be an expansion of the Monument Square Historic District listed on the National Register in 1987.  

“The National Register of Historic Places is the federal program that provides public recognition of our nation’s historic resources, whether architectural, cultural, or archaeological,” said Steve McClain, President of the Trust for Architectural Easements. “Listing a historic district is important because, in addition to honoring an area’s history, it means consideration of the district in the planning for federal undertakings, eligibility for federal tax benefits, and qualification for federal historic preservation grants, when funds are available.”

Representatives of the Trust for Architectural Easements, one of the largest preservation easement-holding organizations in the nation, joined consultants Pauline Chase-Harrell of Boston Affiliates and Edward Gordon to present the proposed Breed’s Hill Historic District to members of the Charlestown community. Many residents attended the meeting which was held February 9th at the Knights of Columbus with the gracious assistance of the Charlestown Neighborhood Council. The Trust for Architectural Easements is funding the necessary documentation, and has been working closely with Boston Landmarks Commission and Massachusetts Historical Commission to secure the nomination, which several residents attending the meeting noted they had been attempting to achieve for many years.

“We are fortunate that Mory Bahar and his associates at the Trust for Architectural Easements have provided the impetus to expand protection for the neighborhood’s architectural integrity,” said Bill Meyer, a member of the Design Review Committee of the Charlestown Preservation Society. “Past efforts have fizzled out because of the enormous task in providing the documentation needed to justify historic district designation.”

Breed’s Hill reflects the history of Charlestown’s development from a rural area to a densely-settled, residential district in the 19th century, following the burning of the town by the British after the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. The Battle and its aftermath, and the creation of the Bunker Hill Monument to commemorate it, played important roles in shaping the history and character of Breed’s Hill. The Historic District encompasses a rich collection of architecture reflecting the major architectural styles popular from the late-18th through early-20th centuries, in a mix of frame and brick construction.

Mory Bahar, local Area Manager for the Trust, and Jennifer Brennan from the Trust’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. explained the Trust’s mission and sponsorship of the project.  Chase-Harrell and Gordon covered the neighborhood’s significant history and architecture.

Betsy Friedberg, National Register Director for the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and Ellen Lipsey and Kathryn McLaughlin, Executive Director and Architectural Historian respectively, of the Boston Landmarks Commission also spoke at the meeting. Friedberg, Lipsey, and McLaughlin explained the process of listing the Breed’s Hill Historic District on the National Register and also discussed the benefits of listing. The rights of owners in the district would not be curtailed by listing, but some federal tax benefits would become available if the district is listed on the National Register. Federal tax benefits include tax credits for substantial rehabilitation of income-producing properties and tax deductions for the donation of historic preservation easements. Listing would also afford some protection from federally licensed, permitted, or funded projects that would adversely affect properties in the Breed’s Hill Historic District.

The Trust for Architectural Easements is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit organizations dedicated to voluntary preservation through easement donations. The Trust protects more than 800 historic buildings across the United States. For more information about the Trust’s local preservation efforts, the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentive Program and the donation process, contact the Trust at 1-888-831-2107 or visit www.architecturaltrust.org.

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The Trust for Architectural Easements is one of the nation’s largest non-profit organizations dedicated to voluntary preservation through easement donations. The Trust protects more than 800 historic buildings across the United States.