Michael Kirby, a resident who fought Smith's demolitions of four multi-family apartment buildings to make room for Ford Hall, said he was "encouraged" after the meeting.
View full size06/29/11-Northampton-Staff Photo by Dave Roback - 27 Belmont Ave. in Northampton is one of the buildings for which Smith College has filed applications for demolition.NORTHAMPTON – The Historical Commission has delayed the demolition of two buildings on Belmont Avenue until May 27 after finding them "preferably preserved."
Smith College has applied to raze 21 Belmont Ave., an occupied multi-family apartment house, and 27 Belmont Ave., a vacant one-family home-turned-office building. Spokesmen have said the college no longer has a use for them and the move is designed to save money on maintenance and utilities.
The college bought 21 Belmont in 2006 and 27 Belmont in the late 1970s.
The commission heard testimony Monday night from members of the public who wanted to make sure the buildings remained because of their purported historical, architectural and cultural significance.
Separate unanimous votes mean the college has to wait one year from the date of the application to demolish the buildings. In the meantime, the college can explore alternatives, such as selling or moving them.
A spokesman for Smith has said the college will help the residents of 21 Belmont find housing it owns for the same rent.
The city's demolition review ordinance automatically grants preferential preservation to buildings constructed in 1900 or earlier, while those built between 1901 and 1939 are examined beforehand.
Former Smith zoology department head Harris H. Wilder lived in the Italianate home at 27 Belmont when it was constructed in 1915, according to a contemporary article from The Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Donna Riley, a professor in the Ford Hall engineering complex, which was constructed in the same neighborhood over boisterous protest from the community and opened in 2008, offered some insight into Wilder's past.
"He's of some infamy because he dug up a lot of Native American remains in this area," said Riley. "He was looking at things like palm size and foot size and leadership ability."
While she denounced Wilder's experiments as "racist" and "disturbing," she said they were historically significant to the city.
Others who spoke marveled at the homes' aesthetic beauty and their contributions to the streetscape and character of the neighborhood.
Both demolition applications say "land will be converted to parking and/or open lawn area." Citizens pressed Charles Conant of Smith's Physical Plant Department on plans to pave the lots, but he said that decision has not been made.
View full size06/29/11-Northampton-Staff Photo by Dave Roback - 21 Belmont Ave in Northampton is one of the buildings for which Smith College has filed applications for demolition."Our purview, unfortunately, is not to pass judgment on the development plans of Smith," said commission chair David Drake. "Once a property is privately owned, one can do with that building what one wants."
"You as citizens can ... make your comments known to the college," he added. "I would strongly encourage you to do your civic obligation and put it to paper and let the college know how you feel."
After the vote, Conant said he was glad the public spoke up and that the college would continue to follow the procedures laid out by the city.
Michael Kirby, a resident who fought Smith's demolitions of four multi-family apartment buildings to make room for Ford Hall, said he was "encouraged" after the meeting.
"We'd like to see 21 (Belmont) preserved and 27 (Belmont) I just love," he said. "It's a great building. It really has class to it."
His suggestion for Smith was to convert 27 Belmont into a single-family home for a faculty member.
"Number 21 is a solid building and there's no need to demolish either one of these buildings," he said. "There's got to be a better way."
