Massachusetts’ last wooden drawbridge faces uncertain future if not designated historic.

A Bridge to the Past

Editorial| Cape Cod Times | June 23, 2010

Chatham — The Mitchell River Bridge in Chatham is the last timber drawbridge of its kind- not just in Massachusetts, but in the entire country. The fact alone should be enough to support saving the wooden structure.

Ever since the original bridge was built in 1854 to connect Tom’s Neck with the main part of town, it has been an important historical link for the Community.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation wants to replace the wooden bridge with a wider wood-mimicking steel and concrete structure with a macadam surface. The DOT has allocated funds to build a spac that is supposed to last for most of the rest of this century.

Opponents of the redesign believe…

For the full article, click here.

PM needs your help in ensuring the Massachusetts Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit will continue to benefit our Commonwealth! The program is scheduled to sunset in December, 2011, unless an provision to extend the program is included in the Massachusetts FY 2011 budget.  The Senate’s version of the budget  included a proposal to extend the credit until 2017, but was not included in the House version.  The budget is currently in a joint conference committee and will be finalized and presented to the Governor by July 1.

So how can you help? PM is asking all members, partners and colleague to encourage the House to include the sunset extension provision in the final budget.  Write to the Joint Budget Conference Committee today, especially constituents of the following members:

Senator Stephen Panatiotakos (Chair, Senate Ways & Means) State House, Room 212

Senator Stephen Brewer, State House, Room 109B

Senator Michael Knapik, State House Room 419

Representative Charles A. Murphy (Chair, House Ways & Means), State House, 243

Representative Robert A. DeLeo, Speaker of the House, State House, Room 356

Representative Barbara A. L’latlien, State House, Room 237

Representative Robert S. Hargraves, State House, Room 238

Letters should be mailed to the Massachusetts State House, Boston, MA 02133

Click here to view the letter PM sent to the Budget Conference Committee on the economic and historic benefits of the tax credit program and use it as a template.  Please send your letter within the next week and feel free to contact PM’s office with questions about the MHRTC!

Click here to view PM’s Economic Study of the impact and benefits of the MHRTC.

 Locals Win Preservation Awards, From The Springfield Republican, May 17, 2010

Our view: Building on Tsongas’ legacy, From The Salem News, May 12, 2010

For schooner preservationist, it’s quite an Adventure, From The Salem Gazette, May 06, 2010

Beverly resident receives Paul Tsongas Preservation Award, From the Beverly Citizen, May 04, 2010

Preservation work nets award for Schooner Adventure’s Martin Krugman, From the Cape Ann Beacon, April 30, 2010

People in Business: Bonnie Parsons nominated for Paul E. Tsongas Profile in Preservation Award, From The Springfield Republican, March 21, 2010

Great update on the Westfield Whip Manufacturing Company, a resource Circuit Rider Michele Barker has been working on since last summer.

Westfield to Fund Museum Study

By Ted LaBorde | The Springfield Republican | Online | May. 05, 2010

WESTFIELD – The city plans to use some of its Community Preservation Act funding to help preserve the last remaining whip factory here.

Carol A. Martin, owner of Westfield Whip Manufacturing Co., has been successful in gaining $70,000 from that account to help finance a feasibility study that will determine the merits of preserving the 360 Elm St. building as a living museum.

The City Council gave initial approval to the proposal last month and is scheduled to finalize the award when it meets Thursday night.

For the full article, click here.

To read Michele Barker’s E-newsletter article click here.

Another Icon of Modernism in Cape Cod is the Murchinson House, Provincetown.

Cape Cod Modernism – Nonprofit Opens its First Restored House

By Judith A. Stock | Preservation Nation | Online Only | April. 19, 2010

The landscape of outer Cape Cod is a panorama of pristine beaches, rippling sand dunes, and unconventional towns far from the turmoil of life in the city.

Add to that serene snapshot a Midcentury Modern house designed and built by a local architect, Charlie Zehnder, an aficionado of Frank Lloyd Wright. Located on a pond in Wellfleet, Mass., the house is built entirely of cement block, with cedar decks, oak and slate flooring, large plate-glass windows, and a flat roof. The Kugel-Gips House is one of seven midcentury modern structures within the boundaries of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

For the full article, click here.