Holliston has been described as a “quintessential New England town” known for its distinctive downtown and historic structures, friendly atmosphere, and community spirit. Historic buildings like St. Mary’s and the Congregational Church, the buildings that house the Superette and Fiske’s, Timothy Fiske House, and many more are key to establishing a sense of place and belonging. However, they are also vulnerable to modern day pressures. The Historical Commission is responding to those pressures, and our residents’ interest in safeguarding historic properties, by proposing a Preservation of Historic Buildings bylaw. 

The Holliston Historical Commission (the “Commission”) first developed a Demolition Delay Bylaw in 2006 to preserve and protect historically significant buildings, streetscapes and neighborhoods from demolition. The intent was to give the community a greater voice in making our town a more attractive and desirable place to live and work. The proposed Preservation of Historic Buildings bylaw provides critical updates to the bylaw passed almost 20 years ago. 

We are proposing three major changes to the bylaw:

• Change the bylaw structure to improve the process for applicants, the Building Inspector, and the Commission.

• Change the date of structures regulated by the bylaw from 75 years or older to those built in 1950 or earlier.

• Increase the possible delay period from 6 months to 18 months. 

Process

Based on experience, we have found that as currently structured, the bylaw does not work well for the applicant, the Building Inspector’s office, or the Commission and has led to confusion and frustration on the part of all parties involved in the process. The revised bylaw will create a new application process to alert applicants to the bylaw sooner and streamline the process through shorter decision times. The Commission would assess an application fee of $100, which would enter a revolving fund overseen by the Commission for the purpose of documenting buildings threatened by demolition. On receipt of the application, the Commission will meet with the applicant and review their plans. If a building is determined to be not historically significant, the Commission would advise the Building Inspector and the applicant to its decision. The Building Inspector would then issue a permit to allow the demolition to proceed.

Age of Buildings Impacted

The amended bylaw would apply to all structures built before 1950—a clear and concise cutoff date, unlike the current bylaw which applies to structures 75 years or older, meaning that the cutoff date was constantly changing. Without changes to the bylaw, an increasing number of structures would be required to go through the bylaw process. Impacted areas include the Orchards, Queens, Brentwood, Stagecoach, and others. If the bylaw is not changed, 60% of Holliston residences will be subject to the demolition delay in the next 20 years, posing an inconvenience to an increasingly larger number of building owners. As there is no consensus among preservationists on the significance of post-WWII subdivisions, including Ranch-style, Split-levels and Capes, the Commission feels that it is not appropriate to subject these properties to the bylaw at this time or in the foreseeable future. 

Delay Period

If a building is determined to be historically significant and preferably preserved, the Commission would work with the applicant to document the existing structure and see if alternatives to demolition can be identified. The amended bylaw would allow for a delay period of up to 18 months to explore alternatives. Six months has not been enough time to work with property owners to find alternatives to demolition. The delay period can be lifted by the Commission at any time if a satisfactory plan is agreed upon with the applicant and Building Inspector. Following the expiration of the delay period, if no alternative to preserve the building has been identified, the Building Inspector would issue a demolition permit. The purpose of this amended bylaw is not to permanently prevent demolitions from occurring, but to use the extended delay period to develop solutions and work together with the applicant to hopefully preserve historically significant buildings and thus maintain and enhance the fabric of our town.

The Commission encourages Holliston residents to come to Town Meeting on May 7th and to vote in favor of the amended bylaw. 

More information may be found at: https://www.townofholliston.us/historical-commission/pages/proposed-may-2025-preservation-of-histori...