Framingham's Hemenway House Designated A Historic District

FRAMINGHAM, MA- The John Hemenway House will join the ranks of the Framingham Centre Commons and others as a historic district.

The City Council voted to make the John Hemenway House, located at 613 Pleasant St., an official historic district at Tuesday night's city council meeting, making it the sixth local historic district in the city and the fourth single property historic district.

The property has seen a tumultuous few years after being placed on a one-year demolition delay by the Historical Commission when the previous owners made plans to tear it down. The home is under new ownership and the owner is aware of the historical designation and the restrictions that come with it.

The home is one of the few surviving structures in the city with original 18th century construction. The Hemenway family was prominent in Framingham in the 18th and 19th centuries. As the years passed the property became part of a large farm. The farm was subdivided into smaller parcels for housing and the Brophy School. The Garafalos bought the property in 2017 with plans to renovate it. After finding the job too costly they moved their plans to demolish the home.

The demolition delay was set to expire in September of 2018 but a settlement agreement was signed just before the expiration that extended the delay past 2018.

The agreement was able to fit both parties, the Garafalos and the Historic District Commission: Split the land into two lots, one with the home on it and another empty lot for development. Within the agreement the Garafalos had to sell the home to a buyer who knew of the possible historical designation.

Now, with the Garafalos free to develop on the empty parcel of land, and the Hemenway house sold to a new owner, the city moved forward with the official designation of historic district. The new owner of the Hemenway house lives just down the street from it and owns a local roofing company that works with historical buildings, according to Jennifer B. Doherty, Framingham's Historic Preservation Planner.

Doherty said the new owner has plans to repair the building starting with reestablishing electrical service to the home. "Beyond that we’ve had general discussions about what he might need to do, but nothing concrete," she said.

At Wednesday's City Council meeting, Councilor Adam Steiner, District 3, applauded the agreement as an example of efficient city government. "This is the kind of flexibility we're looking for in our city government," he said.

(Photo Credit: Jennifer B. Doherty, Framingham Historic Preservation Planner)