A New Historic District is Proposed to Include Tavern, Peak House

The Medfield Historic District Commission has released details on its proposal to create a new East Main Street Historic District designed to help preserve and protect a number of significant properties, including the Peak House (circa 1711), the Eliakim Morse Homestead (circa 1750), the former studio of renowned artist George Innes (circa 1830), and the Joshua Fisher House (circa 1750).

The proposed new district would also include "the vulnerable Clark Tavern (circa 1743-1773)," according to the Commission.

Information about the historic district proposal has been posted on the Town of Medfield website, and a public hearing has been scheduled for 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 12 at the Public Works Building/Town Garage on Rte. 27.

The Commission explains that the proposed district would start at First Baptist Church (where the current Town Center Historic District ends), and in total, would include 38 properties -- 28 considered historic, and 10 newer ones. "No decision has been made. An early step in the process is to hear from those residents who live in the proposed district," according to the Commission.

And while the fate of the Clark Tavern is still unknown, the intensive four-year effort to stop the construction of a proposed assisted living facility behind the Tavern and Peak House seems to have reached its goal. Based on Nov. 19, 2019 Norfolk County Registry of Deed information, abutter Fred King purchased the 361, 363, 363A Main Street properties that were part of the LCB Senior Living proposal. However, at the time of this writing, sale of the Clark Tavern, 353 Main Street, is listed as "pending" with no further details publicly available.

The Commission notes that the purpose of a historic district is four-fold:

1. To preserve and protect the distinctive characteristics of buildings and places significant to the Commonwealth and Medfield;
2. To maintain and improve the settings of those buildings and places;
3. To ensure that new construction is compatible with existing buildings in the district; and
4. To maintain the integrity not only of individual structures, but also of entire streetscapes.

Some studies show that a historic district designation increases property values in that district, as cited in an August 20, 2018 Forbes article.

The Peak House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the Clark Tavern is on the Massachusetts Register of Historic Places and has been deemed eligible for the National Register; the land behind the two properties had been considered archaeologically significant by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (numerous Native American and Colonial-era artifacts had been discovered on the land years ago). In addition, town records note that the Main Street properties contain extensive wetlands and vernal pools, and are part of the Town of Medfield Watershed Protection District.