Preservation, Not Demolition, For Information Booth - Editorial
Last week, we ran an article on the small building that is in danger of demolition at 6 MacArthur Boulevard to make way for the new Cumberland Farms. Lifelong Bourne resident and preservationist Jack MacDonald had informed the Enterprise of the removal of windows from the structure—allegedly done so as an asbestos treatment, albeit without proper permitting from town boards—that left the building exposed to the elements and in a state of even further disrepair.
In the article, we were trepidatious regarding the building’s historic status, as we struggled to receive official confirmation of the structure’s historic value from town officials ahead of deadline. Following publication, however, we spoke with both Mr. MacDonald and Carl Georgeson, chairman of the Bourne Historic Commission, and no longer have doubts regarding whether this building has historic value. We feel confident in saying that it is indeed a historic structure, and one worth saving at that.
Any initial speculation about the historic nature of the building should be put to rest following the uncovering of an August 15, 1929, article from the Hyannis Patriot, which introduces the two Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce information booths that had opened two months prior. One was stationed in Sagamore and the other in Buzzards Bay, it reads, and between 3,000 and 5,000 tourists would stop in weekly, looking for directions, local attractions or just general information about the region.
Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Georgeson each shared the archived Patriot article with the Enterprise this week, with Mr. Georgeson further confirming that this building is, in fact, one of the original two information booths erected by the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce nearly 100 years ago. (The booth from Sagamore has since been renovated and now serves as the gift shop at Aptucxet.)
Additional reporting from the Cape Cod Times on Mr. MacDonald’s efforts to save the building revealed new information, including Cumberland Farms’ pulling of permits to demolish the building just last month. Bourne Building Inspector Kenneth Murphy told the Times that he expects results as soon as Friday, December 9, and, if asbestos is detected, demolition could happen even sooner. Furthermore, Mr. Murphy told the Times that the building could be demolished regardless of its age due to its small size. The Times reported Mr. Georgeson as saying “that’s news to me,” and we, too, are a bit taken aback by this information. Demolition by any means would be unfortunate, we believe, as the building has yet to undergo the demolition delay review process required by the town’s bylaw of the same name on all properties older than 75 years.
Per Mr. Georgeson, the Bourne Planning Board is responsible for notifying the historic commission to trigger a formal demolition delay hearing, but members of the planning department have not responded to Enterprise inquires about the structure or its stance on the historic status of it. This is worrisome for Mr. MacDonald, who fears that demolition of the structure will happen before a hearing can even be initiated.
So, what’s the holdup? Where is the transparency on this issue, and why has this building not been granted the grace of a demolition delay review from the historic commission, especially now that it is confirmed to be one of the chamber’s two information booths? It’s impossible to deny the identical features of the building as it stands now, and as it was depicted in the 1929 photograph printed in the Hyannis Patriot.
Without preservation efforts from local history buffs like Mr. MacDonald and the commission headed by Mr. Georgeson, the once-charming features that kept vacationers tethered to Cape Cod year after year, generation after generation, can and will be quietly dismantled, swept under the rug and forgotten about. The community has a choice here: to step up and preserve what was once thought of as a gem of the region, or to turn a blind eye and let it, too, be commercialized and gentrified into another corporate-run convenience store. The ball is in the town’s court, and we hope it takes the initiative to jump into the game.