Historical Commission to field-test rubric on 170 named historic properties

MARLBOROUGH — August 20, 2020 — Marlborough Historical Commission advances preservation review ordinance and 170-property test list. The commission unanimously approved July minutes and agreed to divide a list of roughly 170 named historic properties into seven field-review assignments before its September meeting, using a draft evaluation rubric authored by member Andrea covering date, named family or builder, significance, architecture, condition, renovation and National Register eligibility. Chair Bob said the panel will focus first on the named list rather than the full MACRIS inventory of nearly 560 Marlborough properties. Member Pamela urged the draft ordinance to state plainly that the commission's role is to open public discussion, not to dictate renovation, citing a case elsewhere where demands ran nearly three times a property's purchase price: "We're not putting you up against a wall and robbing you of every dime you have." The commission also placed on the record the recent discovery of a 1666 Proprietors' Great Book of Records, now at the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover for a preservation proposal.