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2-4 Forrester Street Preservation Planner Memo to the Board coy©IT9 - "r CITY OF SALEM MASSACHUSETTS :- DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT NE DOMINICK PANGALLO MAYOR 98 WASHINGTON STREET ♦ SALEM,MASSACHUSETTS 01970 TELE:978-619-5685 TOM DANIEL,AICP DIRECTOR TO: Brennan Postich, Staff Planner to Zoning Board of Appeals FROM: Patti Kelleher, Preservation Planner DATE: November 13, 2025 RE: 2-4 Forrester Street—Request for Variance and Special Permit The John and Joseph Parsons House at 2-4 Forrester Street(SAL.2679) is an exceptionally well-preserved Italianate style double house constructed in 1871.The elaborately detailed Victorian-era building features two side-by-side recessed center entries with segmentally arched fanlights, paired Victorian doors and decorative door hood moldings.The window trim is also elaborate with variations on bracketed window caps and drip cap moldings.Window shapes vary with segmental and round arched forms and original wood sash have been preserved. Other features include flushboard siding and decorative cornice with brackets.The monumental building is a visual landmark on the corner of the Salem Common and was the subject of an historic building report by Historic Salem, Inc. The building is in good condition with some exterior restoration needed. The building is not designated within the boundaries of the Washington Square local historic district but is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing resource in the Salem Common Historic District. The National Register District, which was listed in 1976, includes a description of the house at 2-4 Forrester Street but does not include the single bay garage at the southwest corner of the property.The inventory form completed for the property in 1987 also excludes the garage.This omission is likely due to the period when the documentation was completed; current documentation practice includes adding descriptions of outbuildings. Visual inspection indicates that the garage is a prefabricated tin structure likely installed between 1910-1930s when these structures were popular. The current proposal before the ZBA includes exterior modifications to the double house and demolition of the garage. The owner was just notified that an Historical Commission application is required to waive the demolition delay for the garage demolition. During this review, the Historical Commission will determine the following: 1) is the outbuilding historically significant and if so, 2) is the outbuilding preferably preserved. Since the entire property is listed in the National Register,the garage meets the definition of historically significant. For the proposed exterior changes to the double house, staff reviewed the plans and finds that the proposed changes are modest in scale, are proposed for the building's side and rear elevations, and feature architectural detailing in keeping with the building's historic architectural style.The proposed new garden shed structures also replicate many of the architectural details found on the historic house and are in keeping with historic garden structures. Preservation Planner Memo to Zoning Board of Appeals 2-4 Forrester Street—John and Joseph Parsons House, 1871 IL I' ,=a r. �• we a�r s= Ar- I — _ i� �2� � / I � / I I I • i I/ / I //'/ w� S • t ') `