HC Letter 10 Hamilton St - comment letter
Nina Cohen
22 Chestnut Street
Salem MA 01970
2 August 2020
To the Historic Commission:
Enclosing the front entry porch at 10 Hamilton Street is a request both ahistoric and impractical.
Older homes with open porches are widespread, both within the McIntire Historic District and
throughout Salem neighborhoods. The open porch serves practical uses. It offers covered entry
and protection from rain, snow and harsh sun. The shaded entry contributes to longer life for
front doors. It promotes safety by putting visitors into public view.
Aesthetically the porch columns make a vertical connection to the second floor bay window, and
they frame a view through the porch space to surrounding plantings and other properties.
Covered porches are a significant feature of Italianate style architecture, of which 10 Hamilton is
an example. The style, made popular by Andrew Jackson Dowling and Calvert Vaux during the
mid-19th C., derived from medieval Italian villas. It features overhanging eaves with substantial
brackets, tall narrow windows with inverted U crown molding, and one-story porches with
columns. Each of these features is still present in the house at 10 Hamilton. See description from
the National Register of Historic Places website:
https://savingplaces.org/stories/what-is-italianate-architecture#.XybzAhNKhUM
This particular porch was a constant perch for a previous resident, Mr. Stevens, who toward the
end of his long life enjoyed greeting neighbors from his porch chair.
The impractical aspect of the request is that the front entry would change from safely protected
to totally exposed. Indeed, the entry at the top of a small staircase seems to create a hazardous
condition. Balanced at the top of a 5-step stair, fully exposed to rain and snow, the owner must
find the housekey and open the front door. This is not a desirable plan.
A solution for this project is easily found in Salem’s existing architecture: move the covered
porch to the west side of the building. Most covered porches are located at the side or rear of
houses, where they create additional living space without impairing the historic character of an
intact Italianate façade that is a highly-valued part of the existing streetscape.
Sincerely,
Nina Cohen
Attached: photo of Federal St covered porch