Remodeling stirs spat over historic house

Plans to modify part of the 272-year-old Simeon Spalding residence, one of Chelmsford's most beloved historic houses, have resulted in a heated dispute that has put the project on a temporary hiatus.

William Harvey III, owner of the Spalding House at 75 North Road, would like to tear down part of the house that has not been deemed historically significant in order to construct seven residential units.

Rumors have circulated that Harvey wants to tear down the entire house because he filed for a demolition permit. However, according to the Chelmsford Historical Commission's bylaws, someone who wishes to do any kind of work on a historic house must apply for that permit.

Joe Shanahan, Harvey's permitting consultant for the property, said there are no plans to tear down the main part of the house, which has been labeled historically significant.

"Both Mr. Harvey and I were born and raised in Chelmsford," Shanahan said. "We never had or will have any plans to tear down the whole Spalding House. If we were to do that, we would have to move out of town."

Ideally, Harvey plans to create seven housing units at the Spalding House site, including four one-bedroom units in its barn portion. Those plans are presently under design.

Remodeling of the Spalding site will be costly. Shanahan said that restoration of its historic structure would cost between $100,000 and $200,000, while the construction of a barnlike structure for housing may cost around a half-million dollars.

Lack of communication between the parties has hindered progress on determination of the house's fate.

"It's up in the air right now, because neither the owner nor his representative showed up to the last meeting," said Fred Merriam of the Chelmsford Historical Commission, referring to Harvey and Shanahan's absence at an Oct. 14 meeting of the commission at which their proposal was expected to be heard.

Harvey "might not be in such a hurry to begin construction because of the way the economy has been," Merriam said. "He might be better off at this point in time sitting and collecting rent on the house. I believe he is fully rented on five units."

Shanahan says there is disagreement on whether the clock is running on the 12-month demolition delay issued by the commission.

Under the bylaw, the commission must determine whether a house that is more than 75 years old is "preferably preserved," which means that demolition of the structure "would be detrimental to the architectural, cultural, political, economic, or social heritage or resources of the town," according to the commission's website.

Once such a determination has been made, a 12-month demolition delay can be enforced, which has led to the dispute.

"It is our position that the 12-month clock has begun," said Shanahan, who says the commission ruled in June that the house was preferably preserved.

"We want to use this time to work with the commission," said Shanahan, "and we told them that we would go to every single meeting under the belief that the clock is running. They need to abide by their own bylaws."

The house was built in 1736 by Colonel Simeon Spaulding, a member of one of Chelmsford's most historic families (the family name was spelled both ways) and an important figure for the town during the Revolutionary War.

Since that time, a number of significant figures in Chelmsford history have called the house their home, such as Dr. John Dalton, who was a prominent town physician in the early 19th century.

One of the most interesting figures to live in the Spalding House was Charles Glidden, who spent time in the house in the late 1800s. Glidden has been described as an early automobile enthusiast and was the instigator of the cross-country automobile race, giving name to the phrase Glidden Tours.

For Harvey and Shanahan, one of the main goals of the planned rehabilitation is to make the property look similar to the way it looked in the 19th century, as they hope to strengthen and preserve its historic quality.

"We want there to be a barnlike structure with four single-bedroom [units]," Shanahan said, "and eliminate any add-ons that are not historically significant."

Andrew Clark can be reached at andrewclark87@gmail.com.