Historic Preservation
Much of Newbury's appeal comes from the Town's historic structures and landscapes and yet many of these important resources are being lost as our community continues to grow. The Newbury Planning Board is working with the Newbury Historical Commission to find ways to support historic preservation in our community. As part of the Town's Open Space Residential Development By-Law (Chapter 97, Zoning, Section 5.C of the Town's By-Laws), the Planning Board has the ability to provide bonuses to developers in return for the preservation of historic structures. The Town has also adopted a Demolition Delay By-Law (Chapter 65, Historic Preservation of the Town's By-Laws), which provides an opportunity for development of a preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, or relocation solutions for applicable structures threatened with demolition through a ninth-month demolition delay period, as well as an opportunity for the Historical Commission to document historic or important architectural resources before they are lost from Newbury's cultural landscape.
By-Laws and regulations can, however, go only so far and we all need to become more aware of the historic features in our community and in many cases in our own homes. To this end, we are creating a series of webpages that cover issues related to historic preservation and that provide links to the wealth of information that is available on the internet.
Information to help homeowners identify exterior and interior styles and features
Historic house styles
Guidelines for restoring and rehabilitating historic buildings (National Park Service)
Historic house styles
Guidelines for restoring and rehabilitating historic buildings (National Park Service)