Weston Historical Commission closes White Farm hearing after school vows demolition

WESTON -- February 7, 2023, Weston Historical Commission closes contentious White Farm public hearing after Cambridge School vows to proceed with demolition. The commission, chaired by Co-Chair Phyllis Halpern and led in proceedings by member Steve Wagner, voted unanimously to close the public hearing on 109 Lexington Street after Cambridge School board chair Ann Gorson presented replacement drawings that members including Henry S. Stone, Jr. said were "not a replica at all" but "a distortion of the original" scaled up roughly 25 percent. Public commenter Alicia Primer of 179 Church Street warned the demolition would eliminate a preexisting nonconformity, triggering ZBA and Planning Board review that would make the school's fall 2023 construction deadline impossible. The commission also received conceptual fire station renovation massing studies from Tecton Architects, voted 6-0 with one abstention to endorse a $25,000 Community Preservation Act feasibility study for the Case Estate Rhododendron Garden and Louisa's Wall, and advanced four properties to March 7 public hearings, including the 1889 Dr. Frederick W. Jackson House at 348 Boston Post Road, whose planned Harvey vinyl window replacements drew immediate concern from members.