Weston Historical Commission Urges Preservation of 200-Year-Old Barn on Boston Post Road

WESTON — June 18, 2019 — Weston Historical Commission presses developers to preserve a nearly 200-year-old bank barn at the 751-761 Boston Post Road housing project. At the June 18 meeting, commission members reviewed a substantially revised site plan from developer Mark Romanowitz that lowers building heights and relocates the project's amenity area, but omits the historic two-story bank barn from the preservation list after a structural assessment put stabilization costs at $750,000 to more than $1 million. Members reached a consensus that their letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals should state a clear first preference to restore the barn in place, with transfer to Land's Sake farm as a fallback, telling developers they did not want to see it "lost under any circumstances." The commission also pushed back on the site plan's placement of the wastewater treatment facility near the cluster of historic buildings, arguing it should not be "the tail wagging the design." The Eleanor Raymond west wing, designed by pioneering architect Eleanor Raymond, was confirmed for preservation after a site visit, with members insisting it remain physically connected to the Farnsworth House rather than relocated separately.