Historic Salem, Inc., Salem, Massachusetts

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P.O. Box 865, Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-0799
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A Brief History of Historic Salem, Inc.
by Jim McAllister



APPROACHING FIFTY   (1990-1994)
As HSI approaches its fiftieth anniversary it bears little resemblance to the organization that primarily sought to save and restore old buildings in decades past.

An HSI list of priority action areas for 1990-1 includes neighborhood traffic, Salem access roads, downtown planning and marketing, waterfront development, Riley Plaza and the "Salem Project", downtown parking, the re-use of Salem Jail and the Salem Armory, tourism, the restoration of Old Town Hall and the future of 18 Crombie Street.

Politically, HSI has never been in a better position to effect positive change. In a letter to the membership in the Spring 1992 newsletter, outgoing President William Guenther notes that current HSI board members sit on the Salem Historic District Commission, Planning Board, Redevelopment Authority, and Design Review Board, as well as the Salem Partnership Board of Directors. The organization's support base is growing through ongoing efforts to bring residents of previously unrepresented Salem neighborhoods on to the HSI board of directors. And the quarterly newsletter keeps the HSI membership informed of important developments and activities.

The SALEM WATERFRONT is an HSI priority. Through its active membership in the Salem Partnership, HSI helps secure federal funds for the "Salem Project". Much of that funding is earmarked for improvements at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. HSI joins with the House of the Seven Gables, the Salem Partnership and the City of Salem to publish Salem Harbor, a booklet written by Philip Chadwick Foster Smith, on the history and significance of Salem's waterfront.

In 1992, the threat of a new secondary sewerage treatment plant in the Cat Cove-Winter Island area prompts a letter to the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, signed by HSI's John Casey, stating that "Salem's waterfront heritage is a national resource" and requesting that steps be taken to mitigate the physical and aesthetic impact of the new plant on Salem Harbor.

Preservation activity in the early nineties includes the development of a "RESOURCE CENTER FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION" for the Salem Public Library. HSI contributes $500 and literature for the new collection which consists of hundreds of books and other publications related to home preservation. HSI's David Hart and Carol Hedstrom help organize the collection.

In May, 1991, more than 150 HSI members send postcards to the Salem Redevelopment Authority opposing the destruction of 18 CROMBIE STREET, one of seven buildings in the Crombie Street National Register Historic District. The building, scheduled to be razed for parking by owner Holyoke Mutual Insurance Company, is given a reprieve from the SRA.

The 1991 House and Garden Tour raises approximately $10,000, half of which is donated to the City of Salem towards an OLD TOWN HALL restoration planning study. HS! also contributes $5,000 for the city's new WITCH TRIAL MEMORIAL.

NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENTS are an important part of HSI's efforts to preserve Salem's heritage. In the early nineties, the organization successfully promotes new TRUCK ROUTES routes which bypass residential districts. The proceeds of a "Passport to Salem" party in May, 1990, at Hamilton Hall are donated to the City of Salem for the planting of 23 NEW TREES in the North Street and downtown areas. This $5,500 grant is followed by two other donations to the city for additional trees, most to be planted along the route of a new McIntire Historic District walking trail developed by the Salem Partnership. HSI's local commitment helps generate additional funding for trees from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Downtown projects also keep HSI members busy. In 1991, an HSI committee consisting of of David Hart, Annie Harris, Randall Wieting and Elizabeth Padjen works with the Salem Planning Department on landscaping and other issues related to the RILEY PLAZA REDESIGN PROJECT. Many of their suggestions are incorporated into the final design.

A DOWNTOWN PROJECTS COMMITTEE is established in 1991. The committee's early focus is on the beautification of Salem streetscapes. Its first project is the redesign and rebuilding of LAFAYETTE PARK on Mill Hill. The latter project is undertaken in conjunction with the City of Salem and the Salem Harbor Community Development Corporation. The winners of the 1992 Lafayette Park Design Competition, and the $500 prize, are Elena Saporta and John Tagiuri of Cambridge.

In June 1993, HSI returns, however briefly, to its roots when the Witch House is included on the HSI House and Garden Tour. A year later, on June 16, 1994, members and friends of Historic Salem, Inc. gather at Hamilton Hall to celebrate fifty years of preserving Historic Sites, Building and objects and working for the education for the community in the true value of the same.



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