This following letter was submitted to city officials and the Salem Historical Commission (SHC) regarding the addition and design of bollards in front of Ropes Mansion at 318 Essex Street.
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July 10, 2025
Dear City Officials and Members of the Historical Commission,
On behalf of Historic Salem, Inc., we write to express our strong concern regarding the recent installation of 54-inch-high cast iron bollards in front of the Ropes Mansion at 318 Essex Street — one of Salem’s most iconic and architecturally significant properties.
While we appreciate the City’s efforts to improve pedestrian safety, the scale and placement of these bollards are deeply out of character with their historic setting. Even with the use of cast iron — a more appropriate material than originally proposed — the installation remains disproportionate and visually intrusive, detracting from the Ropes Mansion’s aesthetic integrity and from the character of the broader McIntire Historic District.
We understand that the stated purpose of the sidewalk bump-out and bollards is to create a safety zone for tourists and protect them from vehicular traffic. However, in practice, the new configuration may have created new safety issues rather than resolving existing ones. The Ropes Mansion has long served as a natural gathering point for walking tours, and the sidewalk is frequently overwhelmed during peak tourist seasons. The new bump-out now accommodates tour groups and draws them closer to traffic, while these groups will still block the sidewalk and crosswalk — forcing pedestrians even farther into the active roadway, especially when trying to pass or access the crosswalk. In effect, this design seems to prioritize tourist staging over safe, continuous pedestrian movement for residents and visitors.
Historic Salem, Inc. is concerned that the bollards used at the Ropes Mansion on Essex Street will be used as a “standard” at other installations across the city. Again, we believe that the size and scale of these bollards is excessive and will have a negative impact if installed at other locations. We believe a more contextually appropriate solution would involve shorter bollards, and, where necessary, connecting chains to define the pedestrian zone, encourage proper crossing at the designated crosswalk, while providing a safer and less visually disruptive edge.
Historic Salem, Inc. supports the City’s commitment to public safety — particularly in areas that draw crowds — but we strongly believe these goals can and must be achieved without compromising Salem’s historic integrity. Good faith efforts by City departments to engage sympathetically with the city’s long-standing architectural character will generate goodwill with residents and property owners and can result in solutions that are both safe and preservation sensitive.
We welcome the opportunity to engage further on this issue and assist in identifying more appropriate alternatives that better serve both public safety and historic preservation.
Sincerely,
Richard Lindeman
President
