Trying to meld historic preservation, diversity and climate resilience in Boston

Edited from a Boston Guardian article

(Robert Whitcomb, New England Diary’s editor/publisher, is The Boston Guardian’s chairman.)

“The administration of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu wants to expand the city’s preservation policies to focus on diversity and climate resilience.

“The enhancements were explained at a citywide meeting by Murray Miller, director of the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP), a city entity established by Wu in 2022.

“The OHP comprises three bodies.

“Drawing most of the office’s resources, the Landmarks Commission works to protect Boston’s historic structures. It also oversees the ten local historic district commissions, each of which focuses on preserving a different Boston neighborhood. The office also includes the Commemoration Commission and the Archaeology Program.

“For much of the meeting, Miller presented the office’s strategic vision. Overall, he said he intends to expand the office’s purview beyond its traditional role as a regulator of landmarks.

“One of the office’s key focuses, he said, will be to tell the ‘full story’ of the city’s history. The office will devote more money to discovering and preserving historic sites connected to Boston’s Black, indigenous, immigrant and LGBTQ communities..

“Miller also highlighted climate resilience as an important mission for the office.

“Incentivizing developers to renovate existing structures could help increase resilience, he said, as could reworking Article 85, a part of Boston’s zoning code that allows applicants to request a demolition delay for potentially historic buildings.’’

To read the full article, please hit this link.