SHIRLEY – Maplewood Manor, the Holden homestead on Horse Pond Road, has stood since 1750, according to Historic Commission records and its listing in the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
With later additions dating back to 1900, the result is an eclectic mix of architectural styles – Greek Revival, Italianate, Victorian — and “composite” building materials, including a brick, fieldstone and granite foundation.
Family members now plan to demolish the old house, which they say is unstable and can’t be restored, hoping to build a new one in its place that will look as much like its predecessor as possible and may even incorporate architectural details salvaged from the original structure, such as period door brackets.
Enter the Shirley Historical Commission/Shirley Center Historic District Commission, which at a public hearing earlier this month invoked the town’s demolition delay bylaw, effectively putting the Holden family’s tear-down plans on hold for the next six months.
According to Commission Chairman Paul Przybyla, imposing the bylaw buys time for the commissioners – and other interested parties, including neighbors in the historic district who have expressed reservations about the proposed rebuild – to come up with an alternative plan that would preserve the old house, which stands just a few feet off the road and adjacent to the historic Center Cemetery, where many Holden family ancestors are buried.
As for the rebuild, there are even more hurdles facing the builder, David Holden.
Besides the ongoing Historic Commission review, the review process will continue through several other town boards, including the Conservation Commission, Zoning and Planning boards and the Building Dept. The building commissioner gets the final say on whether the new house proposed for the site meets building codes or not. Building Inspector Butch Farrar has warned him that building codes must be met, period. “He told me it’s basically pass/fail,” Holden said. “Close doesn’t count.”
At the hearing’s second session earlier this month, David Holden laid out his plans for the new house and fielded questions from the commissioners and others in the audience, including concerned neighbors.
Gordon Chase, one of several Holden family members and stakeholders, said they plan to tear the house down in any case, rather than let it continue to deteriorate.
His mother, Mary Holden Chase, and her brothers, Robert, David and Harley Holden, grew up in the home, Chase said.
“We want to keep it in the family,” he said of the property, noting that the Holden line dates back to the founding of the town in the 1700’s.
So does the original house, which has to come down, he said. In its place, his cousin David aims to build a sturdy new structure that will stand for another century and beyond. “We had hoped some of this would be grandfathered,” he said, referring to building codes, and other regulations the new house will have to adhere to that the old one did not.
“The rules have changed…” he said. Which could be an understatement, given that just about every feature and fixture in the old house is out of sync with 21st century rules, from foundation to roof line and including its distance from the road. The current set-back is 40 feet, while the old manor stands just a few feet back.
The rebuild proposal was a joint decision, Chase said. “The family has been debating…for six months.”
In a later phone conversation, Chase told the Nashoba Valley Voice more about the family’s history in town and more than a little about the current generation’s purpose in proposing this rebuild.
He noted the many contributions the Holden family has made to the town, including setting aside 120 acres near the homestead in a permanent conservation restriction.
Owned by a family trust, Holdenwood has well maintained trails and landscaping and hosts the annual Holdenwood Run, a popular event and fundraiser for the Ayer Shirley Regional School District.
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