Our Commonwealth

August 2009
Preservation Across Massachusetts
In This Issue
Corporate Sponsors
Board of Directors/Staff
Support Preservation
Massachusetts!
Get Connected with PM
Greetings!
Profiles in Preservation
Drumming up Rural Industries in
Massachusetts
Most Endangered Updates
Greetings!
As we approach mid-August and realize that summer is winding down, staff at PM has been
working on a number of exciting projects all with a view toward this upcoming year. Our Most
Endangered nominations, membership renewals and advocacy calls keep us busy across the state.
We can hardly believe that PM will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary in 2010! I'm especially
excited about the new Profiles in Preservation program, which we believe is a great way to
recognize and celebrate the achievements of so many individuals who have made a difference in
the landscape of historic preservation across Massachusetts. It is our intention to recognize and
honor these amazing individuals as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary at our Annual Dinner at the
Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel on Wednesday, May 5th 2010. It is our fondest hope that you will
nominate an individual or individuals who you believe should be recognized for their good work.
Read on and learn a little more.
-Jim

Announcements Profiling Preservation in Massachusetts

Corporate Sponsors 2010 marks Preservation Massachusetts' 25th Anniversary as the statewide non-profit promoting
the preservation of our Commonwealth. In celebrating this milestone event, we wish to
acknowledge those individuals who have made a difference in the landscape of historic
Platinum / $25,000 preservation in Massachusetts. PM wanted to find a way to share the stories, successes (and
Winn Development losses) that made the Massachusetts preservation community what it is today.

Profiles in Preservation is a way to recognize the amazing achievements of so many individuals.

Gold / $10,000 From the founders of some of our state's strongest non-profits and local preservation advocates to
pro-active legislators and developers adaptively re-using historic structures, their instrumental
Boston Red Sox contributions have made Massachusetts' preservation what it is today.

As PM envisions it, Profiles in Preservation will be a chronology of the preservation, told through
Benefactor / $5,000 the people who founded the non-profits, saved the homes, championed legislation, rehabbed the
Bank of America mills. From the often unsung local advocates to the innovative developers to legislators, each
story and effort has advanced preservation from an idea to a broader ethic, bridging economics
BayNorth Capital and sustainable building. Those individuals included in Profiles in Preservation will be honored
Consigli Construction Co., Inc. at Preservation Massachusetts' 25th Anniversary Dinner on May 5, 2010 at the Fairmont
Copley Plaza in Boston.
First Resource Development
Holland + Knight The Profiles will be selected through a nomination process. Nomination forms are available on
PM's website, www.preservationmass.org or call 617-723-3383 for a hard copy or with questions.
Keith Construction Ltd. Deadline for submission is October 2, 2009.
Mira Development
Make your nomination to Profiles in Preservation today!
Murtha Cullina LLP
Wessling Architects Inc.
 Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
Drumming up Rural Industries Preservation
Patron / $2,000 - $2,500
DAIQ/D'Agostino Izzo Quirk
Architects As I ride the circuit through central and western Massachusetts, it's
always fun to discover sites that embody a family tradition of
Epsilon Associates
preservation, whether it's an 18th-century family farm or a business
Finegold Alexander + Associates handed down for generations. The Noble & Cooley Drum Company
(http://www.noblecooley.com) in Granville is a perfect example. This
Forest City
family-owned and managed industrial plant has operated in the same
Lee Kennedy Co., Inc. historic buildings for more than 100 years. Noble & Cooley's owners
have a long legacy of preserving buildings, equipment, documents,
Nixon Peabody LLP
artifacts, images, industrial processes, and the stories that surround
The Architectural Team them. The current generation has become stewards, not only of their
family business, but also of their community's industrial heritage.

********************
Board of Directors

Claudia S. Wu - Chair
Jack Hodgkins -Vice Chair
Douglas Kelleher - Clerk
Philip A. Madonia- Treasurer
James G. Alexander, FAIA
Pamela Bailey
In the small rural town of Granville, Noble & Cooley Co. has made drums for more than 150 years.
Established in 1854 by Silas Noble and James P. Cooley, the firm grew from a cottage industry to a
major manufacturer within less than two decades. By 1873, the company produced 100,000 drums
a year, from toys to military instruments. Noble & Cooley became such an important business in
Granville that its factory is on the town seal.

Daniel R. Benoit
Jonathan ("Jay") Jones, the company's current president and the great-great-great grandson of
Thomas F. Birmingham James P Cooley, is the sixth generation of Cooley descendants to operate the factory. Jay jokes
Jean Carroon, FAIA that he spent much of his after-school time "being a general nuisance around the factory." In 1973,
Jay began working at the factory full-time, and has been there ever since. When Jay married, his
Kara Cicchetti wife Carol also became involved in the business. Their son Nick will be the seventh generation
Stuart Gregerman involved in the family business.

Frank T. Keefe
Daniel Kolodner
At the company's peak of operation in the
Todd McCabe 1970s, the factory ran two shifts, with sixty
workers on the day shift and thirty to forty on
James McDermott
the night shift. In 1984, Noble & Cooley added
Michael H. Rosenberg the manufacture of high-end performance
snare drums and drum sets to its production
Yanni Tsipis
line. It turned out to be a wise decision. In
Rita Walsh 2002, when pressure from cheap imports
pushed Noble & Cooley out of the toy drum
Fran Weld
market, the company shifted entirely to
custom-manufacturing high-end professional
instruments. Striving to create a 100%
Staff
American-made product, Jay uses locally
James W. Igoe harvested oak, cherry, and maple, with each
wood giving a different resonance to the instrument. Precision woodworking and metalworking and
President
quality craftsmanship have made Noble & Cooley drums the choice of performers like Phil Collins
and drummers for Paul McCartney, John Mellancamp, Green Day, and the Woody Herman Band.
Erin D. A. Kelly
Assistant Director
The family has managed to keep the business flexible enough to change with the times without
losing sight of its history. "The historical aspect [of the business] has always been key," according
Anulfo G. Baez to Jay's sister Liz. Jay and Liz's grandmother and mother became company and family historians,
Office Manager giving presentations on Noble & Cooley's history to a wide range of audiences and welcoming
groups to the plant for tours. The family has preserved James Cooley's 19th-century diaries,
historic business records, and a collection of company products and equipment, including an
Elsa Fitzgerald innovative eight-color printing machine and an 1870s steam-bending machine (still used in the
business today) for curving the wood for drum shells from 6" to 20" in diameter. Much of the 19th
Special Projects Manager and 20th-century drum-making equipment is still operational, and is used for demonstrations at

Interns
Patrick Condon
John Harrison
Courtney Whelan
Circuit Riders
In Parnership with
the National Trust for Historic
Preservation
Michele P. Barker
Dorr Fox
Steve Moga
Support Preservation
Massachusetts!
***********
Preservation Massachusetts is
entirely supported by our
Corporate and Individual
Members and Foundations.
Find out about Corporate
benefits, events, programs
and take an active role in
preserving our Commonwealth.
Our Fiscal year ends September
30, 2009! Join or renew your
membership today!
www.preservationmass.org
******************
Upcoming
Preservation
Masschusetts' Events
Join us on Wednesday
October 28, 2009 for the
Massachusetts Most
Endangered Historic
Resources Fall Event at
Nixon Peabody LLP!
More details to follow in the coming
months
Mark your calendars and
join us on May 5th, 2010 for
the 23rd Annual
Awards Dinner at the
Fairmont Copley Plaza
Hotel!
More details to follow in the coming building, and will gladly provide hard facts about the structure and facilities. The task force prefers
Noble & Cooley's 4th of July and Harvest Fair festivities. Jay can whip through the fifteen steps of
creating a toy drum in an amazing five minutes.
New England's visitors-and even some
residents-often don't realize how many
industries like Noble & Cooley once thrived in
small rural towns. Liz , Jay, and Carol
recognize that Noble & Cooley is just one part
of the larger story of New England's
sometimes forgotten rural manufacturers.
Wanting to create a formal organization to
commemorate the rural industries of Granville
and surrounding towns, in 2007 the family
founded the Noble & Cooley Center for
Historic Preservation (NCCHP -
http://www.ncchp.org/) with the help of a
dedicated board of directors. At this time, one
floor of the factory has become a museum exhibiting Noble & Cooley products, equipment, images,
and documents. Artifacts from other area rural industries will eventually be added to the NCCHP's
collections and exhibits. Special events, like the July 4th and Harvest Fair demonstrations and an
ice harvest on the millpond, bring the past to life for visitors. But the NCCHP is still in its infancy; it's
a constant challenge to maintain a successful business while trying to get a new nonprofit off the
ground.
Both the manufacturing operation and the NCCHP currently occupy only one of the complex's three
main buildings. The two vacant buildings need utility services and weatherization before they can
be functional again. If the buildings are rehabilitated, Jay and Carol hope to attract cottage
industries and craftspeople to the site, making it a center to foster rural industries of the future as
well as preserving the history of rural industries of the past.
Michele Barker is the Circuit Rider Western Massachusetts.
The Circuit Rider Program is in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Where Are They Now?
Most Endangered Updates!
In Worcester County, two of our past Most Endangered Resources
are in the spotlight again. Both are in need of preservation-minded
developers. Anyone who is interested in the properties should
contact Central/Western Mass. Circuit Rider Michele Barker (671-
999-3256, mpbarker@preservationmass.org) for more information.
Abijah Clark House, Hubbardston - Listed in 2001
This circa 1814 Federal-style house on the Hubbardston town common has changed very little
since the 19th century. That's a mixed blessing. The house has retained most of its original interior
and exterior features, but modern utilities were never installed. The building unfortunately shares a
site with the Wheeler Brothers Store, creating problems for parking and septic system installation.
Things looked hopeful when new owners acquired the Clark House and Wheeler store just after the
initial MER listing. The buyers made wonderful progress rehabilitating the store and its second-floor
living areas, but were not able to begin work on the Clark House. Unfortunately, the owners are
reluctantly having to sell the Wheeler Store property that both buildings are on, and are very
concerned that the Clark house will be demolished and lost forever. The Clark House once more
seeks an adventurous owner willing to rehabilitate it. Relocation to another site might be necessary.
Nichewaug Inn, Petersham
- Listed in 2003
The Nichewaug Inn is
situated in the Petersham
Common National Register
and Local Historic District, at
the center of a quaint, picture-perfect, New England town. The inn was built in 1899 by Edmund
Willson (of Stone, Carpenter & Willson and formerly of McKim, Meade & White). It's a turn-of-the-
century, Shingle Style inn, which was converted into a girls school in the 1950s. The building is
vacant and the town currently owns it. A task force is currently determining the future of the
 months
working with assisted-living developers who are interested in historic tax credits. However, all
options are open, including applying for public grants, when working with developers.

Fall 2009 Lecture Series on
the History of the Woburn
Public Library
September 17, 7:00PM
Announcements
Historic Barns in Southeastern Massachusetts Workshop
Barns are a treasured part of the rural Massachusetts landscape but are
too quickly becoming an endangered species. Hear about the styles of
barns in Southeastern Massachusetts, tips on stabilizing barns until full
preservation can begin, and how the Community Preservation Act
supports historic preservation in other Massachusetts towns. Speakers
include master timberframer Ian Ellison and other Massachusetts historic
preservation specialists. Submit pictures of local barns with specific
questions to Kelley Whitmore, kwhitmore@ttor.org. Please know we
may not be able to cover all submissions. Pre-registration via email to Kelley is requested but not
required. FREE
Monday, November 16 - 6:30PM at Bristol County Agricultural High School Library, 135 Center St.,
Dighton

Michael LeBlanc, AIA Principal,

Utile, Inc., Architecture + Planning
Appending to the Past - The
Dilemma of Adding to Significant
Historical Buildings
Preservation Worcester: Better Than Your Average Yard Sale - 9am, -10am Preview SALE ($10)
- 10am - 1pm SALE to the General Public (Free). Join Preservation Worcester at their sale of 18th,
19th and early 20th century restoration and home improvement architectural salvage, antiques,
reproductions and decorative accessories. You will find a unique assortment of unusual items and
will be supporting local historic preservation.

October 17, 7:00PM Preservation Massachusetts: Submit your own This Place Matters photo! In an effort to further
strengthen this initiative by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, we are asking our readers
Timothy Orwig, Lecturer, American to submit photos of the places that matter to them the most in the Commonwealth of
Studies, Boston University Massachusetts. To download a sign please visit our website and send your photos to
abaez@preservationmass.org.
Scrape it, Tart it up, or Wrap it in
the Flag? Early Debates about
Historic Preservation in
Massachusetts

November 5, 7:00PM

Chris Milford, AIA Milford and Ford

Associates

What to Preserve? Understanding

Strategies for an Addition to the
Library

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Any comments, ideas,

suggestions? Please
email abaez@preservationma
ss.org