2016 Historic Resources Survey

In the spring of 2013, Belmont Town Meeting approved the use of Community Preservation Act funds to update and expand the survey of historic properties originally completed in the early 1980s by Boston University graduate students. The Historic Resources Survey project budget and scope provided for the preparation of 200 historic survey forms as well as a web component related to historic properties in Belmont.

The project was overseen by the Historic District Commission, and is based on the methodologies of the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC), who maintain a state-wide record of historic properties.  The Belmont survey focused on identifying properties for which new or updated inventory forms were needed, particularly under-represented building types including commercial buildings, modern-era architecture, significant pre-1900 buildings that were not previously inventoried, and buildings in areas with a distinctive shared historic association and character. Additionally, the consultant identified the range of representative architectural syles that can be found in Belmont. MHC building or area forms were used to document new information, resulting in new forms for 130 historic buildings and 70 new forms for buildings that had been previously inventoried in the 1980s.

The historic resources survey is the foundation of other preservation strategies and provides the data to identify and analyze the most important historic resources in Belmont that are integral to the town’s historic character and identity. Once these properties are identified, the HDC and others can explore a spectrum of preservation tools to retain and enhance the most important historic resources, such as local historic districts, neighborhood conservation districts, National Register listings, etc.

Click the buttons below to learn more.