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Daughters of the American Revolution chapter seeks funds to make historic Clap House accessible
Summary
The Betty Allen chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution requested Community Preservation Commission support to fund alterations—an accessible path, a small lavatory addition and interior door modifications—to make the Clap House accessible while preserving historic fabric.
Denise, regent of the Betty Allen chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, outlined a plan to make the chapter’s historic Clap House accessible and asked the commission for support to cover design and construction work to achieve ADA-compliant access.
Denise said the project is voluntary—"we're not required to do this"—but that the chapter decided accessibility was necessary after learning a recent guest could not access the house. She described a proposed accessible path from Monroe Street, a small single-room addition to house an ADA-compliant lavatory and interior door and threshold modifications; the addition would attach to a non-historic enclosed porch segment, she said.
Why it matters: The Clap House (Betty Allen chapter) is listed in the Commonwealth historic inventory and the National Register of Historic Places. The chapter said it consulted an architect (Jeff Penn), building and plumbing inspectors, Historic Northampton and a historic restoration expert (John Otis) about feasibility and preserving historic elements while making accessibility modifications.
Scope and community use: Denise and Jeff Penn described the work as focused on previously modified portions of the building and on preserving original trim where possible. Denise said the house hosts regular public programming—monthly book club meetings, veteran events, student essay awards and other community events—and that Historic Northampton will not refer visitors to the facility until it becomes accessible.
Design specifics Denise gave in the meeting included a Monroe Street path with low-impact lighting, a small ~7–7.5-foot-deep lavatory addition on a slab with a 4-foot crawl space, a mop sink and interior hardware adjustments; the chapter notes neighbors have been consulted and expressed support. Architect Jeff Penn emphasized that the alterations focus on non-original or previously reconstructed elements so original features can be retained.
No appropriation was enacted at this session; commissioners scheduled an April 2 public-comment hearing and a site visit to the Clap House at 09:30 on March 11. The commission discussed curb cut and disabled parking options; Denise said the site already has a curb cut for a tenant and that the chapter will request a designated disabled parking space from the city.
