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Commission hears restoration update for 36 Butler Street after staff uncovers rare rusticated wood siding
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Summary
Staff reported that work at 36 Butler Street uncovered hand-carved rusticated wood siding beneath aluminum; commissioners voted to confirm ongoing restoration plans that preserve much of the original material and use fiber cement where siding is missing or rotten.
At its Aug. 7 meeting the Worcester Historical Commission received an update on restoration work at 36 Butler Street and took a confirmatory vote to permit ongoing construction under staff oversight.
Staff reported that the property — long altered and most recently used as a funeral parlor — has surprisingly intact, hand-carved rusticated wood siding beneath decades of aluminum cladding. Preservation staff described the siding as approximately one inch thick, carved to resemble stone, and comparable in treatment to historic examples such as the siding used at Mount Vernon. The commission heard that roughly 80–90% of the existing rusticated siding can be restored; areas of missing or rotten siding will be replaced with fiber-cement material to match historic profiles where necessary.
Commissioners also received updates that replacement windows already approved have been installed, that dental molding details will be recreated to match existing ghosting where indicated, and that a previously enclosed porch infill will be removed and returned to an open-arch configuration consistent with the house’s mid-19th-century appearance. Staff presented a proposed color scheme for the restored elevations (a dark taupe body with contrasting trim) informed by historic paint research.
The commission took a confirmatory vote to approve ongoing work and asked staff to continue to monitor the restoration and to include required details in the project record. Staff indicated the owner plans to convert the building to a two-family use and that a townhouse development is planned on the former parking-lot portion of the site; the owner has agreed to a preservation restriction, with the commission as holder. Commissioners welcomed the discovery and described it as an important preservation outcome for a key local property.
Next steps: staff will document the restoration scope, monitor the work, and file periodic updates with the commission; written decisions and restoration conditions will be placed in the public record.
