Commission approves advisory report on 79 Lund Street after research finds building tied to cigar manufacturer Lorenzo Ross

The Newburyport Historical Commission on Jan. 8 approved a draft advisory report recommending the Zoning Board of Appeals consider the historical significance of the structure at 79 Lund Street. The chair said new research identified Lorenzo Ross as the original owner and reported that the building had been used as a cigar factory, which increases its local historical importance.

The chair, speaking for the commission, said the report focuses narrowly on two questions: the historical significance of the building itself and its contribution to the character of the block, not on proposed development or the merits of specific new construction. "It has nothing to do with what they might want to build," the chair said, adding the commission's role is advisory on the structure and its block context.

Commission members discussed citations and supporting documents gathered by the chair during a reverse-deed and newspaper search. The chair said those sources included front‑page newspaper coverage of Ross's death and contemporaneous reports that the building served as a cigar factory. A commissioner asked whether the documentation would be shared; the chair said the citations and supporting files would be provided to interested members.

A motion to approve the draft advisory report to the zoning board of appeals was made and seconded and the commission voted to adopt the draft. The chair will finalize the letter and forward it to the board.

Next steps: the advisory report will accompany the commission's comments to the Zoning Board of Appeals; any formal preservation or permitting decisions will be made by the zoning board or other statutory decision-makers.