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05/04/2016 09:45 AMThis week, an architectural survey of historic properties is being conducted from Sols Point Road to Hammock Point and the streets between West Road and Beach Park Road/Shore Grove Road in Clinton. Scheduled to run May 2 to 6, the survey is part of a statewide coastal preservation initiative designed to identify and protect historic sites along Connecticut’s shore.
The program is administered by the Department of Economic and Community Development’s (DECD) State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in partnership with the National Park Service. Following damage from Superstorm Sandy, Congress awarded Connecticut $8,014,769 for disaster relief projects in the coastal counties of Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex, and New London. Funds were granted to SHPO through the Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund.
SHPO initially developed the Disaster Relief Assistance Grant program to repair and restore historic properties affected by the 2012 storm. The second phase of the program focuses on identifying vulnerable historic resources and developing resiliency plans.
“This funding will help us respond quickly and strategically should we face another devastating event,” said Governor Dannel Malloy in a statement announcing the funding last fall. “Connecticut is committed to safeguarding the state’s unique cultural heritage even as it addresses the coastal resiliency challenges of the 21st century. These are important, preparatory steps forward, and we’re pleased these federal dollars can be used to help so many areas along the coastline.”
Phase II projects, totaling $4.1 million, include surveys and inventories of historic sites and structures in Clinton and other selected towns; preparation of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places for historic buildings and districts; a searchable database of documented historic resources; resiliency plans for coastal communities; reevaluation of archaeological sites affected by Superstorm Sandy and the identification of sites threatened by future storms and sea level rise; a nautical archaeological survey and assessment of storm damage to shipwrecks in Connecticut waters; a mobile app allowing residents to survey their historic residences; a geospatial database of historic properties; a history of coastal building elevation in Connecticut and elevation guidelines for property owners; and a history of 19th- and 20th-century architecture in coastal Connecticut.
Kelly Sellers Wittie, an architectural historian with R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates (RCGA)—the firm conducting the survey in Clinton—said there are neighborhoods all along the shore where a clearer understanding of the distribution of historic resources could have helped property owners, SHPO, and the National Park Service in the wake of Superstorm Sandy more quickly identify properties eligible for disaster relief.
“The SHPO saw it in Milford, East Haven, New London, and elsewhere. Sandy truly underscored how important it is to know where the historic properties are in vulnerable areas in order to reduce the time it takes to make decisions about eligibility. Clinton’s Historic District Commission recognized the significance of this initiative and recommended an architectural survey of specific areas in town,” Wittie said.
A field crew of four cultural resource professionals from RCGA is working in Clinton this week, and Wittie anticipates that their assessment will take five days to complete. The baseline data collected will serve as a resource for town officials, local planners, preservationists, property owners, and researchers as part of the Statewide Historic Resource Inventory.
“Connecticut stands to gain from these innovative projects in many ways,” said DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith. “State agencies and municipalities will be better prepared to respond to future disasters, more properties will be eligible for disaster relief funding, and perhaps most importantly, resiliency efforts can be targeted wisely, ensuring historic assets will stand for generations to come and tell the story of Connecticut’s history.”
Kristina Newman-Scott, DECD’s director of culture and Connecticut’s state historic preservation officer, added, “Once this work is complete we will have a much better understanding of our historic assets along the coastline. What is particularly exciting is we are providing the public and communities with access to resources they never had before and engaging them in new ways.”
What specifically will the field crew be looking for in Clinton?
All work in Clinton is being done on public right-of-ways, Wittie said. Survey crews will wear reflective safety vests and come equipped with cameras and electronic tablets; they will not enter private property.
“This survey of Clinton will be a bit different than past surveys,” she said, “due to the age of the houses. Many of the resources in Clinton date to the Colonial era or to early statehood. The buildings we will be surveying are 20th-century construction. A lot of changes occurred in early 20th-century Connecticut as Americans embraced the modern concept of a beach vacation. We are looking for the presence or absence of historic buildings. To be considered historic, a building must be more than 50 years of age and retain many, though not necessarily all, of its original distinguishing characteristics. Each building is evaluated for its integrity of materials, design, workmanship, location (has it been moved?), setting (was it a rural farmhouse that now sits next to a McDonald’s?), association, and feeling. These questions are asked of each residence to determine if the building is individually eligible for listing in the National or State Registers of Historic Places or if a collection of the buildings qualifies as a historic district. To be clear, we are not nominating any buildings or districts to the National or State Register at this time, just collecting the baseline data. The decision to nominate lies with the homeowners, the recommendations of the Clinton Historic District Commission, and the State Historic Preservation Office.”