Clark House Owner, Armenian Church in Talks

Supporters of the pre-Revolutionary house seeks year extension of license to allow negotiations to continue to find a permanent home for 250 year old structure.

The owner and supporters of the Thomas Clark House, the pre-Revolutionary War house saved from the wreaking ball earlier this year announced that they were in negotiations with the board of directors of the First Armenian Church of Belmont on Concord Avenue to provide the historic house a permanent home next to the church in a proposed land swap with the town. "It is not a done deal, but we are earnestly in discussion with them,” said Chairman of the Belmont Historic District Commission Michael Smith at a meeting of the Belmont Board of Selectmen Monday, adding that the final word on any possible deal will require the approval of the church's congregation.   "Our goal is to keep the house in Belmont," Smith said, noting that he has been …

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Final Bill for Clark House Move: $13K and Change

Bills to compensate town employees, a cash bond and money set aside, just in case.

As the Thomas Clark House was on its memorable half-mile journey through town Saturday morning, the trip was not without a cost. During the time the truck was hauling the 252-year-old house up Common Street and Concord Avenue to its new temporary home next to the Skip Viglirolo Skating Rink, a legion of town employees – from Belmont Municipal Light Department members disconnecting light posts and overhanging wires, Department of Public Work employees, police and fire – along with the town's tree contractor were working overtime to make sure the trip was completed without a hitch. All the while, Belmont Town Tresurer Floyd Carman was holding three checks from the house's new interim "owner," the Architectural Heritage Commission, to pay for…

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Moving History: The Thomas Clark House (Video)

Moments in the morning move of the historic Thomas Clark House in Belmont.

It began before the sun rose and ended at noon Saturday. And over that time, Admiral House Moving of Goffstown, NH took 252 years of Belmont history for a half-mile trip through town.  Saturday's move of the Thomas Clark House required five-and-a-half hours of careful and deliberate driving on Common Street and Concord Avenue, cutting the branches and limbs off numerous trees and finally placing the pre-Revolutionary War home at a temporary location near the Skip Vigilrolo Skating Rink. And Belmont could see the Clark House on the move in the near future as negotiations continue to place the structure on a lot on or near Concord Avenue. See the video of the move, a YouTube video and submitted photos of the day on this web site.

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(Photo Gallery) UPDATE: Thomas Clark House's Morning Move

It started on time and the house is now sitting in a temporary location off Concord Avenue.

Loudly creaking with every inch it moves away from its long-time homestead, the first journey to a new home for the Thomas Clark House began under a waning crescent moon at 6 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. After Admiral Building Movers, Inc. of Goffstown, NH negotiated a tricky maneuver to move the 250-year-old house off the lot – at one place, the house cleared a newly-constructed stone wall by a matter of an inch – the building stood in the middle of the Common Street as a smattering of residents (it was 7:15 a.m.) watched and took photos. "I never saw a house being moved," said Gavin Sparks, 8, who came with his three siblings and their mom, Augusta, whose parents live on Goden Street. For some attending, the move of the circa-1760 structure …

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Clark House Moves Saturday, 6 A.M. - 1 P.M.

Common Street and Concord Avenue will be shut down with detours during Saturday morning.

The second time is the charm. The Belmont Police Department and the town's Board of Selectmen announced today, Feb. 14, that the Thomas Clark House – the historic pre-Revolutionary era house that was nearly slated for the wreaking ball – will be moved from its home for the past 250 years at 59 Common St. to a temporary location adjacent to the Skip Viglirolo Skating Rink at 301/303 Concord Ave. on Saturday, Feb. 18. The move, according to Belmont Police Sgt. Benjamin Mailhot, will start at 6 p.m. and is scheduled to be finished by 1 p.m. The initial attempt to move the house was delayed last week by permitting problems. The move was required after the January Special Town Meeting rejected an article that would have moved the building onto …

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Clark House Move Delayed for Weeks

Permitting issues at the heart of the postponement.

The proposed move of the Thomas Clark House will not take place this weekend, according to Belmont Police. BPD Lt. Richard Santangelo said "permitting issues" will cause a delay of a couple of weeks before the 250-year-old house is allowed to move from its long time home at 59 Common St. to a temporary location adjacent the skating rink at 301 Concord Ave. The town's Historic District Commission and the Architectural Heritage Foundation are working with a non-profit on Concord Avenue to place one of the few remaining pre-Revolutionary War buildings in the town and the Boston area on a parcel it owns. Moving the structure was necessary after a January Special Town Meeting vote that rejected an article that would have placed the house on …

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Town Meeting Nix Clark House Move To Royal Rd

Opposition said relocating circa-1760 house should not mean losing park land.

While he led the successful opposition to relocating a piece of Belmont history, Vincent Stanton doesn't wish to see that landmark put before the wreaking ball. "I do want to find another solution to where they can place the house," said Stanton, the Royal Road resident who has been the neighbhorhood's bulwark against the 250-year-old Thomas Clark House moving to the parkland across the street from him and his neighbors homes. But last night's "victory," where the Special Town Meeting at the Chenery Middle School, Jan. 18, voted overwhelmingly to deny selling a parcel of land to relocate the circa 1760-built structure, should not lead to the destruction of one, if not the, oldest existing house in this "Town of Homes." "Demolishing the …

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Letters to the Editor

More Options For Saving Clark House

Placing two-and-a-half century old house on Royal Road not only town-land that could be used.

To the editor: We are writing in response to the recently approved Town Meeting Warrant as reported in the Belmont Patch (Eight Articles Await Special Town Meeting, Dec 9).  The article suggests that the only option to saving the Thomas Clark House is in the hands of the nearly 300 Town Meeting representatives; this is not correct. It is unfortunate that the significantly complex developer-driven relocation of the Clark house to Royal Road is the only option included on the January Town Meeting Warrant. The town owns several additional large parcels of land, including, • 29,440 sq. ft. of land at 2 Common St. (large open area next to the historic Wellington Station), • 17,716 sq. ft. of land at 130 Orchard St. (across from the Wellington …

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Meryl

12:48 pm on Friday, December 23, 2011

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