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Will SMOC turn this lovely historic property on a quiet residential street into a homeless shelter for drug addicts? |
STEPPS has spoken with the Framingham town historian and the Framingham Historical Society and found that the Framingham Nursing Home at 517 Winter Street is recognized by the town as a historical resource. We are concerned that this lovely building (listed as #444 in the town inventory of historic sites) is in danger, as SMOC is not known for keeping their properties in good condition. If their plans go ahead, there will be 25-45 residents, including children of unknown age housed there, supervised by single parents who are addicts or recovering addicts.
Residents of Ardmore Road can tell you how quickly a house and a street can be run down by ill-behaved teenagers -- before it was renovated and sold, 36 Ardmore was a total dump with trash spread all over the neighborhood because of the unsupervised young residents' parties and lack of responsibility.
The estate at 517 Winter Street was built between 1900-1915 and was most famous as the estate of millionaire Frank Dorr, who threw fabulous Fourth of July parties for all comers. People would come from as far away as Boston. At the time, Route 9 was a trolley line from Boston.
Historic Tree |
 
Here are some pictures of the historic copper beech at 517 Winter Street. (Click image for a larger view.) |
Frank Dorr was born on a farm in Maine and grew up there, but farming was not for him. He had the heart and soul of a salesperson, and he came to Massachusetts, where he got involved in retail merchandise. The was a store here, Raymond's, the precursor to the discount department store, which had several branches around the Boston area. He became a manager, and eventually bought the company outright. Raymonds became a popular institution around Boston for over a hundred years, before going out of business in the '70s. That is how Mr. Dorr made his fortune, not in antiques. THe Town Historical Society has a photo album of the estate in its heyday. Anyone interested in seeing it should call and make an appointment with Fred Wallace. The number is 508-872-3780.
Being recognized as a historic resource does not prevent someone from buying or using the property; however, if any demolition work -- even removing a porch or changing the roof -- is planned, the town can place a delay on the work and order public hearings be held. Unfortunately, this would not cover expansion or change of use.
In addition to the house itself, there is a rare copper beech tree on the grounds of 517 Winter Street.
Measuring 12 feet, 53/4 inches, the tree is estimated to be 3-400 years old.
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