boston_courant_-_83_montgomery_-_11-8-04_p.1
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PUBLIC MEETING FOR NATIONAL EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES LABORATORIES FACILITY New England’s Most Creative Collection of Unique Hand-Woven Oriental Rugs Salem Route 1A 800-649-5909 Since 1938 landryandarcari.com Free Parking Boston 333 Stuart St. 617-399-6500 www.spectrumsingers.org I will donate 2% of my commission in your name, to your favorite charity, for all direct or referred sales. by Jason Burrell Courant News Writer November 8, 2004 15 Newbury Street, Back Bay, Boston 617-723-4240TRANSCRIPT
November 8, 2004 3
by Jason BurrellCourant News Writer
A new nonprofit is working toconserve historic architecture inthe area by offering propertyowners a way to save on theirtaxes.
The National ArchitecturalTrust preserves historic buildingsby granting property owners taxdeductions in exchange for theircommitment not to alter theirproperties’ façades. The tax bene-fit is available through theFederal Historic Preservation TaxIncentive Program.
“We use this tax incentive pro-gram as a marketing tool to getthe owners to agree to participatein the preservation,” said MoryBahar, area manager for theTrust.
The program provides taxdeductions worth on averagemore than 10 percent of a proper-ty’s entire value based on inde-pendent appraisals. In exchange,property owners grant a conser-vation easement to the Trust inperpetuity. The easement givesthe Trust the right to reject anyalteration to a property’s façade if
it would change its historic char-acter.
The tax benefit is available toanyone who owns a building, res-idential or commercial, that isregistered nationally as a historiclandmark or is part of a federalhistoric district.
According to Bahar, 1,200Beacon Hill properties, 2,000Back Bay properties and 3,300South End properties are eligiblefor the tax benefit.
“Before last year, in the stateof Massachusetts, where we have30,000 qualified historic build-ings, nobody educated the publicabout this because there was notrust similar to ours,” Bahar said.
The Trust was founded inWashington, D.C. in 2001 andexpanded to Massachusetts andseveral other states last year.
To date, Bahar has registeredabout 100 properties whose val-ues range from $270,000 to $20million.
Although thousands morequalify, Bahar said he does notneed that many participants inorder to preserve neighborhoods.
“If we get two or three build-
ings on each block, we can basi-cally protect that entire block.They can’t really put up somemajor new development becausewe get in their way,” he said.
Bahar said that many residentstell him that the tax program is“too good to be true” becauselocal ordinances already preventthem from altering their façades.
Bahar explained, “The reasonCongress passed the law is thatall these local ordinances andcommissions are subject tochange. We don’t want thepreservation of some of these his-toric gems to be at the mercy oflocal politicians.”
Many properties in Boston fallshort of qualifying for the taxincentive program because theyare only registered as local andnot federal historic landmarks,according to Bahar. He cited BayVillage and Gainsborough Streetin the Fenway as examples.
“The neighborhoods can hirean architectural historian and sayplease put the appropriate paperstogether so we can apply for thenational registry of historic land-marks,” he said.
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Historic Homes MayGet Tax Deduction
A Christmas Prelude
Saturday, November 20, 2004, 8:00 PMEmmanuel Church
15 Newbury Street, Back Bay, Boston
John W. Ehrlich, Music Director
Tickets $40, $30. Student and senior discounts.For further information call (617) 492-8902 or visit
www.spectrumsingers.org
Respighi: Laud to the Nativity
Britten: Ceremony of Carols
PUBLIC MEETING FOR NATIONAL EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES LABORATORIES FACILITY
The National Institutes of Health will hold a public meeting in FanueilHall, One Dock Square (corner of Congress and North Streets), Boston,MA, 02109 on Wednesday, November 10th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.The purpose of the meeting is to solicit public comments regarding theDraft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Boston University’s pro-posed National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories facility at 600-620 Albany Street on the Boston University Medical Center campus.Comments provided during the meeting, as well as those written commentsreceived during the public comment period, will be considered in FinalEIS. This public meeting is part of the public comment period initiated withthe publication of a Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS published in theFederal Register on October 22, 2004. The public comment period will endon January 3, 2005. Comments can be sent to Valerie Nottingham, Divisionof Environmental Protection, The National Institutes of Health, B13 Rm.2W64, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 or emailed to [email protected]
HELP ME HELP OTHERS
617-723-4240
Diane Giacobbi Realtor With a Heart
617.293.1240I will donate 2% of my commission in your name, to your favorite charity,for all direct or referred [email protected]
A townhouse on Montgomery Street in the South End that has taken advantage of the tax program
Since 1938landryandarcari.com
Free Parking
Boston333 Stuart St.617-399-6500
SalemRoute 1A
800-649-5909
New England’s Most Creative Collection of Unique Hand-Woven Oriental Rugs
To advertise call 617-267-2700