Paul Revere Heritage Site starting to take shape

A view of the Paul Revere barn and rolling mill from Revere Street. (Jay Turner photo)

After nearly three years of planning meetings and collaboration with a consulting firm to flesh out a workable vision for a destination historical/cultural complex on the site of America’s first copper mill, the members of the town-appointed Paul Revere Heritage Commission are pressing forward with a renewed sense of urgency and a focus on tangible action steps and regular “deliverables.”

Meeting a few weeks ago at Canton Town Hall, members reiterated their excitement and hope for the project while at the same time agreeing that there is much work to be done and the time to do it is now.

As Commissioner Bruce Beckham put it, “It’s no longer a pipe dream; this is for real … We’ve got to get down to brass tacks.”

Conceived initially by Beckham and fellow commissioner George Comeau and since embraced by the broader commission as well as many members of the Canton community, the proposal calls for the creation of a museum with a “history themed” restaurant and public gathering space, all blended together on nine acres of parkland. The idea would be to utilize the two historic structures on the site — the circa mid 19th century Revere copper rolling mill and barn — and create a tourist destination that celebrates the legacy of Revere in Canton as well as the town’s rich industrial heritage.

The park and the two historic buildings, which are located between Revere and Neponset streets, would be conveyed to the town in accordance with a development agreement struck with Canton Holdings LLC, owner of the adjacent Plymouth Rubber redevelopment project.

While stressing that this is still likely a multi-year undertaking, Revere Commission Chairman Victor Del Vecchio has envisioned a gradual roll-out with certain portions of the project, notably the restaurant, opening as soon as early 2019.

While an initial request for proposals (RFP) issued in the fall to prospective restaurateurs generated no formal responses, Del Vecchio said the commission has since met with several interested parties and they recently reissued an RFP with more targeted language in June. The biggest change, he said, is that the restaurant will now be housed in the first floor of the rolling mill rather than in the barn as previously contemplated. They also specified that the operator would have access to “contiguous outdoor dining space” as well as additional courtyard space that would be used in common with the town.

Responses to the new RFP are due on July 23, and Del Vecchio said the commission would then have approximately a month to review proposals, interview candidates, and recommend an operator to the Board of Selectmen for approval. At least two restaurant operators had pulled the RFP as of the commission’s last meeting in June, and one of them appears to be “very interested,” according to Del Vecchio.

“We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hopefully the second time will be a charm,” he said.

In the meantime, the commission has identified a series of next steps that they hope to have completed by the end of the summer, including a draft of a mission statement for the heritage site; an outline of a governance structure for the museum — likely through a 501c3 nonprofit corporation; a rough project timeline; and a web presence to help market the concept to potential members, investors and donors.

Additionally, commission members agreed to move forward with a plan to design and install interpretive signage throughout the site, which Del Vecchio said would be a way of “jumpstarting the museum on the outside” while they continue to plan for the actual museum within the barn.

The idea would be to place a dozen or more signs at various features throughout the property that would serve to explain and illuminate their place in local and national history. Comeau suggested that they apply right away for a design grant from the Mass Cultural Council and suggested that the signs could be completed and installed by sometime next summer.

“I think there is something to learn at every turn there,” he said. “It’s not hard to walk that site and be able to commemorate pretty much everything that was there through any of the paths that have already been laid out.”

In terms of the museum itself, Del Vecchio cautioned that it would take longer than other components to complete and is a far more complicated and involved process. The primary issue, commission members agreed, is finding the funding sources necessary to design and build the exhibits and sustain operations.

While a portion of the museum expenses will be offset by the revenue generated from the restaurant lease as well as from museum admissions, an estimated 40 percent of operating costs would have to be obtained via private donations, grants, and other “unearned” revenue sources, including possible cash contributions from the town.

Commissioner Betsy Sugameli said that outreach to prospective donors and completion of grant applications should begin as soon as possible. “We’re talking big, big money and big, big fundraising that requires town-wide community cooperation between industries, foundation families, [etc.],” she said.

One bit of good news, said Sugameli, is that Town Planner Laura Smead has offered to oversee the grant writing process and has already reached out to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to inquire about a $30,000 technical assistance grant that would help the town create an inventory of historical artifacts to be housed in the museum.

Also volunteering to assist with the outreach and marketing efforts is Canton resident Julia Volfson, who has drawn early praise from the commission for her innovative ideas and out-of-the-box thinking. Among the avenues that Volfson is currently exploring is a partnership with educational technology startups, whereby the companies pay a fee to the heritage site in exchange for an opportunity to demo their products or potentially work them into the museum exhibits.

Meanwhile, interest in the project continues to grow both within and outside of the community, and recent tours on the property have attracted hundreds of visitors while generating more than $2,000 in revenue for the museum effort.

One of the strongest selling points thus far has been the completion of the park, which, according to Revere Open Space Committee Chairman Lisa Lopez, offers a kind of “visual vindication” that the project is becoming a reality.

“We can now see landscaping,” noted Lopez. “We can see green grass; we can see the outline of where the original barn was. And so hopefully that will be key in communicating to others that there is a basis upon which to actually donate time, energy, and resources.”

Plymouth Rubber redevelopment update

In addition to the ongoing work on the Revere Heritage Site, progress is continuing to be made on the Plymouth Rubber redevelopment project, which is slated to include 212 for-sale condominiums, 60 age-restricted apartments, and a small commercial component.

With local approvals in hand for the bulk of the residential units and much of the prep work completed, Bernie Plante of Canton Holdings said he expects to have a sales office open on the site sometime by the end of August, with construction of the condos getting underway by early November and delivery of the first building expected sometime next summer or early fall.

Plante said Canton Holdings has entered into an agreement with a “reputable” third party for the sale of the housing development, although Canton Holdings will continue to be responsible for its obligations under the development agreement, including preparation of common areas and various infrastructure improvements, such as construction of a new water line on Revere Street.

The other major undertaking is construction of the bridge over the man-made diversion channel, which will connect the project to Neponset Street via a new four-way intersection at Norfolk Street. Plante said they recently responded to the final set of comments from the Army Corps of Engineers and expect to have permits from the Army Corps and state departments of transportation and environmental protection in hand within the next few weeks.

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