1941-11-21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Mr. W. H. Bowker said that he wished to oppose the granting of the petition on behalf of his wife, Edith D. Bowker. He said that she felt it would be detrimental to the neighborhood. Mr. Willard C. Hill said that he thought the Building Laws prohibited three family houses, and that the Tenement House Act prevented it. The Chairman said that he was not sure, and would have to look it up. The Chairman said that the house was in a two-family zone. Mr. Hill said that there was no doubt that Mr. Ross would make an improvement, but it seemed to him as though it would be "letting down the bars". He said he did not like to oppose Mr. Ross, as they were good friends, but he was afraid of establishing a precedent. Mr. Ross said that if there was a law prohibiting three family houses, he did not know of it. He said that if the house was remodelled into a two family house, it would mean having one apartment with eight rooms, and one with four rooms. He said that there was a big demand for small apartments in Lexington for newly married couples. He said that he would rather see three young couples in the house than one large family. • Carolyn L. Nickerson of 2198 Mass. Ave. was represented by her husband, Donald Nickerson. He said that his wife was opposed to the change, although he regretted opposing Mr. Ross. They thought it would be bad for the neighborhood. Mr. Kimball asked if the objection would hold to two apartments, and Messrs. Nickerson and Hill said they thought two apartments should be allowed. Mrs. Bowker said that formerly there were five two family houses in the neighborhood, and now four of these are one family houses. She said that the whole neighborhood had been improved, and it would be too bad to allow this three family house established. Mr. W. R. Rosenberger felt that a three family house should not be allowed here, as it would be "letting down the bars". Mr. Harry A. Williams of 15 Cedar Street said that he would not object to a two family house here, but thought it would be establishing a precedent that would be detrimental to the neighborhood if a three family house was allowed. Mr. George M. Fuller of 2210 Mass. Ave. said that if the house was to remain a three floor house, he would have no objection to having it a three family house. Mrs. Turner C. Kelley said that she thought Mr. Kelly would feel the same as Mr. Fuller. Mr. Fuller said that the improvement to the house was much more importand than the number of tenements.