The commission is charged with providing information and guidance about historic structures to the city's land use boards. It was created in November 2012 when a city Charter revision was approved by 65 percent of the city's voters.
“The members of the HPAC Commission are all professionals from diverse backgrounds in related fields and bring all sides of the issues to the table,” said HPAC Chairman Lynn Drobbin, a professional architectural historian and professional planner.
The other HPAC members are:
- Anne Goslin, a museum registrar and vice chairman of the commission;
- Barry Hersh, a planner, real estate developer and professor at New York University;
- Jill Smyth, executive director of the Merritt Parkway Conservancy; and
- David Woods, a historic preservation architect and secretary of the commission.
Alternate members are Lynn Villency Cohen, an art historian; Elena Kalman, an architect; and Rebecca Shannonhouse, an editor and writer and chair of the Hubbard Heights Historic District Designation Steering Committee.
“They have already been instrumental in advising the boards on projects in the city, and there are many more to come,” Martin said.
As part of its mission, the HPAC will identify and maintain an inventory of historic properties and structures throughout the city of Stamford. The inventory will be used to provide a road map for the preservation of Stamford’s historic and architectural heritage and to preserve the sense of character and place that identifies the city’s unique heritage.
“The primary goal of the commission is to successfully meld preservation with progress,” Dobbin said.
Among the projects recently studied by the HPAC is the proposed redevelopment of the historic downtown Post Office at 425 Atlantic St. After reviewing the developer’s recent modifications to the architectural drawings, the commission issued a statement in support of the project, which would save the 1939 post office annex that had previously been slated for demolition. The 1916 Post Office building and its annex will now be incorporated into a restaurant/residential/retail complex.
“People often think that preservation focuses on the past, but it’s more about the future,” said Drobbin. “It’s clear that change is necessary for vitality and growth. Our role is to manage that change so that we respect the past and leave a meaningful legacy for the future.”
The HPAC will also reach out to Stamford neighborhood organizations to determine opportunities for preservation and assist in the preparation of the documentation for designation as a State or National Register-listed historic district.
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