Historical Commission clears partial demolition at 286 Old Sudbury Road

SUDBURY — November 12, 2024 — Sudbury Historical Commission clears partial demolition at 18th-century 286 Old Sudbury Road home. The commission voted 5-0 Tuesday under Section 4, Item 3 of the town's demolition delay bylaw to find that the rear portions slated for removal — including a 1978 addition and a partially fire-rebuilt garage — are not historically significant, allowing the building inspector to issue a permit. Chair Christopher Hagger said the front section dates to the mid-1700s and is tied to the Nixon, Moore and Haynes families, but the proposed work touches only newer fabric. The commission spent most of its three-hour meeting on rail-trail signage and DCR's diamond junction design for the Mass Central Rail Trail, where members asked that the historic diamond be raised on ties rather than set flush, the surrounding granite curb be lowered to 18 inches as a seat wall, and the engraved name read "Massachusetts Central Railroad" for consistency with Wayland and Weston. Member Jan Costa reported a third cemetery-kiosk vendor bid roughly $6,750 against $14,000 in CPA funds.