Sudbury Historical Commission closes Hosmer House after mold discovered in art room

SUDBURY -- September 19, 2023, Sudbury Historical Commission closes Hosmer House over art-room mold, sets six-month delay on 35 Willis Road. Facilities Director Sandra Durham told the commission that air testing found mold in the second-floor art room at roughly twice the action level, traced to a failed wall-mounted heat pump, and that emergency remediation including a sealed clean room and page-by-page HEPA vacuuming of artwork would begin immediately. "I have no ability to guarantee you at any level that we can stop any kind of mold from occurring in that house," Durham said, citing the 1793 building's uninsulated envelope and a summer with five times the prior year's rainfall. The commission voted 7-0 to find 35 Willis Road preferably preserved, triggering a six-month delay, and 7-0 to find 510 Hudson Road historically significant. Members also unanimously recommended real-estate attorney Michael Wallace as an alternate and voted unanimously that a non-resident applicant should not be interviewed.