In June 2015, my then soon-to-be husband and I made the move from
my childhood home on Cape Cod to the “Witch City.” At that point, I had been
visiting Salem for eight years and like many, had fallen in love with the
city’s charm. The winding streets with ancient architecture and vast waterfront
all beckoned to be explored. The energy of the seasonally crowded streets and
magic of the brick lined promenades made moving to Salem irresistible. We
settled in the Historic Derby Street Neighborhood, just steps away from The
House of the Seven Gables, where we got engaged a few months earlier. Prior to moving to our new neighborhood, I
began researching the area to quell my excitement.
During my research, I stumbled upon a blog post about the demolition of 25
Carlton Street, one of the oldest structures on the street. The c. 1803 home was
built for shipwright, Thomas Magoun during the area’s prosperous maritime age.
The modest home met its end in 2014, when it was drowned by a developer who
removed the roof prior to a rainstorm. Previously having received backlash from
preservationists, this move by the developer seemed like a calculated way to
justify the replacement of the historic home with a new build. The plan worked
and the 19th century home was soon deemed unsalvageable and
demolished. By the time my husband and I moved to the area, the finishing
touches were being installed in the luxury condos of the new, towering
building. Although I felt the loss of the previous historic home, I thought
this incident was rare in such a historic city as Salem.
Unfortunately, over the next five years I would learn that demolition by
neglect and the loss of historic architecture in favor of big development was
more commonplace in Salem than I could have ever imagined. This charming, city by the sea was in a
constant battle of old and new. Despite the pleas of outspoken citizens,
visitors, and historians, when it came to development, Salem’s leadership has seemed
to favor new development over preservation and adaptive reuse for decades.
As Salem continues to expand at an alarming rate to cater to its growing
residential and visiting population, seeking the same charm and magic that once
attracted me, I take a moment of pause to ponder what we’ve lost.
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| 331 Lafayette Street (Built c. 1935) MACRIS SAL.1933 (Salem State University Archives Photograph) |
MACRIS SAL.2433
Carriage house belonging to 6 Federal Court/95 Federal Street (Built c. 1880)
MACRIS SAL.1525
(City of Salem Photograph)
