City Council — 2026-06-01

City Council Meeting 6/1/26

This meeting starts at 1:37:23 in a recording that covers several meetings.

Attendance

Jason Chen present · At-Large; Cal Finocchiaro present · Ward 6; Bradley Freeman present · President; Maya Jamaleddine absent · At-Large; Manjula Karamcheti present · Ward 1; Elizabeth Kowal present · At-Large; John Obremski present · Ward 2; Christopher Park present · Ward 3; Devin Romanul present · Ward 7; Kimberly Vandiver present · Ward 5; Ryan Williams present · At-Large

Agenda

Minutes

City Council Regular Meeting Monday, June 1, 2026, 7:45 PM City Council Chamber, 1st Floor 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER Jason Chen Cal Finocchiaro Maya Jamaleddine Manjula Karamcheti Elizabeth Kowal John Obremski Christopher Park Devin Romanul Kimberly Vandiver Ryan Williams Brad Freeman, President Pledge of Allegiance Meeting was called to order by President Freeman at 7:47 PM Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Jason Chen At-Large Present Cal Finocchiaro Ward 6 Present Maya Jamaleddine At-Large Absent Manjula Karamcheti Ward 1 Present Elizabeth Kowal At-Large Present John Obremski Ward 2 Present Christopher Park Ward 3 Present Devin Romanul Ward 7 Present Kimberly Vandiver Ward 5 Present Ryan Williams At-Large Present William Bradley Feeman President Present 1 II. MINUTES APPROVAL A. City Council Regular Meeting May 18, 2026 7:45 PM Motion to Approve the minutes by unanimous consent without reading made by President Freeman All were in favor and minutes were approved RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams NAYS: None ABSENT: Maya Jamaleddine III. PUBLIC COMMENT When: Jun 1, 2026 07:45 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Topic: City Council Meeting Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android: https://cityofmelrose- org.zoom.us/j/93112986411?pwd=RP7HSDVTQrwR1OCUDRqzi7YuhTf3eP.1 Passcode:242871 Webinar ID: 931 1298 6411 Motion to Open public comment made by President Freeman at 7:49 PM There were no comments on the floor or via Zoom Motion to Close public comment made by President Freeman at 7:49 PM Motion to Recess to return to Appropriations & Oversight meeting made by President Freeman at 7:49 PM Meeting was reopened and back in session at 8:42 PM IV. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE HONORABLE MAYOR & OTHER CITY OFFICIALS V. NEW BUSINESS A. Filings by the Honorable Mayor i. Orders

1. (ID # 2026-1291): Vote to establish the Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District Motion to Refer to Appropriations & Oversight Committee made by President Freeman All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] 2 TO: Appropriations & Oversight ii. Transfers

1. (ID # 2026-1290): A transfer in the amount of $69,000 from Health Insurance (#914) to Workers Compensation (#912) to fund estimated costs through the end of the fiscal year. Motion to Refer to Appropriations & Oversight Committee made by President Freeman All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] TO: Appropriations & Oversight

2. (ID # 2026-1293): Requesting a transfer of $7,000 from the Memorial Building Salaries account 016931-511000 to the Memorial Building Professional Services account 016932-529000 to cover the FY26 HVAC repairs. Motion to Refer to Appropriations & Oversight Committee made by President Freeman All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] TO: Appropriations & Oversight

3. (ID # 2026-1294): Transfer to DPW-Facilities (#402) in the amount of $130,000 from various DPW accounts for June utilities. Motion to Refer to Appropriations & Oversight Committee made by President Freeman All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] TO: Appropriations & Oversight

4. (ID # 2026-1298): Requesting an interdepartmental transfer of funds from the Elections Salaries PT Line item (011621-512000) in the amount of $24,437 to the Printing line item 011622-521000. Motion to Refer to Appropriations & Oversight Committee made by President Freeman All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] TO: Appropriations & Oversight VI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Appointments/Reappointments 3

i. (ID # 2026-1146): Appointment of Mark McKinnon, 585 Franklin Street, to the Melrose Housing Authority for a five-year term, said term to expire first Monday of March, 2029. Mr. McKinnon is completing the term of Ellen Connolly who has stepped down. Motion to Recommend made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Williams All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams NAYS: None ABSENT: Maya Jamaleddine

ii. (ID # 2026-824): Reappointment of Peter Bowman, 24 Arlington Road, to the Library Board of Trustees for a three-year term, said term to expire the last day of February 2029. Motion to Approve made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Williams All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams NAYS: None ABSENT: Maya Jamaleddine

iii. (ID # 2026-1235): Appointment of Francisco Morales, 12 Patricks' Place, to the Human Rights Commission, for a three-year term, said term to expire February 2029. Motion to Approve made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Williams All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams NAYS: None ABSENT: Maya Jamaleddine B. Appropriations 4

i. (ID # 2026-1169): An Appropriation from Free Cash (account 01-324001) to the Veterans Services Department (#543) in the amount of $30,000 to design and fabricate a new Welcome Home Veterans Sign for the City. Motion for Passage made by Councilor Romanul Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams NAYS: None ABSENT: Maya Jamaleddine

ii. (ID # 2026-1178): An Appropriation from Free Cash (account 01-324001) to the Election Department (#162) in the amount of $3,000 for a mailing. Motion for Passage made by Councilor Romanul Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams NAYS: None ABSENT: Maya Jamaleddine VII. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES VIII. EXPIRIES IX. RULE 36 REPORTS X. ADJOURNMENT Motion to Adjourn made by Councilor Karamcheti at 8:48 PM Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and meeting was adjourned 5 Final Study Report May 22, 2026 Proposed Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District Melrose Historic District Commission & Melrose Historical Commission Prepared for the City of Melrose Massachusetts Office Planning and Community Development TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary Sheet ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 14 District Boundary ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 15 Property Index………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17 Lynde Family Geneology and Houses ………………………………………………………………………………………. 17 Architectural Description and Assessment ……………………………………………………………………………… 22 Significance .................................................................................................................................. 29 Ordinance ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 30 Public Comments …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 30 Appendix A- Sources and Bibliography ......................................................................................... 31 Appendix B- Preliminary Drawings ............................................................................................... 33 Appendix C- Massachusetts Historic Commission Form B …………….......................................7 pages Appendix D- Massachusetts Historical CommissionAdvisory Letter………………….………………..1 page Appendix E- Melrose Planning Board Recommendation Letter……………………………………………1 page Appendix F- City of Melrose, Historic Districts Ordinance................................................... 3 pages 2 SUMMARY SHEET Contact Information Lori Massa, AICP Director, Office of Planning & Community Development City of Melrose, 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 781-979-4193 lmassa@CityofMelrose.org Study Committee Members – Existing Melrose Historic District Commission Members of the Melrose Historic District Commission: • Michael Coleman, Chair • Richard Curl • Kevin Erb • Ryan Murphy • Lindsay Toghill • Robert Tullis Historical Commission Members of the Melrose Historical Commission: • Shane Egan, Chair • Joseph Hunt, Vice Chair • Rebecca Blumenthal, Secretary • Darren Brown, Treasurer • George Bibilos • Cathy Giliberto • Gentry Andrews Date of Public Hearing & City Council Vote • A public hearing was be held no sooner than 60 days following submission of the Preliminary Study Report to the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the Melrose Planning Board. The date of the public hearing with the Melrose Historic District Committee as the Study Committee was May 12, 2026. • The Melrose Historic District Commission voted to forward the Final version of the report to the Melrose City Council. • The City Council will consider the matter on June 1, 2026. Total Number of Properties Affected by the Proposed Local Historic District The proposed Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District will affect: • 1 property address, 244 Main Street Melrose MA • 1 parcel, approximately 18,516 square feet or 0.425 acres of land • 1 property owner • 1 historic building, greater than 100 years old • 1 detached outbuilding, 50 years or older Conclusion of the Study Report The building is worthy of preservation and designation as a single-parcel Local Historic District. 3 INTRODUCTION In Massachusetts since 1955 and in Melrose since 1982, Local Historic Districts (LHDs) have been used to protect valued historic resources. As noted in Massachusetts General Law (MGL) Chapter 40 C, LHDs have three major purposes: • to preserve and protect the distinctive characteristics of buildings and places significant in the Commonwealth and its cities and towns; • to maintain and improve the settings of those buildings and places; • and to encourage new designs compatible with existing buildings in the district. MGL Chapter 40C is the framework under which cities and towns establish districts within their communities, outlining the process for identifying districts and gaining approval for their designation. Over Massachusetts 120 cities and towns have embraced this planning tool, thereby protecting thousands of the Commonwealth’s most valued properties. In Melrose, the northern section of downtown along Main Street (from West Emerson Street to just south of East Foster Street) has been designated an LHD. This Melrose Town Center Historic District includes Melrose City Hall, the adjacent Main Fire Station, Memorial Hall, the Coolidge School, the Baptist Church & Methodist Church, and several downtown commercial buildings. This area and the buildings within it were also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The National Register is the federal government’s official list of U.S. areas deemed to be worthy of preservation. The Register, and criteria for adding locations, was established following the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. In addition to Melrose’s LHD, our city also contains five other National Register properties and shares two more with adjacent communities. Those National Register properties are: • The Beebe Estate- the historic West Foster Street house, built in 1828, listed on the NRHP in 1981. • Larrabee’s Brick Block- the commercial and residential building at 500-504 Main Street, a relatively unaltered 19th century structure in the Town Center Historic District. It was built in 1880 by John Larrabee, and listed on the NRHP in 1984. • Melrose Public Library- located at 69 West Emerson Street, an Andrew Carnegie library. It was built in 1904 with subsequent additions made, and listed on the NHRP in 1988. • The Phineas Upham House- located at 255 Upham Street, a traditional Colonial Period Saltbox house. The Upham House was built in 1703 and listed on the NRHP in 1990. • The Trinity Episcopal Church- located at 131 West Emerson St. The main church building was constructed in 1886, and listed on the NHRP in 1995. • The Middlesex Fells Reservation Parkways- the series of roadways within and bordering on the Middlesex Fells Reservation. Shared with Malden, Medford, Stoneham and Winchester, it was listed on the NHRP in 2003. • The Lynn Fells Parkway- part of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston, it runs from Stoneham in the west to Saugus in the east. It was listed on the NHRP in 2003. Historic District Commissions oversee the Local Historic Districts. Their chief concerns are to avoid demolition of significant buildings and to review proposed publicly visible changes to those buildings and landscapes. LHDs do not halt change or development, but instead they 4 allow for a process of public review and thoughtful consideration of proposed changes, making certain that the changes are in keeping with the history and integrity of properties within the district. Just as important, Local Historic Districts benefit the whole city by preserving the city’s architectural integrity and unique cultural heritage, and therefore foster community pride. This Study Report presents a rationale for establishing a single-parcel local historic district at 244 Main Street, the Benjamin Lynde House, originally built by Capt. John Lynde in 1693 and rebuilt by Benjamin after a fire in 1819. The house is one of four (or possibly six) surviving structures of a larger number of early homes built by the Lynde family, one of the most significant early Melrose families who were settlers and farmers in what was then known as North Malden. (The family name is pronounced with a ‘long I’ as in “The students LINED up single file in the schoolyard.”) The other three surviving houses verified to be Lynde houses are: • The 1702 Joseph Lynde house, a largely intact First Period colonial, also still stands at 409 Lebanon Street (corner of Grove Street), where it faces and terminates the eastern end of Lynde Street as that street winds its way in a lazy S curve from its start at Main Street just north of Wyoming Avenue. This is MEL.50 in the MACRIS inventory. • The 1829 Alvin Lynde house survives on the east side of Main Street across and uphill from the Benjamin Lynde House. This small house, known as “Little Mount Vernon” for its white porch and once-commanding view over Main Street (early 1930s houses were built in between its porch and Main Street), is undoubtably the inspiration for the road names of Mt. Vernon Avenue and Potomac Street. The rear of the house faces the corner of these two roads and it has a 106 Mt. Vernon address. This is MEL.74 in the MACRIS inventory. • The c.1700 Jabez Lynde / Grundy House survives at 407 Washington Street, where it was built by Capt. John Lynde for his son Thomas at the same time and about 1,650 feet (100 rods) west of Capt. John’s own house (see below). Originally this was a First Period style house. It has been remodeled and now appears to be a simplified early Victorian Vernacular farmhouse. According to Goss, History of Melrose, 1902, pp 75-76: “Originally it had a very large chimney and fireplace, wide front door through which huge fire logs were taken, and 3x4 diamond-paned windows, the glass secured by lead instead of putty.” It is MEL.205 in the MACRIS inventory. Two houses that are likely to be surviving Lynde family houses are: • The house at 531 Lebanon Street, a five-bay center-entry “colonial” built in 1834. It has the same wide front door opening as the Jabez Lynde house once had. This is MEL. 236 in the MACRIS inventory. The name G. Lynde is assigned to a house in this location on the 1852 F.G. Sidney Melrose map. On the 1856 unattributed map, the G. Lynde house is shown and Lebanon Street is labeled Lynde. On the 1875 Beers Melrose Center map the house is labeled George Lynde, and he is shown owning all Lebanon Street frontage from Upham Street to East Emerson Street. A house belonging to A.P Lynde (A.W. Lynde on an 1889 map) appears on the northwest corner of Lebanon and East Emerson, with its barn on the northeast corner (now the hospital parking lot), but it seems they were demolished. • An 1824 house at 350 Washington Street is possibly another 8th or 9th generation Lynde family house. It is labeled Estate of Aaron Lynde on an 1899 George H. Walker map, and it commands the south end of Lynde Avenue. This is MEL.248 in the MACRIS inventory. 5 6 7 8 9 10 Other Lynde family homes were unfortunately destroyed long ago, including two notable structures: • The c.1700 house of Capt. John Lynde once stood near Washington Street on the west side of the railroad tracks close to what is now the Saugus town line (George Washington is said to have tied his horse to an elm tree in its front yard). This is the house built at the same time as the Jabez Lynde / Grundy house, 100 rods west and adjacent to the Saugus town line. • The 1670 house of Ensign Thomas Lynde, the first English settler in Melrose, once stood at the corner of Main Street and Banks Place (once Goodyear Avenue) on what is now the parking lot of Hunt Photo. This house was documented in the 1933 Historic American Building Survey (H.A.B.S. number MASS-464). Our subject, the house at 244 Main Street, was the home of Benjamin Lynde, born October 2, 1758, who as a 16-year old Minuteman mustered with other North Malden farmers at what is now Gooch Park to join up with Captain Benjamin Blaney’s company on April 19th, 1775 to head to Lexington, where the shot heard 'round the world would ring out to signal the start of the American Revolution. Fortunately, Benjamin Lynde survived the war to return home and thrive. Later in life, he and his family lived through a fire in 1819 and the rebuilding of his home in 1820; that is the structure that is the subject of this study. Ultimately, he would live to the age of 70, passing away in 1829. The house stayed in the Lynde family throughout the 19th Century, long after Benjamin passed. Warren Lynde, born 1799, farmed the land until his death at the age of 89 in 1888, when it was taken over by Warren’s son Henry Lynde. It would be a shame to see this proud, historic home, a symbol of Melrose’s history and participation in the American Revolution, potentially destroyed or altered. Establishing this single property as a Local Historic District recognizes and preserves it as a treasured asset. 11 12 13 METHODOLOGY On November 18, 2025 the Melrose Historic District Commission (MHDC) unanimously voted to consider designating the property at 244 Main Street as a single parcel historic district and serve as the study committee. On December 1, 2025 the MHDC voted unanimously to support the creation of this single parcel historic district. The MHDC had conducted the initial research on the property in collaboration with the Historic District Commission in the preparation of a study report. This LHD would be referred to as the Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District. This property contains the two-story Lynde house and a one-story freestanding garage structure. The study committee then engaged in historical research on the Lynde family, architectural research on the structures and the land, and documentation of the existing conditions. Sources appear in the bibliography of this report. A 90% draft of the Preliminary Report was presented back to the MHDC on January 13, 2026 and they voted unanimously to finish the Preliminary Report and forward it on to the Melrose Planning Board and the Massachusetts Historic Commission for their comments, which are due to the MHDC within 60 days. Research and community outreach continued during this time. Single parcel LHDs are not uncommon in Massachusetts. According to the Massachusetts Historical Commission, “The city of Somerville has over 200 single building local historic districts. Other single building local historic districts have been established in Brookline, Huntington, Sharon, Somerville, Springfield, West Springfield and Wellesley.” (Massachusetts Historical Commission, Revised 2021, Establishing Local Historic Districts, 5. Boston, MA.) Often, the creation of a single parcel LHD is prompted when the sale of a building that is important to the historic and cultural fabric of a community is anticipated. This is the case for the subject property. It is up for sale along with the abutting property. The properties are marketed as a redevelopment site. Many community members were alarmed by the real possibility of the demolition of the 244 Main Street house with it being marketed in this way and contacted their city councilors. The Melrose City Council approved a demolition review ordinance on December 1, 2025 that applies to structures built on or before the year 1899 and structures that are on or subject to the pending application for listing on the National Register. The review period is not to exceed twelve months from the Historical Commission’s vote determining that a building is preferably preserved. The Council approved an amendment to the Administrative Code of the City of Melrose to expand the authority of the Historical Commission to include regulatory authority as is necessary for the demolition review ordinance to be enforced. 14 DISTRICT BOUNDARY The proposed district boundary is comprised of the current lot lines of the land parcel at 244 Main Street. Study included a review of aerial photography, Melrose Public GIS Maps Online (mapsonline.net), and historic maps. Although the colonial-era Lynde farm included substantial land area on the east side of Main Street and the west side of the MBTA railroad tracks (once the Boston and Maine RR) and stretched southward from #262 Main Street all the way to Banks Place (once Goodyear Avenue), this farmland has been developed over time (some by the Lynde family itself) to include whole neighborhoods of houses, the Wyoming Cemetery, and some of Pine Banks Park. Farmyard buildings that were once immediately adjacent to the south and southwest of the Benjamin Lynde house, as shown in 1889 and 1899 George Walker Maps, no longer exist. Therefore, limiting the proposed LHD to a single parcel is considered sufficient to protect the Benjamin Lynde House and the important public view of it from Main Street without affecting the rights or options available to immediate abutters. That means only the current owners of the parcel and the included structures on that property will be affected by restrictions that will be in place when the district is approved. Joseph M. Kevane and Maureen Cremin are the current owners, as shown by massgis.maps.arcgis.com. 15 Proposed District 16 Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District Proposed Boundary PROPERTY INDEX Address Parcel ID Inventory Date of Historic Architectural No Construction Name Style 1. 244 Main Street C5 0 24 Mel.33 169 & 1819 Lynde, Federal Benjamin House LYNDE FAMILY GENEOLOGY AND HOUSES Note: The information below is taken from various sources, including the “Early Settlers” section of Ancient Melrose and Some, Information about its Old Homesteads, Families & Furnishings, a pamphlet published by The Melrose Historical Society, 1915. This pamphlet was compiled by Levi S. Gould and Franklin P. Shumway, with excerpts ad libitum from E. H. Goss, Esq’s History of Melrose. Information is also taken from Goss’ History of Melrose itself, from Melrose newspapers, and from various genealogical and obituary sources. The information is presented more chronologically than in these sources’ more narrative organization. The history of the Lynde family in Melrose is integral to the history of the city of Melrose. The Benjamin Lynde house at 244 Main Street lies at the heart of this history. It (or its immediate predecessor) is the oldest remaining Lynde home in Melrose, and the story of the generations who lived there is defined by service to the nation. The home lies witness to the changing landscape that surrounds it: agrarian life yielding to industrialization and urbanization. GEN 1- Deacon Thomas Lynde, born in England 11 January 1593, became a freeman in 1634. He and his family arrived in Boston by 1634 as part of the Great Puritan Migration. He died 30 December 1691. He was among the early settlers in Charlestown. He bought a tract of then- waterfront land which was known through the time of the Revolution as Lynde's Point. Subsequently it was the site of the State Prison and is now Bunker Hill Community College. He was one of the Deputies to the General Court for several years, serving first in 1636. His brother was Simeon Lynde of Louisburg Square, Boston As part of the ‘great allotment,’ the Lynde family received 13 parcels of land north of Charlestown “above the pondes.” Part of this was 80 acres of land lying in Rockefeilde.” Concerning this tract is a 1638 record in the Charlestown Archives stating “Inasmuch as it apprs yt [that] the Land in the great Lotts yt was laid out to Thomas Line [Lynde] & Richd Sprague prooves altogethr unusefull being nothing but Rockes wch was wholly besides or [our] intent, & only through oversight of the Surveyors wee Judge it to bee Just & equall yt they have allowance elswhere to theire satisfaction they leaveing the afforesd Rocks to lye Common." So by 1639 Deacon Thomas Lynde was granted better farm and hay field land by “Mount Prospect”, on the north side of Waite’s Mount on what was then known as the “Mystic Side” of Charlestown. This area stretching to the border of Reading (including present day Wakefield) was incorporated as Malden in 1649. This Lynde land grant would come to define much of the southern part of the town of Melrose, which was incorporated 1850. Deacon Thomas’ house was built near today’s entrance of the Forest Dale Cemetery on Forest Street on the Malden side of today’s Malden-Melrose town line. 17 GEN 2- Ensign Thomas Lynde, eldest son of Deacon Thomas Lynde, born in England 7 Feb. 1615, died 15 Oct. 1693, aged 77 years, was the first settler of Melrose and the progenitor of the Lynde family in North Malden, later Melrose. Ensign Thomas Lynde was a prominent figure in his community. His fellow militiamen honored him with the title of Ensign. Ensign Thomas Lynde may have lived for a while in the ‘Forest Dale Cemetery’ house built by his father, but soon after, about 1645, he built his homestead just south of Boston Rock (then known as Lynde’s Hill) on the south side of the present Sylvan Street, near what is now the north-western entrance to Wyoming Cemetery. This was the first house built on Melrose territory. The home stood for over 200 years but only a cellar hole and well remained by 1900 (visible until the cemetery wall was built). A story was told among the Lynde descendants about this house. During a very severe winter in those early times, a long-continued snow storm completely buried the house from sight; relatives and neighbors went to the house on snowshoes and could only communicate with the snow-trapped family from the top of the chimney, through which they lowered provisions to avoid starvation. The Lyndes were instrumental in the original 1653 routing of the ‘Reading Road’ through north Malden, passing by this home and to the east of Boston Rock. In 1670 Ensign Thomas Lynde built a new home, assumed to be for his son Deacon Joseph Lynde, on the corner of Main Street and what is now known as Banks Place, earlier known as Goodyear Avenue. This house’s address was 86 Main Street. Soon after, Ensign Thomas left his old home under Boston Rock and went to live with Joseph, where Thomas remained until his death in 1693. Also upon the completing the 86 Main Street house, Ensign Thomas petitioned the town in 1671 to move the 1653 Reading Road from running to the east of Boston Rock to instead run to its west past this new home and the more northern stretches of the Lynde land holdings towards Reading. Over the next generation of home building the Lynde family would define the landscape of southern Melrose along the route as it proceeded north along today’s Main Street towards Wyoming Avenue before turning northeast up Lynde Avenue to join Lebanon Street north towards Wakefield. Ensign Thomas’ farm embraced a region as follows: Beginning at the southwestern corner and extending northerly along the line of Washington Street to near Wyoming Avenue; then easterly along the line of Wyoming Avenue to (or nearly to) Lebanon Street, then southerly, embracing the territory of Boston Rock, Wyoming Cemetery, Pine Banks Park, and Forest Dale Cemetery, to Forest Street in Malden; then westerly to Washington Street, embracing "Island Hill," between Main Street and the later 1845 Boston and Maine Railroad, which in early days was surrounded by the meadows of Three Mile Brook. (By Ensign Thomas’ will, dated Oct. 3, 1693, on file in the Probate Court at East Cambridge, he divided his farm between his sons Deacon Joseph and Capt. John; giving Joseph the southern portion and the house at 86 Main Street, and giving John the northern portion.) Deacon Joseph Lynde’s son, Colonel Joseph Lynde enlarged and modernized the home in the mid-1700s and imported many fixtures from England during his renovation. In 1915 the still- 18 standing farm was described as “beautifully situated in the valley between ranges of hills, its spacious mansions, shaded by tall ancestral elms, its well-tilled acres, large and commodious barns well-filled with the products of their farm, flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, all indicated one of the good old-fashioned New England homesteads.” In 1881 this Lynde farm, along with 175 acres, was sold to Elijah Converse of Malden. The Boston Rubber Company was subsequently built just south of this home, and to its east over 100 acres now form the Pine Banks Park. The 86 Main Street Ensign Thomas Lynde House was the oldest home in Melrose until its destruction in 1956. As the Melrose Free Press noted, this demolition to make way for a supermarket parking lot (now the parking lot for Hunt Photo) destroyed a historic landmark that was built 100 years before the Revolution and had housed seven generations of the Lyndes. GEN 3- Thomas Lynde, first son of Ensign Thomas, born 25 March 1647, died c. 1681. He does not figure into our story of Melrose houses. GEN 3- Capt. John Lynde, second son of Ensign Thomas, b. 25 October 25 1648, d. 17 Sept 1723. Capt. John then occupied the original house at the foot of Boston Rock near the entrance to the Wyoming Cemetery. In 1693 Capt. John Lynde left the Boston Rock homestead and built a new house at what is now 244 Main Street on his inherited northern farm land. (This 1693 house burned extensively in 1819, see Benjamin Lynde below.) The old Boston Rock homestead, first built by Ensign Thomas Lynde, was abandoned. By the time of the Revolution, Lynde descendants had resided in this home for 80 years. GEN 3- Deacon Joseph Lynde, third son of Ensign Thomas, born 13 Dec. 1652, died 2 January 1735. He served as a Selectman for 15 years and as a Legislator for several years in the decades preceding the Revolution. He is the person who enlarged and modernized the 86 Main Street home in the mid-1700s. It is Deacon Joseph’s genealogical line leads to Benjamin. GEN 4- Ensign Joseph Lynde, first son of Deacon Joseph, b. 2 Sept 1690, d. 16 March 1763. He lived in the house at 244 Main Street. GEN 5- Joseph Lynde III, first son of Ensign Joseph, b. 4 July 1716, d. 4 July 1798. He both was born and died on the Fourth of July. When he was born, the date meant nothing to colonists. When he died, it was the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. GEN 6- Lieut. Benjamin Lynde, second son of Joseph Lynde III, born Oct. 2, 1758, died Sept 26, 1829 (Joseph III’s first son, Joseph IV, was b. 10 February 1746, d. 20 January 1805.) It is from the 1693 home at 244 Main Street that Benjamin Lynde, at age 16 years / 6 months, answered the call to take up arms in the early hours of April 19, 1775, marching with his militia against British forces retreating from Lexington and Concord. Lieutenant Benjamin Lynde inherited the home at 244 Main Street from his father Joseph III in 1798 with 60 acres of land encompassing much of the ‘hill pasture’ of Boston Rock as well as 15 acres called “Island Hill”, a rise of ground surrounded by reedy marsh on the Melrose-Malden line since leveled by industry and development. (Although now level ground, this hillock is still marked by the bend in an otherwise straight stretch of Main Street near the Melrose-Malden line and by the name of an avenue stretching through the apartment complex at Oak Grove.) 19 The 244 Main Street house of Joseph Lynde III, with its contents, burned on the night of April 10, 1819, the family barely escaping with their lives. It is thought that the northwest 50 percent of the house burned and that the foundation, some of the frame, and the front two rooms were incorporated into the present Federal Style “capacious mansion,” built the following year (1820) by Benjamin Lynde, now age 62. This is the house that is the subject of our proposed single- parcel Local Historic District. GEN 7- Warren Lynde, born May 15, 1799, died in 1888 at the age of 89 years. Son of Benjamin. Warren inherited this home from his father in 1829 and his tenure farming this property stretched nearly throughout the entire 19th century until his passing in 1888. It appears on 1900s maps as Warren’s residence. When he inherited the Benjamin Lynde house, there were barely 35 homes in the area then known as North Malden. Within 20 years the railway would cut across ancestral Lynde lands. Melrose incorporated as a town in 1850 and during Warren’s final decade the population of Melrose nearly doubled to 8500. He passed the home and farm to his son Henry Lynde who continued to operate a thriving truck farm business until he sold it to a Dr. Murphy in 1921. The Lyndes of 244 Main St. had a long-history of service to the nation. Captain John Lynde who built the 1693 home served as Selectmen in Malden for many years and fought with Major Willard in the 1676 King Philip’s War and was Captain of the Malden military company around 1700. Seventy-five years later young Benjamin Lynde marched with Captain Blaney’s company in defense of Concord and Lexington on April 19, 1775. Benjamin Lynde’s grandson, also named Benjamin enlisted in the Union Army in 1862 at the age of 30 and died one year later in Baton Rouge, Louisiana of battlefield disease following the brutal Siege of Port Hudson that secured Union control of the Mississippi River. The long tradition of military service embodied in the Lynde family continued in one of the final generations of Lyndes to call 244 Main Street home. Frank Warren Lynde was born at the Benjamin Lynde house in 1876 and managed the Lynde family farm in his youth with his father Henry. His son Dick was an airplane instructor who was killed in Pensacola while training for service in Europe in WWII.) Lynde homes built subsequent to the Benjamin Lynde House at 244 Main Street: The expanding Lynde family continued to build homes across North Malden. In 1700 Captain John Lynde also built another First Period home for his son, also named John, b. 19 November 1680, d. before 16 September 1750, on the west side of what would become the Boston and Maine (now MBTA) train tracks that cut through Melrose in 1845. This house burned in the early 1900s. At the same time he built a house for his son Thomas at what is now 407 Washington Street. It was the last house before reaching the Stoneham line on the rough cart path between this home and 86 Main Street that would become Washington Street and a main road to Stoneham. It passed to Jabez Lynde, born January 10, 1744; then to Jonathan Lynde, born January 15, 1785, died 1869, and then to his grandson Franklin G. Lynde. It is labeled S. Lynde on an 1852 map. Another Lynde homestead was built in 1702 along the Reading Road. This Joseph Lynde House at 409 Lebanon St. was named after Benjamin Lynde’s brother who lived there until his death in 1798. Here lived Lynde descendants for more than 250 years. It stands at the end of Lynde St. 20 by a small park once known as Louisburg Square in honor of ancestor Simeon Lynde. In 1856 the 30 acres of farmland associated with this house, situated between Grove and Upham Street and east of Lebanon Street, were bought, surveyed and developed as house lots and The Common park, forming much of today’s East Side neighborhood. In 1829, just across the street from the Benjamin Lynde house, Benjamin’s son Daniel Lynde, b. 27 April 1795, d. 19 September 1857, built a charming Greek Revival home that still looks across its hill towards 244 Main St. Known as “little Mt. Vernon” (106 Mt. Vernon Avenue) this home lent its name to the neighborhood that grew up around it in the late 19th and 20th centuries. This home is known as the Alvin Lynde house for Daniel’s son Alvin, b. 4 November 1833, d. 23 February 1899, who lived there for 65 years until his death. Alvin Lynde was one of the best- known residents of Melrose in his lifetime, having served as station agent for the Boston and Maine railroad at Wyoming Station for 38 years. An effort to more clearly organize this information about early Lynde generations and their houses is diagrammed below. 21 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION AND ASSESSMENT The Benjamin Lynde House as it stands today at 244 Main Street, Melrose (December 2025) is a center-entry, five-bay, wood framed & sheathed building that, due to its construction date of 1820 and its visible characteristics, falls squarely into the Federal Style of American domestic architecture. Dates for the time period encompassing Federal architecture are typically given as 1780 – 1840, and it is referred to as a refined American neoclassical style, an evolution from the Colonial and Georgian, referencing Roman and Adamesque design in Europe, and inspired by America’s hard-won independence from England and its new-found political culture as a constitutional federal republic. Federal style buildings often have massing of simple cubic forms (with additions of secondary cubic forms), bi-laterally symmetrical facades that feature classical details like columns pilasters, swags and urns, entrances with fanlights, and larger windows (than in colonial buildings) to increase daylight in the interior rooms. They often have elegant and light interiors, sometimes with oval/circular rooms and fine moldings. This committee has not visited the interiors of the Benjamin Lynde house, so we cannot describe them. It is rumored that the front two rooms may be 1693 survivors of the fire. Before describing the house’s exterior architectural characteristics, we should make clear that the committee has not had the opportunity to measure the building; all dimensions and geometry noted below is approximated from photographs. The committee hopes to be able to measure the building and visit the interiors in the future to facilitate more accurate documentation. The exterior of the Benjamin Lynde house conforms to typical Federal style characteristics. The massing of the primary component of the house (assumed to be the oldest part) is a rectangle approximately 41 feet across (E-W) by 24 feet deep (N-S) in plan. It is two stories tall with a shallow hip roof having an approximate pitch of 5 on 12 (5” rise in every 12” run). The building sits on a foundation wall of local stone (probably granite) capped by wood water table trim approximately 8” tall. Its top horizontal trim (like an architrave) is approximately 6” tall and consists of a flat component capped by a profiled bed molding directly under the projecting square-edged eave. The height of the walls from bottom of water table to underside of eave is approximately 18 feet to 19 feet tall. The front facade is sheathed with wood clapboards with approximately 3” exposed to the weather. This tight-spacing of the clapboards contributes significantly to the “old” appearance of the house. The sides and rear of the house have more widely spaced clapboards, approximately 4” exposed to weather on many walls. The main facade has cornerboards of approximately 9” width. About 2 feet below the bottom of the eave, the two front cornerboards have a double line of horizontal, square-edged 3/4” x 2” applied trim that wrap the corners onto the sides. It is not entirely clear what these double- trim elements are, but they appear in some old photos of the house. In any event, they impart to the cornerboards the appearance of pilasters, as if they could be the abacus/echinus and astragal of a simplified classical order’s capital. Perhaps they are strapping that once supported a more accurate and elaborated capital. Such elaborated capitals seem to be shown in a c. 1900 photo, although the details are fuzzy. The clapboards are painted a moss-green, although the paint has faded and peeled and is in somewhat poor condition. All other trim (cornerboards, window casings, eaves, etc.) are painted a slightly lighter shade of the same moss green. Old photographs of the house seem to show that it was once painted white. 22 c.1900 Photo- from “History of Melrose” by Eldrige H. Goss 1947 Photo- The Melrose Camera Club, photo at Melrose Public Library 2025 Photo- Melrose Historical Commission 23 The main facade has a bi-laterally symmetrical arrangement of five windows side-to-side, one window in the center flanked by a pair of more closely-set windows to each side. On the first floor, the location of the central window is occupied by the front door. The windows are double-hung, six-over-six, with exterior jamb and head casings of approximately 4 ½” width consisting of a flat component framed by a profiled bed molding. The sills are approximately 2½” to 3” thick and have a square-edged profile. The windows, from inside face of casings and sill, measure approximately 2’-7” wide x 4’-10” tall. The glass within the sash muntins shows no evidence of waviness or hand blown circular patterns that would indicate that any glass pieces are particularly old. Modern screen panels have been added in front of the lower sash such that the sash can be raised in good weather without allowing flies to come inside. These screen panels appear not to be mechanically fixed in place. Old photos show shutters on the windows; no shutters exist today. The front door in the center of the ground level of the main facade is reached by walking northward along a sloping walkway with two steps, mounting a granite stepping stone, and then a single step up to a wood entry porch. This entry porch is covered with a small hip roof whose square-edged eave and simple architrave are supported by two square free-standing columns, one at each outside corner of the porch and roof. The column faces are approximately 8” wide on each side. The columns have simple moldings that form Doric or Tuscan style bases and capitals. These columns have the same or similar profiles as those supporting the east side porch. The roofed entry porch appears to have been added to the house more recently; a 1947 photo shows the house without an entry porch. The columns supporting the east side porch also appear to have been modified, old photos show round lathe-turned porch columns. Perhaps the front entry porch was added and the east side porch columns were revised at the same time. Without the entry porch, the front doorway seems to have had a classical entry hood, supported on two brackets or triglyphs, which surmounted a half-ellipse fanlight above the door. The current entry porch roof replaced or hides the door hood (it may still be extant behind the roof). The elliptical fanlight is still visible. The main facade faces almost directly due south, at an approximate 98 degree angle to Main Street. This slight angle deviation from the 90 degree perpendicular imparts a “presence” to the primary view of the house from Main Street. The angled view corridor from Main Street to the main/front/south facade of the house is important to its contextual appearance. This view corridor, and the open space in front of and to the S.S.E. of the house that makes it possible, should be protected. As should the direct views of the side/east of the house from Main Street and the open space to the east that makes such “drive-by” views possible. 24 Secondary components of the Benjamin Lynde house’s massing appear to be additions to the 41 foot x 24 foot primary ‘main house’ component. The most prominent of these are a two-bay, single-story covered porch on the east side of the main house, and a two-bay wing or ell on the northeast side of the primary house. As just noted, the porch’s three east-side free-standing columns appear to have been modified along with the entry porch, as they match the entry porch’s columns almost exactly. They are slightly wider/fatter, and they may therefore contain the older round/lathe-turned posts hidden within their current square column profile. The balusters of the handrail around the porch are round and lathe-turned, and appear similar to those shown in old photos. The porch has an almost-flat roof, while old photos show it to have a sloped roof with a hip-return at its south end. South /Front Facade- 2025 photo by Rob Tullis, Melrose Hist. Dist. Comm. East Facades facing Main Street- 2025 photo by Rob Tullis, Melrose Hist. Dist. Comm. 25 Adjacent to the porch and extending northward from it along Main Street is an ell that currently has two window bays on its first and second floors. Old photos show this “east ell” as five window bays long. The eave of the east ell’s roof is lower than that of the main house, as are its windows. It appears therefore that the east ell has lower floor levels than those in the main house. Old photos also show the porch structure, with lathe-turned posts, extending northward in front of the east wall of the ell all the way to its north end. None of this extended porch exists today. In c.1925 the northernmost three bays were detached from the ell, moved two house lots north to 256 Main Street, and re-fashioned into a separate house. At that time the posts that support the covered entry porch at the 256 Main Street house were either salvaged from the long porch on the east side of the Benjamin Lynde House, or those posts were duplicated. A photo from the 1992 MACRIS MEL.440 inventory form shows these lathe-turned posts in place. They were replaced by square-boxed posts in 2002, when the owner of the house, while turning into her driveway in her SUV was hit from behind by a truck traveling south on Main Street and driven forcefully into the front entry posts, fracturing them (the owner and her infant in the SUV were not injured). This northernmost three bay structure was apparently the kitchen of Warren Lynde, who inherited the Benjamin Lynde house in 1829 and lived there until his death in 1888. Perhaps, wary of the fire that burned the original 1693 house (and likely started in its kitchen), Warren located his kitchen as far north from the core of the house as he could; a literal instance of being “once burned and twice shy.” To the north of the remaining two-bay portion of the ell stands a smaller one-story addition whose east-facing facade is set back from the ell by about 10 feet and contains a door centered between two single windows. While it may never have been used as a shed, for identification purposes we will call it the “north shed.” Both the east ell and this north shed have clapboards with approximately 4” exposed to the weather. 26 To the west of the main house component is a flat-roofed, one-story “sun room” addition. This addition is not evident in the c. 1900 photo but is shown in the 1947 photo. It is symmetrically opposite (around the center of the south/main facade) the east porch, and it may have once been its equivalent that eventually got “closed in” with multiple windows, or it may have been built with those windows. Its south-facing wall has three side-by-side-by-side windows (shaded with a metal awning) and its west-facing wall has two pairs of three side-by-side-by-side windows set a bit apart where a central structural post would be. Because the land topography drops off to the southwest of the front facade and rises to the north of the house, and the sun room’s floor appears to be level with that of the main house, the sun room sits up above the surrounding grade with a taller amount of stone foundation wall showing. Access is made from the driveway (to the west of the sunroom) through a full-height door in the west foundation wall, presumed to be into a basement beneath the sun room (and likely the entire main house). North of the main house component is another addition. This “north addition” may consist of more than one generation of building. It sits hard against what was likely the north/rear of the main house and is concealed from the Main Street view by the east ell. This north addition essentially nestles into the inside corner formed by the main house and east ell. It extends westward approximately 5 feet past the west wall of the main house. Wrapping around the northwest corner of this addition is an open deck. This addition, also sheathed in clapboards and featuring double-hung, six-over-six windows, is assumed to have been built later than the east ell. To the west of the house is a freestanding, one-story, hip-roofed garage, approximately 21 feet wide E-W by 25 feet deep N-S, with two side-by-side garage doors across its south facade and two windows on its east facade. Judging by its “drop” or “dutch lap” siding and its side-hinged garage doors, this structure probably dates from the 1920s or 1930s, not long after it became common to keep personal automobiles at one’s own home. (Early 20th century community garage buildings were built along Tremont Street and elsewhere in Melrose at the time when cars were not kept at home.) Views of the southwest corner of the main house showing sun room and garage Photos by Rob Tullis Melrose, Hist. Dist. Comm. 27 Farmyard buildings that were once immediately adjacent to the south and southwest of the Benjamin Lynde house, as shown in 1889 and 1899 George Walker maps, no longer exist. One of these two buildings, the one closest to Main Street, is labeled Henry Lynde on the 1889 map. It appears to have been located on what is now the vacant 236 Main Street lot and does not appear on the 1899 map. A barn appears on both maps and appears to have been located west of the current house at 238 Main Street, in what is now the backyard of the house at 163 Derby Street. Should any demolition or excavation be done in the vicinity of these two former farm buildings, it should be sensitive to possible archeological evidence that may be uncovered. To review, the nicknames used here to describe the components of the existing Benjamin Lynde House and its additions are shown in this diagrammed aerial photo. 28 SIGNIFICANCE The Benjamin Lynde House at 244 Main Street Melrose is significant for a number of reasons: • It is one of only a few remaining homesteads of the Lynde Family, the first English settlers of what is now Melrose, and whose family legacy is closely tied to the history of the town and the land. • It is one of the few remaining farm houses whose relationship to the land define and remind us of the agricultural history of this part of Massachusetts, and its evolution from agrarian to industrial to urban and suburban uses. • Its construction and situation influenced the network of colonial roadways that linked Charlestown northward to Malden, Melrose, Wakefield, and Reading and thus influenced and directed that evolution. Main Street might not be where it is today if not for this house and the Benjamin Lynde farm. • Its 1693 version was the house from which 16 year old Benjamin Lynde left on April 19th 1775 to muster with other North Malden farmers to march to Lexington and Concord and pursue the British army on its retreat to Boston. • It contains the remnants of the earlier 1693 First Period Colonial home that burned in 1819. It remains to be seen how much of the foundation and two front rooms survive from 1693. • It is a well-preserved and authentic 1820 Federal Style house, built by Benjamin Lynde, and exhibits many hallmarks of that style and time period. The Melrose Historic District Commission and the Melrose Historical Commission therefore feel that it is worthy of preservation and of designation as a single-parcel Local Historic District. While these Commissions hope to gain access to the interior of the house in the near future and make forensic observations as to the age and originality of the various components of the house, we predict that, should complete preservation not be possible and certain components be deemed less worthy of protection than others, the following is a ranking of the house components from most significant to least significant: 1. Main House Block, approximately 41 x 24 feet, 2 stories Most Significant 2. East Porch, approximately 19 x 12 feet, one story Very Significant 3. East Ell, approximately 18 x 14 feet, 2 stories Very Significant 4. North ‘Shed,’ approximately 15 x 11 feet, 1 story Somewhat Significant 5. West ‘Sunroom,’ approximately 19 x 12 feet Somewhat Significant 6. North Additions (probably more than one) 17 x 35 feet Low Significance 7. North and Northwest Deck Not Significant 8. Freestanding Garage Not Significant 29 ORDINANCE Melrose’s existing historic district ordinance would apply to this proposed local historic district, which is attached as Appendix F. Section131 -4.1 would be added to include the Benjamin Lynde House Historic District in the Ordinance. §131-4.1 Benjamin Lynde House Historic District A. There is hereby established, under the provisions of MGL c. 40C, a historic district to be known as the "Benjamin Lynde House Historic District," shown on a plan titled "Proposed Benjamin Lynde House Historic District" dated ______, showing in a boundary around the property at 244 Main Street, parcel ID C5 0 24, said plan having been approved and signed by the City Engineer, placed on file at the offices of the City Clerk and the Director of Inspectional Services, recorded in South Middlesex District Registry of Deeds and included herewith as part of this chapter. PUBLIC COMMENTS On May 12, 2026, the Historic District Commission held a public hearing on the creation of a single-building Local Historic District for the Benjamin Lynde House at 244 Main Street, and public comments were heard. Approximately a half-dozen Melrose residents spoke, all in favor of creation of the District. The comments noted the importance of the Lynde family and this house in Melrose’s history, the good exterior condition of the current 1820 house and its level of authenticity as a representative of Federal Style architecture, Benjamin Lynde’s role in the American Revolutionary war, and even the international importance of “the shot heard ‘round the world.” That it was, in fact, heard round the world, and that American independence and the sacrifice made for it in 1775 still have significance not only to Americans but to those in other countries today. One comment, submitted in writing, noted that it is important to recognize that members of the Lynde family held slaves and to recognize the role of enslaved people in the history of colonial settling of America and early Melrose. At least four members of the Lynde family held slaves (as per Elbridge Goss). Deacon Thomas Lynde, his son Deacon Joseph, his son Ensign Joseph, and Jabez Lynde each had one to three slaves. Slaves were also held by some of the other Melrose settler families, the Vintons, Spragues, Greens, and Barretts (that we know of). Slavery was abolished in Massachusetts through two court cases (Brom & Bett vs. John Ashley in 1781 and the Quock Walker case in 1783) following principles outlined in the Commonwealth’s Constitution of 1780 which stated “all men are born free and equal.” While slavery was not formally declared illegal in America until ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, by 1790 Massachusetts was the only state with zero slaves recorded in the federal census (Wikipedia). It appears that no slaves were held by Benjamin Lynde, nor was slavery associated with the construction of the 1820 house. 30 APPENDIX A- SOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY This Final Study Report was principally authored and compiled by Robert Tullis, Melrose Historic District Commission. Assistance with identifying resources was provided by Shane Egan, Melrose Historical Commission. Assistance with genealogical research was provided by Rebecca Blumenthal, Melrose Historical Commission. Compilation of Form B was provided by Ward Hamilton, MSc Historic Preservation. Please note, the City of Melrose’s Office of Planning and Community Development submitted a letter regarding the considerations for recommendation for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. MAPS- 1795 Plan of Malden, surveyed by Peter Tufts Jr, as published by Melrose Historical Society, 1915. 1852 Excerpt from Map of the City and Vicinity of Boston Massachusetts, F.G. Sidney, Rumsey Collection. https://shop.old-maps.com/massachusetts/towns/boston-ma-vicinity-1852- town/melrose-massachusetts-1852-old-town-map-custom-print-boston-vicinity/ 1856 Melrose Map, unattributed, Old Maps collection. https://shop.old-maps.com/massachusetts/towns/middlesex-co-ma-1856-town/melrose- melrose-massachusetts-1856-old-town-map-custom-print-middlesex-co/ 1875 Melrose Map, from County Atlas of Middlesex Massachusetts, J.B. Beers, Ward Maps LLC. https://wardmaps.com/products/melrose-massachusetts-1875 1875 Melrose Center, County Atlas of Middlesex Massachusetts, J.B. Beers, Ward Maps LLC. https://wardmaps.com/products/melrose-massachusetts-1876 1889 [South] Part of Melrose Map, George H. Walker Map, Ward Maps LLC. https://wardmaps.com/products/melrose-massachusetts-1889#:~:text=Publisher:%20Geo. 1899 1909 Melrose Map, Walker Lith. & Pub. Co., Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center. https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:x059c926k 2025 Melrose GIS Map https://www.mapsonline.net/peopleforms/mo4/index.php?site_id=1794 Sanborn Maps https://www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn- maps/?searchType=advanced?CITY=Melrose&stateID=23 BUILDING INFORMATION AND INVENTORIES- MACRIS (Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System) database and inventory forms https://maps.mhc-macris.net/ 31 HISTORY BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS- Goss, Elbridge Henry (1902), The History of Melrose, County of Middlesex, Massachusetts, Published by the City of Melrose MA, A.W. Dunton & Co. printers. Library of Congress Internet: https://archive.org/details/historyofmelrose02goss/page/n5/mode/2up Gould, Levi S. and Shumway, Franklin P., Ancient Melrose and Some, Information about its Old Homesteads, Families & Furnishings, The Melrose Historical Society, 1915. NEWSPAPERS- Melrose newspaper archives online (primarily used for tracking down obituaries) including the: • Melrose Reporter, • Melrose Journal, and • Melrose Free Press INTERNET- Geneology websites (used for, birth and death dates, family tree information): • Family Search.org, https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/ • WikiTree.com, https://wikitree.com • Geni.com, https://www.geni.com/people/ • Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/ 32 APPENDIX B- PRELIMINARY DRAWINGS These drawings shown here were prepared by Robert Tullis using AutoCAD LT software. They were drawn from photographic information, cross-referenced with a Google Earth satellite view and with the Melrose GIS map for overall lot size and house footprint size. However, these drawings do NOT benefit from any on-site measurements and therefore their dimensional accuracy is approximate only. See following two pages for larger images. 33 34 35 APPENDIX C- MASSACHUSETTS HISTORIC COMMISSION FORM B 36 FORM B − BUILDING Assessor’s Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number C5 0 24 Boston MEL 33 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION North MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD Town/City: Melrose BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Place: (neighborhood or village): Wyoming Photograph Address: 244 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 Historic Name: Bejamin Lynde House Uses: Present: Residential Original: Residential Date of Construction: 1820 Source: See Bibliography Style/Form: Adamesque Federal Style Architect/Builder: Unknown Exterior Material: Foundation: Stone Wall/Trim: Wood Locus Map Roof: Asphalt Outbuildings/Secondary Structures: See enclosed Architectural Description Major Alterations (with dates): See enclosed Architectural Description Condition: Good Moved: no yes Date: N/A Acreage: 0.4256 Setting: Residential Recorded by: Rob Tullis and Ward Hamilton Organization: Melrose Historic District Commission Date (month / year): 01/2026 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: The Benjamin Lynde House is a center-entry, five-bay, wood framed and sheathed building that, due to its construction date of 1820 and its visible characteristics, falls squarely into the Adamesque Federal Style of American domestic architecture. Dates for the time period encompassing Federal architecture are typically given as 1780 – 1840, and it is referred to as a refined American neoclassical style, an evolution from the Colonial and Georgian, referencing Roman and Adamesque design in Europe, and inspired by America’s hard-won independence from England and its new-found political culture as a constitutional federal republic. Federal style buildings often have massing of simple cubic forms (with additions of secondary cubic forms), bi- laterally symmetrical facades that feature classical details like columns pilasters, swags and urns, entrances with fanlights, and larger windows (than in colonial buildings) to increase daylight in the interior rooms. They often have elegant and light interiors, sometimes with oval/circular rooms and fine moldings. The exterior of the Benjamin Lynde house conforms to typical Federal style characteristics. The massing of the primary component of the house (assumed to be the oldest part) is a rectangle approximately 41 feet across (E-W) by 24 feet deep (N-S) in plan. It is two stories tall with a shallow hip roof having an approximate pitch of 5 on 12 (5” rise in every 12” run). The building sits on a foundation wall of local stone (probably granite) capped by wood water table trim approximately 8” tall. Its top horizontal trim (like an architrave) is approximately 6” tall and consists of a flat component capped by a profiled bed molding directly under the projecting square-edged eaves. The height of the walls from bottom of water table to underside of eave is approximately 18 feet to 19 feet tall. The front facade is sheathed with wood clapboards with approximately 3” exposed to the weather. This tight spacing of the clapboards contributes significantly to the “old” appearance of the house. The sides and rear of the house have more widely spaced clapboards, approximately 4” exposed to weather on many walls. The main facade has cornerboards of approximately 9” width. About 2 feet below the bottom of the eave, the two front cornerboards have a double line of horizontal, square-edged 3/4” x 2” applied trim that wrap the corners onto the sides. It is not entirely clear what these double trim elements are, but they appear in some old photos of the house. In any event, they impart to the cornerboards the appearance of pilasters, as if they could be the abacus/echinus and astragal of a simplified classical order’s capital. Perhaps they are strapping that once supported a more accurate and elaborated capital. Such elaborated capitals seem to be shown in a circa 1900 photo, although the details are fuzzy. The clapboards are painted moss-green, although the paint has faded and peeled and is in somewhat poor condition. All other trim (cornerboards, window casings, eaves, etc.) are painted a slightly lighter shade of the same moss green. Old photographs of the house seem to show that it was once painted white. The main facade has a bi-laterally symmetrical arrangement of five windows side-to-side, one window in the center flanked by a pair of more closely-set windows to each side. On the first floor, the location of the central window is occupied by the front door. The windows are double-hung, six-over-six, with exterior jamb and head casings of approximately 4 ½” width consisting of a flat component framed by a profiled bed molding. The sills are approximately 2½” to 3” thick and have a square-edged profile. The windows, from inside face of casings and sill, measure approximately 2’-7” wide x 4’-10” tall. The glass within the sash muntin bars shows no evidence of waviness or hand-blown circular patterns that would indicate that any glass pieces are particularly old. Modern screen panels have been added in front of the lower sash such that the sash can be raised in good weather without allowing flies to come inside. These screen panels appear not to be mechanically fixed in place. Old photos show shutters on the windows; no shutters exist today. The front door in the center of the ground level of the main facade is reached by walking northward along a sloping walkway with two steps, mounting a granite steppingstone, and then a single step up to a wood entry porch. This entry porch is covered with a small hip roof whose square-edged eaves and simple architrave are supported by two square free-standing columns, one at each outside corner of the porch and roof. The column faces are approximately 8” wide on each side. The columns have simple moldings that form Doric or Tuscan style bases and capitals. These columns have the same or similar profiles as those supporting the east side porch. The roofed entry porch appears to have been added to the house more recently; a 1947 photo shows the house without an entry porch. The columns supporting the east side porch also appear to have been modified, old photos show round lathe-turned porch columns. Perhaps the front entry porch was added and the east side porch columns were Continuation sheet 1 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 revised at the same time. Without the entry porch, the front doorway seems to have had a classical entry hood, supported on two brackets or triglyphs, which surmounted a half-ellipse fanlight above the door. The current entry porch roof replaced or hides the door hood (it may still be extant behind the roof). The elliptical fanlight is still visible. The main facade faces almost directly due south, at an approximate 98 degree angle to Main Street. This slight angle deviation from the 90 degree perpendicular imparts a “presence” to the primary view of the house from Main Street. The angled view corridor from Main Street to the main/front/south facade of the house is important to its contextual appearance. This view corridor, and the open space in front of and to the S.S.E. of the house that makes it possible, should be protected. As should the direct views of the side/east of the house from Main Street and the open space to the east that makes such “drive-by” views possible. Secondary components of the Benjamin Lynde House’s massing appear to be additions to the 41 foot x 24 foot primary ‘main house’ component. The most prominent of these are a two-bay, single-story covered porch on the east side of the main house, and a two-bay wing or ell on the northeast side of the primary house. As just noted, the porch’s three east-side free-standing columns appear to have been modified along with the entry porch, as they match the entry porch’s columns almost exactly. They are slightly wider and they may therefore contain the older round/lathe-turned posts hidden within their current square column profile. The balusters of the handrail around the porch are round and lathe-turned, similar to those shown in old photos. The porch has an almost-flat roof, while old photos show it to have a sloped roof with a hip-return at its south end. Adjacent to the porch and extending northward from it along Main Street is an ell that currently has two-window bays on its first and second floors. Old photos show this “east ell” as five window bays long; we are assuming that the final/northernmost three window bays of this ell were demolished. The eave of the east ell’s roof is lower than that of the main house, as are its windows. It appears therefore that the east ell has lower floor levels than those in the main house. Old photos also show the porch structure extending northward in front of the east wall of the ell all the way to its north end. None of this extended porch exists today. To the north of the remaining two-bay portion of the ell stands a smaller one-story addition whose east-facing facade is set back from the ell by about 10 feet and contains a door centered between two single windows. While it may never have been used as a shed, for identification purposes we will call it the “north shed.” Both the east ell and this north shed have clapboards with approximately 4” exposed to the weather. To the west of the main house component is a flat-roofed, one-story “sunroom” addition. This addition is not evident in the circa 1900 photo but is shown in the 1947 photo. It is symmetrically opposite (around the center of the south/main facade) the east porch, and it may have once been its equivalent that eventually got “closed in” with multiple windows, or it may have been built with those windows. Its south-facing wall has three side-by-side-by-side windows (shaded with a metal awning) and its west- facing wall has two pairs of three side-by-side-by-side windows set a bit apart where a central structural post would be. Because the land topography drops off to the southwest of the front facade and rises to the north of the house, and the sunroom’s floor appears to be level with that of the main house, the sunroom sits up above the surrounding grade with a taller amount of stone foundation wall showing. Access is made from the driveway (to the west of the sunroom) through a full-height door in the west foundation wall, presumed to be into a basement beneath the sunroom (and likely the entire main house). North of the main house component is another addition. This “north addition” may consist of more than one generation of building construction. It sits hard against what was likely the north/rear of the main house and is concealed from the Main Street view by the east ell. This north addition essentially nestles into the inside corner formed by the main house and east ell. It extends westward approximately 5 feet past the west wall of the main house. Wrapping around the northwest corner of this addition is an open deck. This addition, also sheathed in clapboards and featuring double-hung, six-over-six windows, is assumed to have been built later than the east ell. To the west of the house is a freestanding, one-story, hip-roofed garage, approximately 21 feet wide E-W by 25 feet deep N-S, with two side-by-side garage doors across its south facade and two windows on its east facade. Judging by its “drop” or “dutch lap” siding and its side-hinged garage doors, this structure probably dates from the 1920s or 1930s, not long after it became common to keep personal automobiles at one’s own home. Continuation sheet 2 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 HISTORICAL NARRATIVE: The Benjamin Lynde House was originally built by Capt. John Lynde in 1693 and rebuilt by Benjamin after a fire in 1819. The house is one of three surviving structures of a group of colonial homes built by the Lynde family, one of the most significant early Melrose families who were settlers and farmers in what was then known as North Malden. The 1702 Joseph Lynde house also still stands at 409 Lebanon Street (corner of Grove Street), where it faces and terminates the eastern end of Lynde Street as that street winds its way in a lazy S curve from its start at Main Street just north of Wyoming Avenue. The 1829 Alvin Lynde house survives on the east side of Main Street across and uphill from the Benjamin Lynde House. This small house, known as “Little Mount Vernon” for its white porch and once commanding view over Main Street (early twentieth century houses were built in between its porch and Main Street), is undoubtably the inspiration for the road names of Mt. Vernon Avenue and Potomac Street. The rear of the Alvin Lynde House faces the corner of these two roads. Other Lynde family homes were unfortunately destroyed long ago, including two notable structures. The circa 1700 house of Capt. John Lynde once stood near Washington Street on the west side of the railroad tracks adjacent to what is now the Saugus town line (George Washington is said to have tied his horse to an elm tree in its front yard). Also, the 1670 house of Ensign Thomas Lynde, the first English settler in Melrose, once stood at the corner of Main Street and Banks Place (once Goodyear Avenue) on what is now the parking lot of Hunt Photo. This house was documented in the 1933 Historic American Building Survey (H.A.B.S. number MASS-464). The house at 244 Main Street was the home of Benjamin Lynde who, as a 16-year old Minuteman mustered with other North Malden farmers at what is now Gooch Park to join up with Captain Benjamin Blaney’s company on April 19th, 1775, to head to Lexington, where the shot heard 'round the world would ring out to signal the start of the American Revolution. Fortunately, Benjamin Lynde survived the war to return home and thrive. Later in life, he and his family lived through a fire and rebuilding of his home in 1819. Ultimately, he would live to the age of 70, passing away in 1829. The house stayed in the Lynde family throughout the nineteenth century, long after Benjamin passed. The history of the Lynde family in Melrose is integral to the history of the city of Melrose and the Benjamin Lynde house at 244 Main Street lies at the heart of this history. It (or its immediate predecessor) is the oldest remaining Lynde home in Melrose, and the story of the generations who lived there is defined by service to the nation. The home has born witness to the changing landscape that surrounds it: agrarian life yielding to industrialization and urbanization. Thomas Lynde was born in England on January 11, 1593, and became a freeman in 1634. He and his family arrived in Boston by 1634 as part of the Great Puritan Migration. He died on December 30, 1691. He was among the early settlers in Charlestown. He bought a tract of then waterfront land which was known through the time of the Revolution as Lynde's Point, subsequently the site of the State Prison and now Bunker Hill Community College. He was one of the Deputies to the General Court for several years, serving first in 1636. His brother was Simeon Lynde of Louisburg Square in Boston. As part of the ‘great allotment,’ the Lynde family received 13 parcels of land north of Charlestown “above the pondes.” Part of this was 80 acres of land lying in Rockefeilde.” Concerning this tract is a 1638 record in the Charlestown Archives stating “Inasmuch as it apprs yt [that] the Land in the great Lots yt was laid out to Thomas Line [Lynde] & Richd Sprague prooves altogethr unusefull being nothing but Rockes wch was wholly besides or [our] intent, & only through oversight of the Surveyors wee Judge it to bee Just & equall yt they have allowance elswhere to theire satisfaction they leaveing the afforesd Rocks to lye Common." By 1639, Thomas Lynde was granted better farm and hay field land by “Mount Prospect”, on the north side of Waite’s Mount on what was then known as the “Mystic Side” of Charlestown. This area, stretching to the border of Reading (including present day Wakefield), was incorporated as Malden in 1649. This Lynde land grant would come to define much of the southern part of the town of Melrose, which was incorporated in 1850. Thomas Lynde’s house was built near the current entrance to the Forest Dale Cemetery on Forest Street on the Malden side of the Malden-Melrose line. John Lynde (25 Oct 1648 – 17 Sep 1723) was the second son of Thomas and occupied the original house at the foot of Boston Rock near the entrance to the Wyoming Cemetery. In 1693, John Lynde left the Boston Rock homestead and built a new house at what is now 244 Main Street on his inherited northern farm land. This 1693 house burned extensively in 1819. The old Boston Rock homestead, first built by Thomas Lynde, was abandoned. By the time of the Revolution, Lynde descendants had resided in Continuation sheet 3 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 this home for 80 years. Joseph Lynde (2 Sep 1690 - 16 Mar 1763) also lived in the house at 244 Main Street. His son, Joseph Lynde III (4 Jul 1716 - 4 Jul 1798) was both born and died on the Fourth of July. When he was born, the date meant nothing to colonists; when he died, it was the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Lynde, second son of Joseph Lynde III (02 Oct 1758 - 26 Sep 1829) was born in North Malden and it was from the 1693 home at 244 Main Street that he, at age 16 years / 6 months, answered the call to take up arms in the early hours of April 19, 1775, marching with his militia against British forces retreating from Lexington and Concord. Benjamin Lynde inherited the home at 244 Main Street from his father Joseph III in 1798 with 60 acres of land encompassing much of the ‘hill pasture’ of Boston Rock as well as 15 acres called “Island Hill,” a rise of ground surrounded by reedy marsh on the Melrose-Malden line since leveled by industry and development. Although now level ground, this hillock is still marked by the bend in an otherwise straight stretch of Main Street near the Melrose-Malden line and by the name of an avenue stretching through the apartment complex at Oak Grove. The 244 Main Street house of Joseph Lynde III, with its contents, burned on the night of April 10, 1819, the family barely escaping with their lives. It is thought that the northwest 50 percent of the house burned and that the foundation, some of the frame, and the front two rooms were incorporated into the present Adamesque Federal Style “capacious mansion,” built the following year by Benjamin Lynde, then aged 62 years. This is the house that is the subject of the building inventory form. Warren Lynde, born May 15, 1799, died in 1888 at the age of 89 years. Son of Benjamin, Warren inherited this home from his father in 1829 and his tenure farming this property stretched nearly throughout the entire nineteenth century until his passing in 1888. The building appears on 1900s maps as Warren’s residence. When he inherited the Benjamin Lynde house, there were barely 35 homes in the area then known as North Malden. Within 20 years the railway would cut across the ancestral Lynde lands. Melrose was incorporated as a town in 1850 and during Warren’s final decade the population of Melrose nearly doubled to 8500. He passed the home and farm to his son, Henry Lynde, who operated a thriving truck farm business until he sold it to a Dr. Murphy in 1921. The Lyndes of 244 Main St. had a long history of service to the nation. Captain John Lynde, who built the 1693 home, served as Selectmen in Malden for many years and fought with Major Willard in the 1676 King Philip’s War. He was captain of the Malden military company around 1700. Seventy-five years later, young Benjamin Lynde marched with Captain Blaney’s company in defense of Concord and Lexington on April 19, 1775. Benjamin Lynde’s grandson, also named Benjamin, enlisted in the Union Army in 1862 and, at the age of 30, died one year later in Baton Rouge of battlefield disease following the brutal Siege of Port Hudson. The long tradition of military service embodied in the Lynde family continued with one of the final generations of Lyndes to call 244 Main Street home. Frank Warren Lynde was born at the Benjamin Lynde house in 1876 and managed the Lynde family farm in his youth with his father, Henry. His son, Dick, was an airplane instructor who was killed in Pensacola while training for service in Europe during WWII. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Corey, Deloraine Pendre. The History of Malden, Massachusetts, 1633-1785. University Press: John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, 1898. Goss, Elbridge Henry. History of Melrose, County of Middlesex, Massachusetts. The City of Melrose, 1902. Hurd, David Hamilton. History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume 3. J.W. Lewis & Co.: Philadelphia, 1890. Secretary of the Commonwealth. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. Wright & Potter Printing Co.: Boston, 1903. Continuation sheet 4 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 National Register of Historic Places Criteria Statement Form Check all that apply: Individually eligible Eligible only in a historic district Contributing to a potential historic district Potential historic district Criteria: A B C D Criteria Considerations: A B C D E F G Statement of Significance by Ward Hamilton, MSc Historic Preservation The property is individually eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places due to its direct association with Benjamin Lynde, a veteran of the American Revolution, and its high level of integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The Lynde family was among the first settlers of Melrose (formerly North Malden), having first built a house on this location in 1693 and thence engaging in agriculture there. Benjamin Lynde (1758-1829) was born on the site and, on April 19, 1775, marched with the Malden Militia to Concord and Lexington. He went on to serve further in the American Revolution. After the war, he married and raised his family there. After a fire devastated the homestead in 1819, he then built the existing building the following year. Benjamin Lynde lived in this home until his death in 1829. The property contributes to a potential single-building historic district representing the historic development of Melrose during the period of significance from approximately 1693-1829. The resource retains integrity of location, design, materials, and association consistent with the district’s historic character. The property is significant under Criterion A for its association with events and broad patterns of history, specifically the American Revolution and early agriculture, which played a significant role in the development of Melrose (formerly North Malden), Massachusetts. The property is significant under Criterion B for its association with Benjamin Lynde, a person significant in the history of Melrose (formerly North Malden), Massachusetts, whose contributions to the American Revolution and early agriculture are directly linked to the property during its period of significance. The property is significant under Criterion C as an example of Adamesque Federal-style architecture, retaining distinctive characteristics of its type, period, and method of construction. The property is significant under Criterion D because it has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important to the understanding of historic activities related to settlement in the area, given its proximity to the Wyoming Quarry archeological resource area. Further, as this specific site has been continuously inhabited since at least 1693, there is a high degree of likelihood that home burials occurred there during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Alterations to the building, while extensive, do not detract from the character-defining features that date to the circa 1820 period of significance. The property retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association sufficiently enough to convey its historical significance according to the following criteria: Continuation sheet 5 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 Setting – the character of the location and how the Benjamin Lynde House is situated in relationship to other features, such as the ca. 1820 streetscape and neighboring buildings of significance, is reflected in its setting. Materials – the Benjamin Lynde House still retains most elements that were originally combined to construct the building, including much of the historic building fabric. Design – the Benjamin Lynde House reflects the massing and character-defining features of the historic Adamesque Federal building style. Location – the Benjamin Lynde House is located in the same location where the building was originally constructed in 1820 and has never been moved or relocated from another site. Workmanship – evidence of the builder’s craft skills and technology is immediately apparent in the character-defining features of the systems of the building envelope. Feeling – the Benjamin Lynde House conveys an expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of the early nineteenth century time period when the building was constructed. Association – a direct link between exists Benjamin Lynde, who built the house in 1820, and who was also a veteran of the American Revolution. The Benjamin Lynde House is individually eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places due to its direct association with American Revolution veteran Benjamin Lynde, who constructed the building in 1820, and its high level of integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Ward Hamilton, the author of this NRHP Criteria Statement Form, meets or exceeds the Secretary of the Interior's professional standards (36 CFR part 61) as an architectural historian qualified to perform identification, evaluation, registration, and treatment activities. Continuation sheet 6 APPENDIX D- MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION ADVISORY LETTER 37 APPENDIX E- MELROSE PLANNING BOARD RECOMMENDATION LETTER 38 CITY OF MELROSE PLANNING BOARD City Hall, 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 GREGORY SAMPSON Telephone - (781) 979-4190 Chair March 12, 2026 The Melrose Historic District Commission of the City of Melrose, Massachusetts RE: Proposed Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District To the Commissioners of the Melrose Historic District Commission: At its meeting on March 9, 2026, the Planning Board reviewed and discussed the Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District Preliminary Study Report. Board Members agreed that the report was helpful in explaining the history of the house and property, and its significance to Melrose. Based on the information outlined in the report, the Board recommended that the property is designated as a Local Historic District. Respectfully yours, Gregory Sampson Planning Board Chair Attachment: Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District Preliminary Study Report dated February 12, 202 cc: Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis Lori Massa, OPCD Director & City Planner Members of the Planning Board Members of the Historic District Commission APPENDIX F- CITY OF MELROSE, HISTORIC DISTRICTS ORDINANCE 39 City of Melrose, MA May 22, 2026 Proposed for inclusion of the Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District Chapter 131 HISTORIC DISTRICTS § 131-1. Short title; authority. § 131-4.1 Downtown Melrose Historic District. § 131-2. Purpose. 131-4.2 Benjamin Lynde House Historic § 131-3. Historic District Commission. District. § 131-5. Jurisdiction of Commission. [HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Aldermen of the City of Melrose 7-16-1979 by Ord. No. 19504B (Rev. Ords. 1989, §§ 2-331 to 2-337). Amendments noted where applicable.] § 131-1. Short title; authority. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Historic Districts Ordinance" under authority of MGL c. 40C. § 131-2. Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to promote the educational, cultural, economic and general welfare of the public through the preservation and protection of the distinctive characteristics or architecture of buildings and places significant in the history of the commonwealth and the City and through the maintenance and improvement of settings for such buildings and places and the encouragement of designs compatible therewith. § 131-3. Historic District Commission. A. In accordance with the Historic Districts Act, MGL c. 40C, there is hereby established the Melrose Historic District Commission, which shall have all the powers and duties of a historic district commission under the General Laws. The position of Board member on the Historic District Commission shall be designated as a "Special Municipal Employee" as that term is defined in MGL Chapter 268A. [Amended 3-7-2016 by Order No. 2016-103] B. All members and alternate members of the Commission shall be appointed by the Mayor, subject to confirmation by the City Council. The Commission shall consist of seven members, including one member, where possible, from two nominees submitted by the local historical societies; one member, where possible, from two nominees submitted by the Massachusetts chapter of the American Institute of Architects; one member, where possible, from two nominees submitted by the Boston Society of Landscape Architects; and one member, where possible, from two nominees submitted by the Eastern Middlesex Board of Realtors. The Commission shall also include a lawyer and one or more residents or owners or renters of property in the historic district to be administered by the Commission. C. When the Commission is first established, two members shall be appointed for a term of one year, two shall be appointed for a term of two years and three shall be appointed for a term of three years, and their successors shall be appointed in a like manner for terms of three years. When the Commission is first established, one alternate member shall be appointed in like manner for a term of one year, one alternate member for a term of two years and one alternate member for a term of three years, and their successors shall be appointed in like manner for terms of three years. All vacancies shall be filled in like manner for the unexpired term.City of Melrose, MA § 131-3 MELROSE CODE § 131-4 D. All members of the Commission shall serve without compensation. E. The Commission shall elect annually a Chair and Vice Chair from its own number and a Secretary from within or without its own number. F. The Historic District Commission shall adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of its business not inconsistent with the provision of the Historic Districts Act. The Commission may, subject to appropriation, employ clerical and technical assistants or consultants and incur other expenses appropriate to the carrying on of its work and may accept money gifts and expend the same for such purposes. G. Meetings of the Historic District Commission shall be held at the call of the Chair and shall be called at the request of two members of the Commission and in such other manner as the Commission shall determine in its rules. A majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. When taking action under the provisions of the fourth paragraph of Section 11 of the Historic Districts Act1 the Commission shall make its determination within 45 days after the filing of the application for a certificate of appropriateness or such further time as the applicant may, in writing, allow. § 131-4.1 Downtown Melrose Historic District. A. There is hereby established, under the provisions of MGL c. 40C, a historic district to be known as the "Downtown Melrose Historic District," shown on a plan titled "Proposed Downtown Melrose Historic District" dated July 16, 1979, showing in general a boundary following rear property lines of properties bordering Main Street from the intersection of West and East Foster Streets to the south side of West and East Emerson Streets, said plan having been approved and signed by the City Engineer, placed on file at the offices of the City Clerk and the Director of Inspectional Services, recorded in South Middlesex District Registry of Deeds and included herewith as part of this chapter.2 [Amended 8-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2018-4] The District is included, as was originally approved, on the plan titled "Melrose Local Historic Districts" dated June 1, 2026. B. The establishment of the historic district under this section shall take effect when all the Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. § 131-4.2 Benjamin Lynde House Historic District. A. There is hereby established, under the provisions of MGL c. 40C, a historic district to be known as the "Benjamin Lynde House Historic District," shown on a plan titled "Melrose Local Historic Districts" dated June 1, 2026, showing in a boundary around the property at 244 Main Street, parcel ID C5 0 24, said plan having been placed on file at the offices of Planning, City Clerk and Inspectional Services, recorded in South Middlesex District Registry of Deeds and included herewith as part of this chapter. B. The establishment of the historic district under this section shall take effect when the map showing the boundaries of the district is filed with the City Clerk and recorded in the Registry of Deeds. 1. Editor's Note: See MGL c. 40C, § 11. 2. Editor's Note: Said plan is included as an attachment to this chapter.City of Melrose, MA § 131-5 HISTORIC DISTRICTS § 131-5 § 131-5. Jurisdiction of Commission. A. The following categories of buildings or structures or exterior architectural features may be constructed or altered within a historic district without review by the Historic District Commission: (1) Temporary structures or signs, subject, however, to such conditions as to duration of use, location, removal and similar matters as the Commission may reasonably specify. (2) Terraces, walks, driveways, sidewalks and similar structures, or any one or more of them, provided that any such structure is substantially at grade level. This is not to be construed as to include parking lots. (3) Storm doors and windows, screens, window air conditioners, antennas and similar appurtenances. (4) Paint colors, except for paint proposed for masonry or any materials now not painted. (5) Signs of not more than one square foot in area in connection with use of a residence for a customary home occupation or for professional purposes, provided that only one such sign is displayed in connection with each residence and if illuminated is illuminated only indirectly. (6) The reconstruction, substantially similar in exterior design, of a building, structure or exterior architectural feature damaged or destroyed by fire, storm or other disaster, provided that such reconstruction is begun within one year thereafter and carried forward with due diligence. B. The authority of the Commission shall be limited to exterior architectural features within the designated district which are subject to view from a public way. T S CITY OF MELROSE N I D A R M Y B R E D 244 E POTOMAC ST S S E LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICTS X W Benjamin Lynde House Historic District S T I Order No. N T S 35-37 T E 29-33 21 R 1 22 S 23-25 18 15 T 20 20 14 9 662 590 1 12-16 562 576 10-12 516 530 496-498 638 660 500-504 630 6 478 484-490 506 532-546 608-612 616 MAIN STREET 667-669 675 543-547 663-665 475-4781 527-535 653-655 503-509 U 647 511-521 P E 3-5 497 H .

Melrose Downtown Historic District Order No. 19504-B ³ Approved 7/16/1979 1 inch = 125 feetFORM B − BUILDING Assessor’s Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number C5 0 24 Boston MEL 33 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION North MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD Town/City: Melrose BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Place: (neighborhood or village): Wyoming Photograph Address: 244 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 Historic Name: Bejamin Lynde House Uses: Present: Residential Original: Residential Date of Construction: 1820 Source: See Bibliography Style/Form: Adamesque Federal Style Architect/Builder: Unknown Exterior Material: Foundation: Stone Wall/Trim: Wood Locus Map Roof: Asphalt Outbuildings/Secondary Structures: See enclosed Architectural Description Major Alterations (with dates): See enclosed Architectural Description Condition: Good Moved: no yes Date: N/A Acreage: 0.4256 Setting: Residential Recorded by: Rob Tullis and Ward Hamilton Organization: Melrose Historic District Commission Date (month / year): 01/2026 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: The Benjamin Lynde House is a center-entry, five-bay, wood framed and sheathed building that, due to its construction date of 1820 and its visible characteristics, falls squarely into the Adamesque Federal Style of American domestic architecture. Dates for the time period encompassing Federal architecture are typically given as 1780 – 1840, and it is referred to as a refined American neoclassical style, an evolution from the Colonial and Georgian, referencing Roman and Adamesque design in Europe, and inspired by America’s hard-won independence from England and its new-found political culture as a constitutional federal republic. Federal style buildings often have massing of simple cubic forms (with additions of secondary cubic forms), bi- laterally symmetrical facades that feature classical details like columns pilasters, swags and urns, entrances with fanlights, and larger windows (than in colonial buildings) to increase daylight in the interior rooms. They often have elegant and light interiors, sometimes with oval/circular rooms and fine moldings. The exterior of the Benjamin Lynde house conforms to typical Federal style characteristics. The massing of the primary component of the house (assumed to be the oldest part) is a rectangle approximately 41 feet across (E-W) by 24 feet deep (N-S) in plan. It is two stories tall with a shallow hip roof having an approximate pitch of 5 on 12 (5” rise in every 12” run). The building sits on a foundation wall of local stone (probably granite) capped by wood water table trim approximately 8” tall. Its top horizontal trim (like an architrave) is approximately 6” tall and consists of a flat component capped by a profiled bed molding directly under the projecting square-edged eaves. The height of the walls from bottom of water table to underside of eave is approximately 18 feet to 19 feet tall. The front facade is sheathed with wood clapboards with approximately 3” exposed to the weather. This tight spacing of the clapboards contributes significantly to the “old” appearance of the house. The sides and rear of the house have more widely spaced clapboards, approximately 4” exposed to weather on many walls. The main facade has cornerboards of approximately 9” width. About 2 feet below the bottom of the eave, the two front cornerboards have a double line of horizontal, square-edged 3/4” x 2” applied trim that wrap the corners onto the sides. It is not entirely clear what these double trim elements are, but they appear in some old photos of the house. In any event, they impart to the cornerboards the appearance of pilasters, as if they could be the abacus/echinus and astragal of a simplified classical order’s capital. Perhaps they are strapping that once supported a more accurate and elaborated capital. Such elaborated capitals seem to be shown in a circa 1900 photo, although the details are fuzzy. The clapboards are painted moss-green, although the paint has faded and peeled and is in somewhat poor condition. All other trim (cornerboards, window casings, eaves, etc.) are painted a slightly lighter shade of the same moss green. Old photographs of the house seem to show that it was once painted white. The main facade has a bi-laterally symmetrical arrangement of five windows side-to-side, one window in the center flanked by a pair of more closely-set windows to each side. On the first floor, the location of the central window is occupied by the front door. The windows are double-hung, six-over-six, with exterior jamb and head casings of approximately 4 ½” width consisting of a flat component framed by a profiled bed molding. The sills are approximately 2½” to 3” thick and have a square-edged profile. The windows, from inside face of casings and sill, measure approximately 2’-7” wide x 4’-10” tall. The glass within the sash muntin bars shows no evidence of waviness or hand-blown circular patterns that would indicate that any glass pieces are particularly old. Modern screen panels have been added in front of the lower sash such that the sash can be raised in good weather without allowing flies to come inside. These screen panels appear not to be mechanically fixed in place. Old photos show shutters on the windows; no shutters exist today. The front door in the center of the ground level of the main facade is reached by walking northward along a sloping walkway with two steps, mounting a granite steppingstone, and then a single step up to a wood entry porch. This entry porch is covered with a small hip roof whose square-edged eaves and simple architrave are supported by two square free-standing columns, one at each outside corner of the porch and roof. The column faces are approximately 8” wide on each side. The columns have simple moldings that form Doric or Tuscan style bases and capitals. These columns have the same or similar profiles as those supporting the east side porch. The roofed entry porch appears to have been added to the house more recently; a 1947 photo shows the house without an entry porch. The columns supporting the east side porch also appear to have been modified, old photos show round lathe-turned porch columns. Perhaps the front entry porch was added and the east side porch columns were Continuation sheet 1 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 revised at the same time. Without the entry porch, the front doorway seems to have had a classical entry hood, supported on two brackets or triglyphs, which surmounted a half-ellipse fanlight above the door. The current entry porch roof replaced or hides the door hood (it may still be extant behind the roof). The elliptical fanlight is still visible. The main facade faces almost directly due south, at an approximate 98 degree angle to Main Street. This slight angle deviation from the 90 degree perpendicular imparts a “presence” to the primary view of the house from Main Street. The angled view corridor from Main Street to the main/front/south facade of the house is important to its contextual appearance. This view corridor, and the open space in front of and to the S.S.E. of the house that makes it possible, should be protected. As should the direct views of the side/east of the house from Main Street and the open space to the east that makes such “drive-by” views possible. Secondary components of the Benjamin Lynde House’s massing appear to be additions to the 41 foot x 24 foot primary ‘main house’ component. The most prominent of these are a two-bay, single-story covered porch on the east side of the main house, and a two-bay wing or ell on the northeast side of the primary house. As just noted, the porch’s three east-side free-standing columns appear to have been modified along with the entry porch, as they match the entry porch’s columns almost exactly. They are slightly wider and they may therefore contain the older round/lathe-turned posts hidden within their current square column profile. The balusters of the handrail around the porch are round and lathe-turned, similar to those shown in old photos. The porch has an almost-flat roof, while old photos show it to have a sloped roof with a hip-return at its south end. Adjacent to the porch and extending northward from it along Main Street is an ell that currently has two-window bays on its first and second floors. Old photos show this “east ell” as five window bays long; we are assuming that the final/northernmost three window bays of this ell were demolished. The eave of the east ell’s roof is lower than that of the main house, as are its windows. It appears therefore that the east ell has lower floor levels than those in the main house. Old photos also show the porch structure extending northward in front of the east wall of the ell all the way to its north end. None of this extended porch exists today. To the north of the remaining two-bay portion of the ell stands a smaller one-story addition whose east-facing facade is set back from the ell by about 10 feet and contains a door centered between two single windows. While it may never have been used as a shed, for identification purposes we will call it the “north shed.” Both the east ell and this north shed have clapboards with approximately 4” exposed to the weather. To the west of the main house component is a flat-roofed, one-story “sunroom” addition. This addition is not evident in the circa 1900 photo but is shown in the 1947 photo. It is symmetrically opposite (around the center of the south/main facade) the east porch, and it may have once been its equivalent that eventually got “closed in” with multiple windows, or it may have been built with those windows. Its south-facing wall has three side-by-side-by-side windows (shaded with a metal awning) and its west- facing wall has two pairs of three side-by-side-by-side windows set a bit apart where a central structural post would be. Because the land topography drops off to the southwest of the front facade and rises to the north of the house, and the sunroom’s floor appears to be level with that of the main house, the sunroom sits up above the surrounding grade with a taller amount of stone foundation wall showing. Access is made from the driveway (to the west of the sunroom) through a full-height door in the west foundation wall, presumed to be into a basement beneath the sunroom (and likely the entire main house). North of the main house component is another addition. This “north addition” may consist of more than one generation of building construction. It sits hard against what was likely the north/rear of the main house and is concealed from the Main Street view by the east ell. This north addition essentially nestles into the inside corner formed by the main house and east ell. It extends westward approximately 5 feet past the west wall of the main house. Wrapping around the northwest corner of this addition is an open deck. This addition, also sheathed in clapboards and featuring double-hung, six-over-six windows, is assumed to have been built later than the east ell. To the west of the house is a freestanding, one-story, hip-roofed garage, approximately 21 feet wide E-W by 25 feet deep N-S, with two side-by-side garage doors across its south facade and two windows on its east facade. Judging by its “drop” or “dutch lap” siding and its side-hinged garage doors, this structure probably dates from the 1920s or 1930s, not long after it became common to keep personal automobiles at one’s own home. Continuation sheet 2 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 HISTORICAL NARRATIVE: The Benjamin Lynde House was originally built by Capt. John Lynde in 1693 and rebuilt by Benjamin after a fire in 1819. The house is one of three surviving structures of a group of colonial homes built by the Lynde family, one of the most significant early Melrose families who were settlers and farmers in what was then known as North Malden. The 1702 Joseph Lynde house also still stands at 409 Lebanon Street (corner of Grove Street), where it faces and terminates the eastern end of Lynde Street as that street winds its way in a lazy S curve from its start at Main Street just north of Wyoming Avenue. The 1829 Alvin Lynde house survives on the east side of Main Street across and uphill from the Benjamin Lynde House. This small house, known as “Little Mount Vernon” for its white porch and once commanding view over Main Street (early twentieth century houses were built in between its porch and Main Street), is undoubtably the inspiration for the road names of Mt. Vernon Avenue and Potomac Street. The rear of the Alvin Lynde House faces the corner of these two roads. Other Lynde family homes were unfortunately destroyed long ago, including two notable structures. The circa 1700 house of Capt. John Lynde once stood near Washington Street on the west side of the railroad tracks adjacent to what is now the Saugus town line (George Washington is said to have tied his horse to an elm tree in its front yard). Also, the 1670 house of Ensign Thomas Lynde, the first English settler in Melrose, once stood at the corner of Main Street and Banks Place (once Goodyear Avenue) on what is now the parking lot of Hunt Photo. This house was documented in the 1933 Historic American Building Survey (H.A.B.S. number MASS-464). The house at 244 Main Street was the home of Benjamin Lynde who, as a 16-year old Minuteman mustered with other North Malden farmers at what is now Gooch Park to join up with Captain Benjamin Blaney’s company on April 19th, 1775, to head to Lexington, where the shot heard 'round the world would ring out to signal the start of the American Revolution. Fortunately, Benjamin Lynde survived the war to return home and thrive. Later in life, he and his family lived through a fire and rebuilding of his home in 1819. Ultimately, he would live to the age of 70, passing away in 1829. The house stayed in the Lynde family throughout the nineteenth century, long after Benjamin passed. The history of the Lynde family in Melrose is integral to the history of the city of Melrose and the Benjamin Lynde house at 244 Main Street lies at the heart of this history. It (or its immediate predecessor) is the oldest remaining Lynde home in Melrose, and the story of the generations who lived there is defined by service to the nation. The home has born witness to the changing landscape that surrounds it: agrarian life yielding to industrialization and urbanization. Thomas Lynde was born in England on January 11, 1593, and became a freeman in 1634. He and his family arrived in Boston by 1634 as part of the Great Puritan Migration. He died on December 30, 1691. He was among the early settlers in Charlestown. He bought a tract of then waterfront land which was known through the time of the Revolution as Lynde's Point, subsequently the site of the State Prison and now Bunker Hill Community College. He was one of the Deputies to the General Court for several years, serving first in 1636. His brother was Simeon Lynde of Louisburg Square in Boston. As part of the ‘great allotment,’ the Lynde family received 13 parcels of land north of Charlestown “above the pondes.” Part of this was 80 acres of land lying in Rockefeilde.” Concerning this tract is a 1638 record in the Charlestown Archives stating “Inasmuch as it apprs yt [that] the Land in the great Lots yt was laid out to Thomas Line [Lynde] & Richd Sprague prooves altogethr unusefull being nothing but Rockes wch was wholly besides or [our] intent, & only through oversight of the Surveyors wee Judge it to bee Just & equall yt they have allowance elswhere to theire satisfaction they leaveing the afforesd Rocks to lye Common." By 1639, Thomas Lynde was granted better farm and hay field land by “Mount Prospect”, on the north side of Waite’s Mount on what was then known as the “Mystic Side” of Charlestown. This area, stretching to the border of Reading (including present day Wakefield), was incorporated as Malden in 1649. This Lynde land grant would come to define much of the southern part of the town of Melrose, which was incorporated in 1850. Thomas Lynde’s house was built near the current entrance to the Forest Dale Cemetery on Forest Street on the Malden side of the Malden-Melrose line. John Lynde (25 Oct 1648 – 17 Sep 1723) was the second son of Thomas and occupied the original house at the foot of Boston Rock near the entrance to the Wyoming Cemetery. In 1693, John Lynde left the Boston Rock homestead and built a new house at what is now 244 Main Street on his inherited northern farm land. This 1693 house burned extensively in 1819. The old Boston Rock homestead, first built by Thomas Lynde, was abandoned. By the time of the Revolution, Lynde descendants had resided in Continuation sheet 3 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 this home for 80 years. Joseph Lynde (2 Sep 1690 - 16 Mar 1763) also lived in the house at 244 Main Street. His son, Joseph Lynde III (4 Jul 1716 - 4 Jul 1798) was both born and died on the Fourth of July. When he was born, the date meant nothing to colonists; when he died, it was the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Lynde, second son of Joseph Lynde III (02 Oct 1758 - 26 Sep 1829) was born in North Malden and it was from the 1693 home at 244 Main Street that he, at age 16 years / 6 months, answered the call to take up arms in the early hours of April 19, 1775, marching with his militia against British forces retreating from Lexington and Concord. Benjamin Lynde inherited the home at 244 Main Street from his father Joseph III in 1798 with 60 acres of land encompassing much of the ‘hill pasture’ of Boston Rock as well as 15 acres called “Island Hill,” a rise of ground surrounded by reedy marsh on the Melrose-Malden line since leveled by industry and development. Although now level ground, this hillock is still marked by the bend in an otherwise straight stretch of Main Street near the Melrose-Malden line and by the name of an avenue stretching through the apartment complex at Oak Grove. The 244 Main Street house of Joseph Lynde III, with its contents, burned on the night of April 10, 1819, the family barely escaping with their lives. It is thought that the northwest 50 percent of the house burned and that the foundation, some of the frame, and the front two rooms were incorporated into the present Adamesque Federal Style “capacious mansion,” built the following year by Benjamin Lynde, then aged 62 years. This is the house that is the subject of the building inventory form. Warren Lynde, born May 15, 1799, died in 1888 at the age of 89 years. Son of Benjamin, Warren inherited this home from his father in 1829 and his tenure farming this property stretched nearly throughout the entire nineteenth century until his passing in 1888. The building appears on 1900s maps as Warren’s residence. When he inherited the Benjamin Lynde house, there were barely 35 homes in the area then known as North Malden. Within 20 years the railway would cut across the ancestral Lynde lands. Melrose was incorporated as a town in 1850 and during Warren’s final decade the population of Melrose nearly doubled to 8500. He passed the home and farm to his son, Henry Lynde, who operated a thriving truck farm business until he sold it to a Dr. Murphy in 1921. The Lyndes of 244 Main St. had a long history of service to the nation. Captain John Lynde, who built the 1693 home, served as Selectmen in Malden for many years and fought with Major Willard in the 1676 King Philip’s War. He was captain of the Malden military company around 1700. Seventy-five years later, young Benjamin Lynde marched with Captain Blaney’s company in defense of Concord and Lexington on April 19, 1775. Benjamin Lynde’s grandson, also named Benjamin, enlisted in the Union Army in 1862 and, at the age of 30, died one year later in Baton Rouge of battlefield disease following the brutal Siege of Port Hudson. The long tradition of military service embodied in the Lynde family continued with one of the final generations of Lyndes to call 244 Main Street home. Frank Warren Lynde was born at the Benjamin Lynde house in 1876 and managed the Lynde family farm in his youth with his father, Henry. His son, Dick, was an airplane instructor who was killed in Pensacola while training for service in Europe during WWII. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Corey, Deloraine Pendre. The History of Malden, Massachusetts, 1633-1785. University Press: John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, 1898. Goss, Elbridge Henry. History of Melrose, County of Middlesex, Massachusetts. The City of Melrose, 1902. Hurd, David Hamilton. History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume 3. J.W. Lewis & Co.: Philadelphia, 1890. Secretary of the Commonwealth. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. Wright & Potter Printing Co.: Boston, 1903. Continuation sheet 4 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 National Register of Historic Places Criteria Statement Form Check all that apply: Individually eligible Eligible only in a historic district Contributing to a potential historic district Potential historic district Criteria: A B C D Criteria Considerations: A B C D E F G Statement of Significance by Ward Hamilton, MSc Historic Preservation The property is individually eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places due to its direct association with Benjamin Lynde, a veteran of the American Revolution, and its high level of integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The Lynde family was among the first settlers of Melrose (formerly North Malden), having first built a house on this location in 1693 and thence engaging in agriculture there. Benjamin Lynde (1758-1829) was born on the site and, on April 19, 1775, marched with the Malden Militia to Concord and Lexington. He went on to serve further in the American Revolution. After the war, he married and raised his family there. After a fire devastated the homestead in 1819, he then built the existing building the following year. Benjamin Lynde lived in this home until his death in 1829. The property contributes to a potential single-building historic district representing the historic development of Melrose during the period of significance from approximately 1693-1829. The resource retains integrity of location, design, materials, and association consistent with the district’s historic character. The property is significant under Criterion A for its association with events and broad patterns of history, specifically the American Revolution and early agriculture, which played a significant role in the development of Melrose (formerly North Malden), Massachusetts. The property is significant under Criterion B for its association with Benjamin Lynde, a person significant in the history of Melrose (formerly North Malden), Massachusetts, whose contributions to the American Revolution and early agriculture are directly linked to the property during its period of significance. The property is significant under Criterion C as an example of Adamesque Federal-style architecture, retaining distinctive characteristics of its type, period, and method of construction. The property is significant under Criterion D because it has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important to the understanding of historic activities related to settlement in the area, given its proximity to the Wyoming Quarry archeological resource area. Further, as this specific site has been continuously inhabited since at least 1693, there is a high degree of likelihood that home burials occurred there during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Alterations to the building, while extensive, do not detract from the character-defining features that date to the circa 1820 period of significance. The property retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association sufficiently enough to convey its historical significance according to the following criteria: Continuation sheet 5 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET MELROSE 244 Main Street MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 MEL 33 Setting – the character of the location and how the Benjamin Lynde House is situated in relationship to other features, such as the ca. 1820 streetscape and neighboring buildings of significance, is reflected in its setting. Materials – the Benjamin Lynde House still retains most elements that were originally combined to construct the building, including much of the historic building fabric. Design – the Benjamin Lynde House reflects the massing and character-defining features of the historic Adamesque Federal building style. Location – the Benjamin Lynde House is located in the same location where the building was originally constructed in 1820 and has never been moved or relocated from another site. Workmanship – evidence of the builder’s craft skills and technology is immediately apparent in the character-defining features of the systems of the building envelope. Feeling – the Benjamin Lynde House conveys an expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of the early nineteenth century time period when the building was constructed. Association – a direct link between exists Benjamin Lynde, who built the house in 1820, and who was also a veteran of the American Revolution. The Benjamin Lynde House is individually eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places due to its direct association with American Revolution veteran Benjamin Lynde, who constructed the building in 1820, and its high level of integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Ward Hamilton, the author of this NRHP Criteria Statement Form, meets or exceeds the Secretary of the Interior's professional standards (36 CFR part 61) as an architectural historian qualified to perform identification, evaluation, registration, and treatment activities. Continuation sheet 6 .From: Ward Hamilton <oldemohawkinc@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2026 12:46 PM To: City Council <citycouncil@cityofmelrose.org> Cc: Massa, Lori <lmassa@cityofmelrose.org> Subject: ID # 2026-1291: Vote to establish the Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the city's domain. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. If you believe that this message is spam, please use the "Report Spam" button in Outlook to report it. Good afternoon, President Freeman and members of the Melrose City Council. The purpose of this communication is to urge you to vote in favor of establishing the Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District in Melrose. Local Historic Districts (LHDs) p Warning: Unusual sender <oldemohawkinc@gmail.com> You don't usually receive emails from this address. Make sure you trust this sender before taking any actions. Good afternoon, President Freeman and members of the Melrose City Council. The purpose of this communication is to urge you to vote in favor of establishing the Benjamin Lynde House Local Historic District in Melrose. Local Historic Districts (LHDs) protect buildings by regulating visible exterior alterations, preventing unnecessary demolitions, and requiring architectural compatibility for new construction. Established under the Commonwealth's Historic Districts Act, G.L. c. 40C, LHDs act as local zoning overlays governed by an appointed Local Historic District Commission. As you know, the Melrose Historic District Commission conducted a study to determine the feasibility of creating a single building LHD for the Benjamin Lynde House. This study was reviewed by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the Melrose Planning Board, and the plan to create the LHD was endorsed by each. It was my honor to assist Melrose HDC commissioner Rob Tullis in drafting an updated building inventory form (MHC Form B attached). As part of that process, I drafted and submitted a National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Criteria Statement Form in an effort to have the Benjamin Lynde House listed on the NRHP. The building is eligible for inclusion due to its direct association with Benjamin Lynde, a veteran of the American Revolution, and because of its high level of integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The Lynde family was among the first settlers of Melrose, having built a house on the location in 1693 and thereafter engaging in agriculture here. Benjamin Lynde was born on the site in 1758 and, on April 19, 1775, marched with the Malden Militia to Concord and Lexington. He went on to serve further in the American Revolution and, after the war, married and raised his family there. After a fire devastated the homestead in 1819, Benjamin Lynde then built the existing house the following year where he lived until his death in 1829. This property is a critical historical resource and represents the early development of Melrose during the period of significance from approximately 1693-1829. Further, the Benjamin Lynde House retains integrity of location, design, materials, and association. The attached document provides additional detail. Thank you, in advance, for your consideration - especially as this comes before you during your busiest time of the year. I appreciate fully all that you do for the City of Melrose. Ward Hamilton ****CITY OF MELROSE PUBLIC RECORDS NOTICE: Please be advised that the Massachusetts Attorney General has determined that email is a public record unless the content of the email falls within one of the stated exemptions under the Massachusetts Public Records Laws.**** From: JOANNE EUSTACE <sjpmj@aol.com> Sent: Monday, June 1, 2026 12:47 PM To: City Council <citycouncil@cityofmelrose.org> Subject: Benjamin Lynde House Good morning Just another email from a concerned Melrose resident stating I am NOT in favor of the 60 unit apartment going up where the beautiful historic Lynde house stands Melrose has enough apartments being built at the present time and as I understand has reached its 40B requirement Please consider keeping Melrose beautiful Joanne Eustace Sent from my iPhone ****CITY OF MELROSE PUBLIC RECORDS NOTICE: Please be advised that the Massachusetts Attorney General has determined that email is a public record unless the content of the email falls within one of the stated exemptions under the Massachusetts Public Records Laws.**** ****CITY OF MELROSE PUBLIC RECORDS NOTICE: Please be advised that the Massachusetts Attorney General has determined that email is a public record unless the content of the email falls within one of the stated exemptions under the Massachusetts Public Records Laws.**** From: Diana Cafarella <dianaeq@aol.com> Sent: Monday, June 1, 2026 5:47 PM To: City Council <citycouncil@cityofmelrose.org> Subject: New business CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the city's domain. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. If you believe that this message is spam, please use the "Report Spam" button in Outlook to report it. Dear City Council, My name is Diana Cafarella of 18 Bellevue Ave. I’m writing to the City Council as I have been following the developments regarding the Benjamin Lynde House at 244 Main St. I am a strong supporter of historic pre Warning: Unusual sender <dianaeq@aol.com> You don't usually receive emails from this address. Make sure you trust this sender before taking any actions. Dear City Council, My name is Diana Cafarella of 18 Bellevue Ave. I’m writing to the City Council as I have been following the developments regarding the Benjamin Lynde House at 244 Main St. I am a strong supporter of historic preservation in Melrose and see the value in expanding the historic district(s) here. Fifty percent of our city, maybe more, was built before 1900. That isn’t our burden. That is our blessing that makes our city unique from surrounding towns. Do you want to see where we have been? You can take a look for yourself. We, and generations before us, have successfully preserved our city with only minimal safeguards in place. It’s miraculous actually. However, we are now at a precarious point in time in which major development is threatening our city. Boston is expanding outwards. People want to share in our city, and that is wonderful. But, a candid dialogue is needed about the parts of our city that are important to us. And, it’s more than just that downtown strip of Main Street that is currently “the historic district.” There are landmarks, neighborhoods, places that we can’t live without that make up the chapters of our history. 244 Main St is a perfect example of that, and it’s worthy of its own historic district. I urge you to please give careful consideration to what more can be done proactively toward better historic preservation here in Melrose. I think we can all agree that’s part of our reason for loving our city. Respectfully, Diana Cafarella Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS ****CITY OF MELROSE PUBLIC RECORDS NOTICE: Please be advised that the Massachusetts Attorney General has determined that email is a public record unless the content of the email falls within one of the stated exemptions under the Massachusetts Public Records Laws.**** ****CITY OF MELROSE PUBLIC RECORDS NOTICE: Please be advised that the Massachusetts Attorney General has determined that email is a public record unless the content of the email falls within one of the stated exemptions under the Massachusetts Public Records Laws.**** CITY OF MELROSE Human Resources Department City Hall, 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 Polina Latta Director (P) 781-979-4146 (F) 781-979-4246 Platta@cityofmelrose.org To: President Brad Freeman Melrose City Council From: Polina Latta, HR Director Re: Transfer of funds to various accounts Date: May 21, 2026 The Human Resources Department is requesting a transfer of funds from the Group Health budget, account number 019142-549201, in the amount of Sixty-Nine Thousand Dollars ($69,000) to the various accounts as set forth herein: Workers Compensation Budget (#912) • 019122-543100: $59,000 WC Medicals • 019122-543102: $10,000 WC Benefits The $10,000 WC Benefits are required to meet the City’s obligation to continue to pay indemnity benefits to current recipients of WC benefits through the end of the fiscal year. The City of Melrose currently has three long term and four short term recipients of benefits. If I can answer any additional questions about this order, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your consideration. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Administration–Engineering–Water–Sewer–Facilities Parks–Forestry–Highway–Sanitation–Cemetery–Fleet CITY OF MELROSE James Troup City Yard, 72 Tremont Street Assistant Director – Administration & Finance Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 Telephone – (781) 665-0142 E-mail: jtroup@cityofmelrose.org MEMORANDUM To: Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis Melrose City Council From: James Troup, DPW Deputy Director – Administration and Finance cc: Kerriann Golden, CFO/Auditor Lauren Grymek, Chief of Staff Elena Proakis Ellis, DPW Director Date: May 22, 2026 Re: FY26 Budget Transfer Request Please accept the following request to transfer monies within the Department of Public Works Operating Budget to properly capture projected utility costs that exceed originally appropriated monies. We request this transfer as a matter of end-of-year housekeeping and to ensure that the group of Operating Budget accounts that include utilities does not end FY26 in deficit. As part of the FY26 Budget process, we conservatively estimated utility increases due to rising delivery costs. These fixed costs were negotiated in our contract with Power Options. We also projected rising supply costs due increased demand at Schools and the fully electric Library. Using historical data available to us and as advised by our partners at Power Options, we submitted our request for this year’s Operating Budget. FY26 costs will exceed our estimates. There are three key factors that have brought us to this situation. First, the actual supply cost increased to $1.75/kwH over last year (13% actual increase vs 4% projected increase.) Second, the Northeast suffered through an extended cold stretch between December and February which increased the demand for all City properties. Usage at all buildings was up, specifically at City Schools and at the City Library, which transitioned to fully electric for heat and power. We have monitored utility spending over the course of FY26 and have adjusted spending to stay within original appropriations. The Operating Budget line items that will be subject to this internal transfer are shown below. Of note, most of the transfer only affects the Facilities Budget, which houses utility accounts. No other City Department will have their budgets affected by this request and we foresee no effect on regular services delivered by the Department of Public Works. Org Object Description Transfer Out 014012 529000 Administration/Engineering Professional Services 10,000.00 014012 535509 Administration/Engineering Safety Equipment 5,000.00 01402772 531825 Facilities School Contractual 75,000.00 014222 520200 Highway Traffic Signal Maintenance 7,500.00 014222 524000 Highway Hired Equipment 5,000.00 014222 527102 Highway Drain Maintenance 15,000.00 014222 529012 Highway Street Sweeping 2,500.00 014222 536210 Highway Road Structures 3,000.00 014222 537200 Highway Lumber 1,000.00 014752 535200 Parks and Forestry Supplies 6,000.00 Total 130,000.00 Org Object Description Transfer In 01402532 522510 LIBRARY ELECTRICITY 30,000.00 01402772 522524 ALL SCHOOL ELECTRICITY 75,000.00 01402772 522627 SCHOOL GAS & OIL HEAT 25,000.00 Total 130,000.00 The Department of Public Works has worked with the CFO in identifying the above strategy and requests your approval to transfer $130,000 from various Operating Budget Accounts to Facilities Division Utility Accounts. Thank you for your consideration and continued support. Dear Council Members, I am writing to express my interest in serving on the Board of the Melrose Housing Authority. I am committed to supporting safe, affordable, and accessible housing within our community, and I would welcome the opportunity to contribute to the Authority’s mission. I am particularly interested in helping strengthen policies and programs that promote housing stability, responsible stewardship of public resources, and equitable service to residents. Through my professional experience in and out of government, I have developed strong skills in collaboration, problem-solving, and thoughtful decision-making. I understand the importance of balancing strategic planning with the day-to-day needs of the individuals and families the Housing Authority serves. Having been born and raised in this great community and as a current resident of Melrose, I would be honored to bring my time and dedication to the Board and to work alongside fellow members in advancing the Authority’s goals. Thank you for your consideration. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my interest further. Sincerely, Mark McKinnon Mark McKinnon 585 Franklin St. Apt. 3 Melrose, MA 02176 Mark McKinnon 585 Franklin Street Unit 3, Melrose, MA 02176 Professional Experience Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated – Boston, MA Senior Manager, US Commercial Health Systems Marketing, December 2025 – Present • Lead the planning, strategy, and execution for Health System Congress presence and activities for JOURNAVX® (suzetrigine). • Lead implementation of all strategic account peer education programs for JOURNAVX composed of field scheduled speaker programs and headquarter-directed speaker events at congresses such as product theaters and roundtables. • Establish team processes to achieve key thought leader advice to improve understanding of in-market dynamics impacting JOURNAVX and to strengthen promotional plans across the brand. • Recruit, contract, and manage Strategic Council for ongoing commercialization advice across Health Systems team. • Support the planning and execution of strategic account led congresses. Manager, US Commercial Marketing, June 2024 – December 2025 • Manage marketing external budget of ~$120 million, ensuring efficient allocation of resources while maintaining operational quality and tracking to quarterly budget targets. • Serve as US Pain Marketing Leadership team member, providing strategic and operational support for Head of US Pain Marketing, coordinate internal calendar and communications, and represent pain marketing on planning committees for major cross-functional meetings. • Championed creation of marketing team operational excellence model by streamlining workflows and standardizing workstream touchpoints to boost team efficiency and performance. • Directed cross-functional collaboration with external agency partners through weekly team scrums and quarterly all-agency workshops and business reviews, optimizing vendor performance to deliver high- quality campaigns that support brand marketing goals for JOURNAVX launch. • Launched and managed marketing and market access/health systems Customer Facing Champion (CFC) teams to strengthen alignment between marketing and sales functions, gathering actionable field insights to enhance branded campaign materials and improve sales team effectiveness and customer experience. Manager, Marketing Operations (MOps), August 2023 – June 2024 • MOps lead for the launch of CASGEVY, facilitating and coordinating Communication Review Committee (CRC) and launch prep strategy with Regulatory Affairs and commercial business unit. • Lead member of Launch Readiness Team, working with CRC submitters and agency partners to prepare for FDA approval and launch of external marketing materials for healthcare providers, patient/caregiver communities, and payers. • Administrator of Veeva Vault PromoMats, consulting with Patient Excellence and Customer Operations, US Marketing, Market Access, and Commercial Training. • Coordinated with Regulatory and Regulatory Operations to execute FDA 2253 submission filings. • Increased operational efficiency through implementation and support of new Veeva Vault PromoMats filing process related to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) optimization and utilization. • Provided training and support for both internal and external CRC submitters (Vertex Project Managers and agency partners) on submission platform and CRC SOP and processes. • Conducted onboarding of new Marketing Operations team members, CRC reviewers, internal project managers, and agency partners on CRC process, standards, and best practices. Senior Specialist, Marketing Operations (MOps), July 2022 – August 2023 • Interim Marketing Operations lead for Hematology Therapy, facilitating and coordinating CRC meetings and launch prep strategy. • MOps lead for Corporate Communications, Public Affairs, and Market Access Strategy CRC teams, providing support in both Cystic Fibrosis and other pipeline disease areas. • Supported activity planning (build agendas, timelines, and project prioritization milestones) for Heme commercial business unit, identifying and communicating opportunities for process improvement. • Managed and facilitated CRC process for two product label expansions in Cystic Fibrosis, including scenario planning, launch readiness activities, and Regulatory Agency submissions. • Performed Administrator oversight of the Marketing Operations Electronic Review Platform Senior Coordinator, Community Affairs and Office of the CEO, July 2018 – July 2022 • Served as project manager for all Community Affairs and Office of the CEO activities to ensure timely execution and cross-functional collaboration with Government Affairs and Public Policy, Corporate Communications, Legal, OBIE, and the Vertex Foundation. • Tracked, processed, and managed budget for all Massachusetts-based corporate sponsorships, partnerships, and memberships related to Vertex’s corporate giving strategy. • Provided strategic external partnership strategy recommendations to VP of Community Affairs to advance corporate social responsibility goals within the Greater Boston community. • Conducted external partner meetings and represented Vertex at external events (trade organization business meetings, non-profit board meetings, charity dinners, and galas). • Served on the planning committee for special projects, including the Vertex High School Intern Program. U.S. House of Representatives – Washington, D.C. Scheduler and Legislative Assistant, May 2016 – April 2018 • Public policy research staffer for immigration, civil rights, election reform, and government oversight portfolio and provided legislation floor vote recommendations. • Managed official, political, and personal schedule for Member of Congress and provided strategic oversight of office operations. • Created and implemented targeted scheduling plans based on legislative and political priorities and provided preparatory logistical materials and advance work. • Met with activists, constituents, and business stakeholders, and provided legislative service action reports. Scheduler and Legislative Correspondent, June 2015 – May 2016 • Managed constituent correspondence program providing oversight of response strategy and operations. • Drafted, edited, and catalogued hundreds of constituent response letters. Staff Assistant, January 2014 – June 2015 • Managed administrative operations, including facilitating staff and Member meetings. • Assembled and managed congressional intern program, including recruiting, hiring, and training. • Drafted personal correspondence, letters of recommendation, and meeting memos for Member of Congress and senior staff. Education The University of Southern California – Los Angeles, CA Bachelor of Arts in International Relations & Bachelor of Arts in Russian Language & Studies Awards 2024 Vertex Pinnacle Award From: Linda C.W. Gardener To: Mayor"s Office Subject: Fwd: Reappointment to the Melrose Library Board of Trustees Date: Saturday, April 4, 2026 4:27:29 PM Please see below Peter Bowman's expression of interest in continuing on the Library Board of Trustees. -- Linda CW Gardener [she/her], Director Melrose Public Library, Melrose MA www.melrosepubliclibrary.org 781-665-2313 ****CITY OF MELROSE PUBLIC RECORDS NOTICE: Please be advised that the Massachusetts Attorney General has determined that email is a public record unless the content of the email falls within one of the stated exemptions under the Massachusetts Public Records Laws.**** ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Peter Bowman < > Date: Sat, Apr 4, 2026 at 3:21 PM Subject: Reappointment to the Melrose Library Board of Trustees To: Linda C.W. Gardener <lcwgardener@noblenet.org> Dear Melrose City Council: I am seeking reappointment to the Melrose Library Board of Trustees. I have been a life long resident of the City of Melrose. I have served on the Traffic Commission and was Chairman of the Melrose Master Plan Committee some years back. I also currently serve on the Cable Access Committee. I joined the Library Board of Trustees in December 2022. I have served as an officer on the Board, filling positions of Clerk and Treasurer. I currently serve as the Treasurer. I have been an active Board member and in the role I have monitored trust fund investments and interacted with our advisors at UBS. I have worked closely with the Library Director reviewing and revising new policies and policy updates. I look forward to continuing to serve on the Board. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information. I look forward to your decision. Thank you. Peter T. Bowman ****CITY OF MELROSE PUBLIC RECORDS NOTICE: Please be advised that the Massachusetts Attorney General has determined that email is a public record unless the content of the email falls within one of the stated exemptions under the Massachusetts Public Records Laws.**** From: Francisco Morales < > Sent: Tuesday, April 7, 2026 3:56 PM To: Mayor's Office mayorsoffice@cityofmelrose.org< > Subject: Melrose Human Rights Commission Member Consideration Dear Mayor Grigoraitis, I am interested in joining the Melrose Human Rights Commission ("MHRC") and hope to support my community with this important work. I am inspired by the MHRC's mission of promoting a spirit of diversity and respect for others regardless of their differences. My family moved to Melrose over three years ago, and one of the reasons we chose to live here is because we wanted to join a community that promoted these values. Professionally, I have been an attorney for over 10 years and for over ﬁve years have gained considerable experience with Civil Rights-related issues. Personally, I moved to Massachusetts from Puerto Rico at a young age and understand ﬁrst-hand the impact a supportive and welcoming community can have on persons from diverse backgrounds. These experiences have allowed me to develop a deep understanding of the importance and sensitivity surrounding the types of disputes and issues the MHRC takes on and I hope to work with the other commissioners to continue MHRC's mission. As I currently work for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation ("MassDOT"), I would have to recuse myself from any matters that implicate MassDOT, the MBTA, or any Commonwealth executive agency. I am happy to discuss how/if this would impact my participation in this commission. Please let me know if you need any additional information from me, or if you would like to schedule a time to meet. Sincerely, Francisco ____________________ Francisco T. Morales P: E: f Francisco T. Morales, Esq. + · EXPERIENCE Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Boston, MA Nov. 2024 – present Senior Lead Counsel – Compliance and Regulatory Nov. 2021 – Feb. 2024 • Provide management and oversight of all regulatory compliance matters within the Office of the General Counsel, including the supervision of MassDOT and MBTA attorneys. • Manage investigations and compliance inquiries from federal and state oversight agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, Office of the Inspector General, State Auditor, and other government entities. Served as a liaison with federal and state partners in connection with investigations. • Advise the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights (ODCR) on legal matters pertaining to MassDOT and the MBTA. • Completed the MassDOT Management Certificate Program. Acting Chief Diversity Officer – MassDOT/MBTA Mar. 2024 – Oct. 2024 • Advised the Secretary, the General Manager of the MBTA, and senior staff on matters relating to the development and implementation of MassDOT and the MBTA’s various Civil Rights and Diversity Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) programs and policies. • Oversaw the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights’ (ODCR) administration of MassDOT and the MBTA’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Title VI, and Americans with Disabilities Act (MassDOT only) (ADA) compliance programs. • Worked directly with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to address any Civil Rights-related compliance issues. • Issued written decisions as the Appellate Officer for appeals of investigative findings and ADA accommodation decisions. Milligan & Company, LLC., Philadelphia, PA (remote employee located in Boston, MA) 2019 – 2021 Senior Compliance Analyst • Regulatory Consultant. Led comprehensive Triennial Reviews on behalf of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), with a particular focus on grants management, procurement, and civil rights compliance. Delivered large- scale in-person and virtual trainings on FTA regulations for states and municipalities. • Qualified by the FTA as a subject matter expert in the areas of Title VI and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and to lead area-specific reviews of transit agencies. Calyptus Consulting Group, Inc., Cambridge, MA 2017 – 2019 Analyst/Consultant • Regulatory Consultant. Led comprehensive Triennial Reviews on behalf of the FTA, including compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VI, DBE, Equal Employment Opportunity, grants management, procurement, and financial management regulations. Delivered large-scale, in-person trainings on FTA regulations. Managed a bilingual (English/Spanish) technical assistance project for Puerto Rico FTA grant recipients. • Performed Procurement System Reviews (PSR) for private and public sector organizations, including a review of solicitations and bid evaluations, contracts, and post-award contract administration, to assess compliance with regulations and contract terms. Law Office of Francisco T. Morales, Cambridge, MA 2015 – 2017 Attorney at Law • Criminal defense litigation. Served as lead counsel in hundreds of cases and conducted numerous jury and bench trials, as well as dispositive and evidentiary motion hearings. Committee for Public Counsel Services, Roxbury/Dorchester, MA 2011 – 2015 Trial Attorney • Represented indigent defendants charged with misdemeanors and felonies in Massachusetts Superior and District Courts. Individually responsible for a caseload of 60+ clients from arraignment to disposition. Hare & Chaffin, Boston, MA 2004 – 2006, 2007 – 2008 Paralegal – Civil Litigation • Coordinated and assisted attorneys with litigation discovery, depositions, and trial preparation. Shearman & Sterling LLP, Paris, France 2006 – 2007 Paralegal – International Arbitration • Performed electronic document review in English and Spanish for high-stakes international arbitration cases. EDUCATION Suffolk University Law School, Boston, MA, Juris Doctor 2008 – 2011 • Suffolk University Law School National Trial Team, Suffolk Public Defenders Clinic Amherst College, Amherst, MA, Bachelor of Arts 2000 – 2004 • Major: Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought • Varsity Baseball, 2000 – 2004 BAR ADMISSIONS AND LANGUAGE SKILLS • Admitted to the Massachusetts Bar • Native fluency in Spanish (Reading, Writing, and Speaking) CITY OF MELROSE OFFICE OF VETERANS SERVICES Melrose City Hall 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 To: City Council CC: Mayor Jen Grigoraitis; Lauren Grymek, Chief of Staff From: Veterans Services Department Date: April 27, 2026 Re: Free Cash Appropriation Request for Veterans Welcome Home Sign The Veterans Services Department requests a free cash appropriation of $30,000 for costs associated with designing, fabricating and installing a new Welcome Home Veterans Sign. For over a decade, the sign has been prominently placed in the front yard of City Hall to honor and recognize Melrose veterans. Originally installed as a temporary banner after September 11, 2001, the following year it was changed to be a board with posts in the ground. In 2022 the current sign was installed, however it did not go before the Historic District Commission for approval. The Veterans Advisory Board has worked with the Historic District Commission and staff from the Planning Department on a design for a new sign to bring it into compliance. Thank you for your consideration. City Auditor CITY OF MELROSE AUDITOR’SCity Hall, OFFICE 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 Telephone - (781) 979-4110 Fax - (781) 662-2182 Free Cash Orders for Fiscal Year 2026 “Free cash” is a term used to describe any remaining, unrestricted funds from the previous fiscal years. After it is “certified” by the state, free cash use requires a recommendation from the Mayor and an appropriation from the City Council. More information on free cash is available on the state’s website (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/free-cash). Council Order Item APPRO Balance of Free ID Amount Cash Dep/Fund Description Status Certified $5,558,450.00 2026-612 $20,020.00 5,538,430.00 Dept - 162 Poll Pads and a label Printer Approved Fund - 2026-614 $50,000.00 5,488,430.00 2543 Melrose Cultural Council Approved Chamber and City Event 2026-615 $25,000.00 5,463,430.00 Dept - 121 Support Approved 2026-1147 $170,000.00 5,293,430.00 Dept - 423 Sidewalk Plow A&O 2026-1148 $880,000.00 4,413,430.00 Dept- 931 DPW Vehicles A&O 2026-1149 $865,000.00 3,548,430.00 Dept-931 DPW Snow and Ice Deficit A&O Fund - 2026-1150 $244,944.00 3,303,486.00 1620 School Department A&O 2026-1151 $10,000.00 3,293,486.00 Dept- 422 Bike Racks A&O 2026-1145 $9,000.00 Dept - 141 Tax Impact Notices Mailing Submitted 3,284,486.00 2026-1164 $75,000.00 Dept - 175 Housing Production Plan Submitted 3,209,486.00 2026-1165 $70,000.00 Dept - 175 Downtown Parking Study Submitted 3,139,486.00 2026-1169 $30,000.00 Dept - 543 Welcome Home Veterans Sign Submitted 3,109,486.00 Fund – 2026-1170 $150,000.00 Affordable Housing Trust Submitted 2,959,486.00 8270 Boiler replacement and HVAC 2026-1171 $50,000.00 Dept – 693 Submitted 2,909,486.00 controls 2026-1172 $12,193.20 Dept- 300 Vape Detectors MVMMS Submitted 2,897,292.80 2026-1173 $72,180.00 Dept - 300 MHS Band Uniforms Submitted 2,825,112.80 Basketball & Lacrosse 2026-1174 $44,296.32 Dept-300 Submitted 2,780,816.48 Uniforms, Scorer table 2026-1175 $710,000.00 Dept- 401 Ell Pond Park Design Submitted 2,070,816.48 2026-1176 $400,000.00 Dept - 422 Lebanon TIP Project Submitted 1,670,816.48 2026-1177 $20,000.00 Dept - 401 School Signage Submitted 1,650,816.48 2026-1178 $3,000.00 Dept - 162 Census Mailer Submitted 1,647,816.48 *The first three appropriation requests listed were approved at the 4/6/26 City Council meeting. As requests are submitted by the administration and approved by the City Council, the table above will be updated accordingly and shared with subsequent orders. City Auditor CITY OF MELROSE AUDITOR’SCity Hall, OFFICE 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 Telephone - (781) 979-4110 Fax - (781) 662-2182 Free Cash Orders for Fiscal Year 2026 “Free cash” is a term used to describe any remaining, unrestricted funds from the previous fiscal years. After it is “certified” by the state, free cash use requires a recommendation from the Mayor and an appropriation from the City Council. More information on free cash is available on the state’s website (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/free-cash). Council Order Item APPRO Balance of Free ID Amount Cash Dep/Fund Description Status Certified $5,558,450.00 2026-612 $20,020.00 5,538,430.00 Dept - 162 Poll Pads and a label Printer Approved Fund - 2026-614 $50,000.00 5,488,430.00 2543 Melrose Cultural Council Approved Chamber and City Event 2026-615 $25,000.00 5,463,430.00 Dept - 121 Support Approved 2026-1147 $170,000.00 5,293,430.00 Dept - 423 Sidewalk Plow A&O 2026-1148 $880,000.00 4,413,430.00 Dept- 931 DPW Vehicles A&O 2026-1149 $865,000.00 3,548,430.00 Dept-931 DPW Snow and Ice Deficit A&O Fund - 2026-1150 $244,944.00 3,303,486.00 1620 School Department A&O 2026-1151 $10,000.00 3,293,486.00 Dept- 422 Bike Racks A&O 2026-1145 $9,000.00 Dept - 141 Tax Impact Notices Mailing Submitted 3,284,486.00 2026-1164 $75,000.00 Dept - 175 Housing Production Plan Submitted 3,209,486.00 2026-1165 $70,000.00 Dept - 175 Downtown Parking Study Submitted 3,139,486.00 2026-1169 $30,000.00 Dept - 543 Welcome Home Veterans Sign Submitted 3,109,486.00 Fund – 2026-1170 $150,000.00 Affordable Housing Trust Submitted 2,959,486.00 8270 Boiler replacement and HVAC 2026-1171 $50,000.00 Dept – 693 Submitted 2,909,486.00 controls 2026-1172 $12,193.20 Dept- 300 Vape Detectors MVMMS Submitted 2,897,292.80 2026-1173 $72,180.00 Dept - 300 MHS Band Uniforms Submitted 2,825,112.80 Basketball & Lacrosse 2026-1174 $44,296.32 Dept-300 Submitted 2,780,816.48 Uniforms, Scorer table 2026-1175 $710,000.00 Dept- 401 Ell Pond Park Design Submitted 2,070,816.48 2026-1176 $400,000.00 Dept - 422 Lebanon TIP Project Submitted 1,670,816.48 2026-1177 $20,000.00 Dept - 401 School Signage Submitted 1,650,816.48 2026-1178 $3,000.00 Dept - 162 Census Mailer Submitted 1,647,816.48 *The first three appropriation requests listed were approved at the 4/6/26 City Council meeting. As requests are submitted by the administration and approved by the City Council, the table above will be updated accordingly and shared with subsequent orders.

Transcript

▶ 1:37:03 Bradley Freeman: It now being past 7:45, and we have a full city council meeting, so if you will indulge us for a moment to recess to gavel it in. Unless there's any objection, we'll motion to recess. Seeing no objection, we are now in recess. Good evening. The time is 7:47 on Monday, June 1st, 2026. I am Council President Freeman. This meeting of the Melrose City Council is called to order. In accordance with Massachusetts open meeting law, this meeting is being broadcast and recorded by Melrose Cable Access TV, and will be available for viewing in its entirety on NMTV and through the city website. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Councilor Chen? Here. Councilor Finocchiaro? Here. Councilor Jamaleddine? Councilor Karamcheti?

▶ 1:37:46 Bradley Freeman: Here. Councilor Kowal? Here. Councilor Obremski? Here. Councilor Park? Here. Councilor Romanul? Here. Councilor VanBurch? Here. Councilor Williams? Here. President Freeman? Here. That makes four. Thank you. At this time, please rise if you're able to join the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. At this time, I'll motion by unanimous consent to approve without reading the minutes from the May 18th, 2026 meeting. Seeing no objection, those minutes are now approved. I will now motion by unanimous consent to open the floor for public comment.

▶ 1:38:33 Bradley Freeman: Seeing no objection, we are open for public comment. Per rule 33A of the Melrose City Council rules, this is the portion of the meeting where the public may speak on any item on tonight's agenda. Comments expressing any viewpoint on other matters are also welcome. Do we have anyone in the audience for public comment tonight? Seeing none. Madam Clerk, is there anyone online? No one online. Thank you. If there's no objection, I'd now like to close public comment. Seeing none, we are now closed for public comment. At this point in time, we will recess to continue with the Appropriations and Oversight Committee meeting, and then we will resume this at the conclusion of that. All right. We are back. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for entertaining

▶ 2:30:12 Bradley Freeman: Thank you. That being the last item on our agenda for this Appropriations and Oversight Committee, for those of you who bet on the over, enjoy your winnings. On that motion by unanimous consent to adjourn, seeing no objection, we are now adjourned. Folks ready? Say it again. All right. The full council meeting is back in order. The time is 8:42 PM. Moving on to... There are no communications from the Honorable Mayor, city officials. Moving on to new business. Filings by the Honorable Mayor. Orders. ID number 2026-1291, vote to establish the Benjamin Lynn House local historic district. This will go to Appropriations and Oversight. Moving on to transfers. ID number 2026-1290, a transfer in the

▶ 2:31:03 amount of 69,000 from health insurance, number 914, to workers' compensation, number 912, to fund estimated costs through the end of the fiscal year. This will go to Appropriations and Oversight. ID number 2026-1293, requesting a transfer of $7,000 from the Memorial Building salaries account 01693... I'm sorry, 016931-511000 to the Memorial Building professional services account 016932-529000 to cover the fiscal year '26 HVAC repairs. This will go to Appropriations and Oversight. ID number 2026-1294, transfer to DPW facilities, number 402, in the amount of 130,000 from various DPW accounts for June utilities. This will go to Appropriations and Oversight. ID number 2026-1298, requesting an interdepartmental transfer of funds from the election salaries part-time

▶ 2:32:06 line item 011621-512000 in the amount of 24,437 to the printing line item 011622-521000. And this will go to Appropriations and Oversight.Unfinished business, appointments and reappointments ID number 2026-1146, appointment of Mark McKinnon, 585 Franklin Street to the Melrose Housing Authority for a five-year term. Said term to expire first Monday of March 2029. Mr. McKinnon is completing the term of Alan Conley, who has stepped down. Mr. President, this came from boards and commissions on a night that I was chairing, with a motion to recommend, and at this time I make that motion. Second. Motion recommend by Councilor Vander Leest, seconded by Councilor Williams. On discussion. All in favor?

▶ 2:33:03 Aye. Any opposed? That matter is approved. ID number 2026-824, reappointment of Peter Bowman, 24 Arlington Road, to the Library Board of Trustees for a three-year term, said term to expire the last day of February 2029. This also comes from boards and commission, with positive recommendation. At this time, I motion for approval. Second. Motion for approval made by Councilor Vander Leest, seconded Councilor Williams. On discussion. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? That matter is approved. ID number 2026-1235, appointment of Francisco Morales, 12 Patrick's Place, to the Human Rights Commission for a three-year term, said term to expire February 2029. And this also comes from boards and commissions with a recommendation

▶ 2:33:51 Bradley Freeman: for approval. At this time, I motion to approve. Second. Motion approved made by Councilor Vander Leest, seconded by Councilor Williams. On discussion. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? That matter is approved. Moving on to appropriations. ID number 2026-1169, an appropriation from free cash account 01-324001 to the Veteran Services Department number 543 in the amount of $30,000 to design and fabricate a new welcome home veteran sign for the city. Mr. President, this comes to us from the Appropriations and Oversight Committee with a recommendation for passage, and at this time will make a motion for passage. Second. Motion passage made by Councilor Romanul, seconded by Councilor Karamcheti. On discussion.

▶ 2:34:38 Councilor Chen. I'm eager to see what this actually comes in at and been told that it will come in far less than $30,000, maybe somewhere in the $10,000 to $15,000 range, so I'll update the council when that goes through. Any other councilors? Madam Clerk. Councilor Vander Leest. Yes. Councilor Chen. Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro. Yes. Councilor Karamcheti. Yes. Councilor Kowal. Yes. Councilor Bremsky. Yes. Councilor Park. Yes. Councilor Williams. Yes. Well, Councilor Romanul. Yes. President Freeman. Yes. That motion passes. Wow. Okay. ID number 2026-1178, an appropriation for free cash account 01-324001 to the election department, number 162 in the amount of $3,000 for mailing. Mr. President, this comes to us from the Appropriations and Oversight Committee

▶ 2:35:38 with a recommendation for passage and at this time I will make a motion for passage. Second. Motion passage made by Councilor Romanul, seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro. On discussion. Seeing none, Madam Clerk. Councilor Chen. Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro. Yes. Councilor Karamcheti. Yes. Councilor Kowal. Yes. Councilor Bremsky. Yes. Councilor Park. Yes. Councilor Romanul. Yes. Councilor Vander Leest. Yes. Councilor Williams. Yes. President Freeman. Yes. That motion passes. Thank you. Madam Clerk, just a point of clarification on the prior roll call, were all councilors captured? Yes. I think so. Okay. Sorry. I thought- Yeah ... there might have been some confusion there. Okay. Moving on. Are there any reports from committee?

▶ 2:36:23 Bradley Freeman: There are no expiries. Any Rule 36 reports? Seeing none. At this time, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn. Second. Motion to adjourn made by Councilor Karamcheti, seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro. On discussion. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? We're adjourned.

City Council — 2026-06-01

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