A century-old church name is returning to School Street after the Unionville Historic District and Properties Commission approved three property applications in about 14 minutes.
The Aug. 6 votes cleared a commemorative sign at 23 School Street, a replacement sign for the Unionville Museum next door and a small utility building at 230 Main Street. All three received certificates of appropriateness, the local approval required for exterior changes in the historic district.
Then Chair Lisa Johnson looked at the clock.
“That is going to be the quickest approval process I have ever seen,” Johnson said.
Speed is not usually the point of historic-district review. The Mercury has explained what Farmington's historic commissions review, and what they leave alone. The commission's job is to decide whether proposed changes respect the character of Unionville's protected properties. But these three applicants brought forward modest projects designed to fit their surroundings, leaving little for commissioners to contest.
A 1926 name returns to School Street
The evening's centerpiece was a new sign for the former Methodist church at 23 School Street, where the congregation is marking 100 years since the building's cornerstone was laid.
Anne Fitzgerald, representing Unionville Memorial United Methodist Church, said many current congregants attended the School Street church as children, or had parents who did. The congregation now worships on West Avon Road, but the older building remains part of its history.
The approved sign adds “Methodist Episcopal Church 1926” beneath the existing building sign, restoring the denomination's name from the year of construction. It will be carved from 1.5-inch high-density urethane and painted to match the maroon-red signs already on the building.
The project also moves the number 23 from the left side of the doorway to the right. Fitzgerald said that will reserve space for two plaques recognizing the building's historic status. The church has secured state historic recognition and is pursuing listing on the National Register of Historic Places, she said. The commission discussed the plaque and National Register effort last November.
Vice Chair Matt Ross told the commission he had worked with Fitzgerald and Assistant Town Planner Garrett Daigle on the National Register effort. Ross abstained because he is also a church member. The other commissioners approved the application.
For all the procedural language, the result is straightforward: a name used in 1926 will once again tell passersby what the building was when it was new.
Museum sign and backyard storage approved
Next door, the Unionville Museum received approval to replace its detached hanging sign at 15 School Street.
The new painted-wood sign will be similar in size to the existing one. It will retain the iron surround and hang from the same post, allowing the museum to replace a worn feature without substantially changing its appearance.
At 230 Main Street, commissioners approved a 10-by-12-foot structure behind the house near an old barn.
The public notice called it a greenhouse. Applicant George Slaris clarified that he initially intends to use it as a utility building for garden supplies and chicken feed because the barn is not dependable for storage. He said the structure would likely have a corrugated roof and chicken wire along its sides. Clear panels could be added later to turn it into a greenhouse.
That distinction mattered enough to explain, but not enough to delay the application. The commission approved it without opposition.
Afterward, Slaris asked about adding a farm stand in the future. Daigle said the stand would require planning and zoning review, while any associated structure in the historic district might also need to return for a certificate of appropriateness. No farm-stand proposal was under consideration Aug. 6.
A Unionville walking tour takes shape
With the hearings finished, the commission turned from changes to individual properties to a project intended to help people see Unionville as a whole. The work follows a June discussion about adding more old houses to the protected district.
Commission alternate Christine Petit and Secretary Barbara Marsh have begun developing a historic walking tour. Petit described it as “a combination of churches and historic sites,” using new photographs alongside archival images where possible.
The route is not finished and no launch date was set. Commissioners discussed identifying overlooked sites, deciding which stops deserve priority and circulating the early work for feedback. They also plan to spend part of their September meeting on historic-preservation training offered through the state.
That work will take longer than 14 minutes. On Aug. 6, though, preservation meant three restrained changes: a museum sign renewed, garden storage tucked behind a Main Street home and a 1926 church name returned to the building where it began.
This story is sponsored by Farmington Storage, 155 Scott Swamp Road, 860.777.4001. Unionville preserves the things that tell its story. Farmington Storage brings the same idea indoors as Connecticut's only storage facility with Museum air.
Historic-district decisions can shape familiar streets one sign, roof and outbuilding at a time. Subscribe to the Farmington Mercury and send this story to someone who cares about Unionville's next chapter.
Jack Beckett writes about Farmington government, the history hiding in ordinary places and the rare public meeting that ends before the coffee gets cold.