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Help save the Onslow Gilmore House

Dear Friends,

Please help us save the Onslow Gilmore House at 477 Main Street, Stoneham from being demolished! 

What’s going on? 

The Onslow Gilmore House at 477 Main Street is on the National Register of Historic Places and dates to about 1875. There is a “twin” house next door built at the same time. 

A local developer, Mike Santullo, purchased 477 Main and is working through the steps to add five 2-bedroom condos, while retaining the beautiful historic house facing Main Street, converting the current offices into 2 additional condos for a total of 7.  

Gilmore House at 477 Main Street, Stoneham, Mass.

The Zoning Board of Appeals has approved the project (May 23),  but there is a question about the Planning Board’s consent for a special permit.  At the last meeting, there was no one to speak for it. 

If the special permit fails, Mr. Santullo will demolish this 150-year-old treasure and replace it with five condominiums, which he can do “by right” without extra Planning Board approval. 

Please come to the August 14th Planning Board meeting or write to them to support the adaptive reuse of this historic property. 

How can you help? 

  1. Come to the Public Hearing of the Planning Board on August 14 at 7 pm at Town Hall 
  2. Write a letter in support of saving the house to the Planning Board ℅ of Frank Vallarelli, Chair at 35 Central Street, Stoneham, 02180 or email your comments c/o the clerk for the Board at msagarino@stoneham-ma.gov.  (Talking points can be seen below) (Put 477 Main in the subject for your email)
  3. Sign the online petition at https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-the-gilmore-house-from-demolition
  4. Help us spread the word by sharing on social media and talking to friends and neighbors. 

Why should there be a special permit? 

  • The 1875 Onslow Gilmore House at 477 Main Street is on the National Register of Historic Places (STN.25)  The house, built in a High Victorian Italianate style, features a gable-end front with a bow window and porch with ornate scrollwork.
  • It’s rare that a developer is willing to save a historic building; Stoneham has lost dozens of both residential and commercial properties since 2017, such as the beloved Dairy Dome. The town now has an opportunity to retain a piece of Main St Stoneham history and increase the property taxes from $15,370 to an estimated $50,000.
  • Reusing the house preserves the identity of the neighborhood as it is a “twin to the Clara Buswell House (STN.24) at 481 Main Street, which is also listed on the National Register.  Similar style houses dotted Main St after the Civil War; but these two are the only survivors with this Italianate design.
  • Adaptive reuse is environmentally responsible.  Repurposing this historic structure reduces the need for new construction materials and minimizes waste from demolition.
  • The sole opponent at a previous hearing was worried about traffic. Both the current house and new addition will have a walkability score in the 90s meaning daily errands do not require use of a vehicle to patronize municipal buildings, restaurants, theater, the post office, and religious buildings.
  • It is a large project but there is little difference between 5 and 7 condos, and the 7-condo plan retains the integrity of the historic house, both interior and exterior. The original house will be converted into two condominiums with an architecturally sympathetic addition with 5 condominiums over the current parking lot. 

Without the special permit, the building will be torn down and condos built on the site anyway.

  •  Onslow Gilmore is described as “one of Stoneham’s most prominent and esteemed citizens”  in the 1891 History of Stoneham.  He held many Town positions both elected and appointed (Treasurer, Chief Fire Engineer. Selectman, Assessor, etc.), served as State Rep and State Senator, and was the Treasurer of the Stoneham Five Cents Savings Bank (inc. 1855). 
  • Many local residents fondly remember later tenants and owners, such as local physicians Drs. Antonio (1901-1967) and Emily Tauro (1901-1947) purchased the house in 1931 as their residence and medical offices. Both were closely affiliated with New Memorial Hospital. Dr. Antonio sold the property in 1963; many of you will recall paying insurance bills at Robert F. O’Neill Insurance Agency. Most recently Pharmaceutical Strategies LLC operated as an employment agency for pharmacy professionals.
  • The Director and Planning & Community Development commented in a memo dated June 24, 2024, “ The applicant is proposing to renovate the existing structure and add a two-story addition in the rear to house seven residential units and eleven parking spaces…This site is an appropriate location for such use and will not adversely affect the neighborhood.”

Save this date: Wednesday, August 14, 2024 at 7pm in the Stoneham Town Hall Hearing Room, 35 Central St.

If you are unable to attend, please address a letter to Frank Vallarelli, Chair of the Planning Board, Stoneham Town Hall, 35 Central St., Stoneham, MA 02180.

Thank you, 

Members of the Board of Directors, 
Stoneham Historical Society & Museum

PS, If possible, RSVP to:  

Dolly S. Wilson, Chair Historical Commission  at stonehamhistoricalcommission@gmail.com or 

Stephen E. Rotondi, President, Stoneham Historical Society & Museum, historystoneham@gmail.com