New bank building will have old look

A rendering of what the new bank and office building on North Road will look like. It is modeled after an 18th-century home in Cambridge.

CHELMSFORD -- A bank and office building is taking shape on North Road that will be closely modeled after an 18th-century home in Cambridge.

The 9,700 square-foot two-story building won approvals from town boards last year and survived a legal appeal from an abutter who challenged the Planning Board's backing of the project, saying the building didn't abide by a preservation restriction on the site.

The building, according to a stipulation signed by the Board of Selectmen in 2000, "shall be modeled" after an 18th-century Cambridge home of British army officer John Vassell. It was the property's former owner, Rodger Currie, a dentist who died in 2011, who wanted the building to have that certain look, said Robert McCrensky, who now owns and is developing the site.

"It's a very prominent family from the 1700s, and he loved the design," McCrensky said, adding later, "I think his dream will come true."

Cedar siding on the front wall and brick side walls, along with intricate architectural details, will make the building unique, he said.

"This may be one of the most historically accurate buildings built in this area in 20 or 30 years," McCrensky said.

Construction crews were pouring a concrete foundation for the building this week, with plans to have the building complete by around August.

The Planning Board granted special-permit approval last summer for a building with a bank and drive-through teller on the first floor and offices on the second floor.

But abutter William Harvey, who owns 23-24 North Road, appealed, saying the project did not comply with the preservation restriction. The only evidence that the proposed building would be modeled after the home of the British officer was a photo of what the front of the building would look like, Harvey said in a lawsuit.

Originally posted here:
New bank building will have old look