Massachusetts Local Historic Districts (LHD’s) are created and administered according to.Mass. General Laws 40C. To create a LHD requires approval by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and a two-thirds vote of the local City Council. Once a LHD is created, it is then administered by the local Historic District Commission, whose members are appointed by the Mayor. For details see Procedures and Applications.
Medford currently has two local historic districts: the Marm Simonds LHD, centered on High Street in West Medford and the Hillside LHD, centered on the hill above the library. The two LHD’s represent different periods in Medford’s long history. The houses in the Marm Simonds district were built mainly in the 1600’s and 1700’s by Medford’s first English settlers. The houses in the Hillside district on the other hand were built mainly around 1900 by members of Medford’s prosperous middle class. Maps of both districts are show below.
