What Should the City Do with the Friends Meeting House?

Built in the 1830s, the Rye Friends Meeting House, a historic link to the city's past, is in need of some tender loving care.

The building is also in need of some occupants.

Once a schoolhouse, a Quaker meeting house and a chapel, several proposals have been made in recent years for use of the historic building. However, most recently the Rye Friends Meeting House has sat unused, surrounded by aging trees and covered by cracking paint.

Just this month, the Landmarks Review Committee outlined some possible plans for the building's use, such as making it the site for the Rye School of Leadership, an alternative school currently housed in the school district's old office space at 324 Midland Avenue.

The Meeting House, which was purchased by the city in 2002 with the help of a Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant, is currently undergoing a restoration that has become increasingly costly.

Lisa Easton, a restoration architect, has been working on restoration of the Meeting House since 2005. The project has just completed the first phase, which included stabilizing the structure and strengthening its foundation, as well as repairing its bell tower. However, due to budget constraints, Easton said it may take longer to complete the building's restoration.

"I honestly don't see the project going forward," Easton said. "It seems the word is that all capital projects are on hold."

The city currently has about $37 million in capital improvement projects slated for the next five years. However, with dwindling revenue sources, the city intends to prioritize the more than 70 projects within its plan—a move that could delay projects such as the Meeting House.

The Rye Landmarks Committee offered to help the project along by finding users for the space, writing applications for grants, and finding donors to fund the project. According to Richard Hourahan, a member of the Landmarks Committee, Rye has one grant for $49,000 for the project, but the estimated cost of the project continues to increase. From an initial estimate of $183,000, the sum grew to a revised estimate of $250,000, and then to $300,000. The second phase of the project is expected to cost another $200,000. Current estimates put the total cost of the restoration at $876,500.

Both Hourahan and Laura Brett, another member of the Landmarks Committee, believe it is important to find a use for the building before the restoration is completed.

"The Meeting House has a lot of historic importance for Rye and especially for Milton," Brett said. "I would like to see the building preserved, but it's important for the city to find a use for the building before its restored."

According to Hourahan, the preferred user for the Meeting House would be an educational or non-profit group.

Hourahan said the School of Leadership is being considered, as are two other groups who contacted the Landmarks Committee this month about using the facility. According to Hourahan, all three current potential users meet the educational or non-profit status and would be long-term users of the site.

Paul Blank, director of the School of Leadership, referred all questions to the school district's public affairs office, which could not be reached by press time. However, Brett said the idea of using the building for the school should be explored.

"From a historical perspective, it would be nice to see it turned into a school since originally it was school," Brett said.

Mayor Doug French said the school district has talked with the city about the idea of using the Meeting House for that purpose, but that at the present time everyone remains open to discussion and fact-finding.

"The site has sat dormant for far too long and so the city will begin to explore all opportunities. However, we go into this with eyes wide-open and realize to convert such a structure for a school purpose will come with significant code requirements,'' French said.

Space would most certainly be an issue with the building, as it currently has a maximum occupancy of 50 people. However, if its existing door was replaced, the maximum occupancy could be increased to 160 people.

Nevertheless, Hourahan said the building has three viable candidates for a potential occupant.

"I feel bad that two of the three won't get to use the site," Hourahan said. "All three have plans and are ready to negotiate and start discussing."

While there are a lot of things that have to be determined, Hourahan said he thinks that if restoration work continues in the fall, the building could be completely repaired and ready for use in less than a year.