Historical Commission approves demolition of Middleboro VFW

MIDDLEBORO — The Historical Commission approved the demolition of the Middleboro Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2188 building, located at 12 Station St., following a public hearing on May 27.

The commission had determined the building to be historically significant in March. The public hearing was held to gather input and determine whether the structure should be deemed “preferably preserved,” which would have prevented its demolition.

Boaz McMahon purchased the property after the VFW struggled financially for several years due to declining membership. The approximately 10,000-square-foot building, constructed in 1950, sits on three acres near a ball field and has an estimated value of $1.1 million. McMahon plans to build housing on the property.

After the sale, the building was “gutted,” with nearly everything donated to charitable organizations, according to VFW member Paul Provencher.

Commission Chair Larissa Hansen-Hallgren opened the hearing with a brief history of the Middleboro VFW. She described a post-World War II push to build a structure that would serve as both a home for veterans organizations and a memorial to service members.

“Though no such building was ever erected, the VFW ultimately served as the de facto memorial,” she said. The building was named for John F. Glass Jr., a Middleboro veteran of World War I.

The commission identified the property as historically significant due to its age, its association with the development of veterans organizations, and its contribution to “the broader historical context of Middleboro,” as well as its role as a memorial site.

Select Board members Brian Giovanoni and Thomas White, speaking as private citizens at the hearing, opposed preserving the structure.

“My house was built in the 1980s and it’ll be 50 years old in a few years. Historically significant? I don’t think so,” said Giovanoni, referencing the state standard age for a historic building.

White, a veteran and VFW member for nearly 40 years, shared similar feelings.

“The last three hours I got to spend with my father were at the bar of the VFW in Middleboro, and man, that place means a lot to me. But it don’t make it historical,” White said. “In my humble opinion as a citizen and a veteran of this community, there is absolutely nothing historical about that building.”

Provencher outlined the sale process at the hearing, noting that several other Middleboro boards had approved the plan, but the Historical Commission had not yet signed off.

“We as a post had no idea of the process. Now we’re in a situation where we’re stuck with a building. If you folks don’t turn around and approve the demolition tonight, then probably the buyer is going to walk away—and what the hell are we going to do with it?” Provencher said.

More than 250 Middleboro residents signed a petition advocating for the building’s preservation. Dan Sylvia, an abutter to the property, spoke on behalf of himself and the petitioners.

“If you demo the building—I’m an abutter—I’m going to have all the pollution, sound pollution, I’m going to have all the problems,” Sylvia said. “I say yeah, it has a historical significance to this community. What that building stands for—it can be rehabbed and redone.”

“If the demolition does go through, we need a barrier fence,” he added.

After the commission voted not to designate the building as “preferably preserved,” allowing demolition to proceed, Hansen-Hallgren urged future applicants to approach the commission earlier in the process.

“We don’t need to be the last stop—in fact, we’d like to be visited a lot earlier,” she said. “There are lots of ways to capture elements of the history when one moves forward. We can’t do that when somebody comes to us at the end, because nobody wants to scrap their plans.”