Homer Building Gets a Facelift

The Homer Municipal Building at 19 Moore Street, known to many as the Town Hall Annex, is midway through its first major exterior restoration since 2005. The 1899 building, originally constructed as a high school, has served as town office space since 1937 and holds a prominent place in Belmont’s civic architecture.

A 2023 facilities assessment by Spencer Preservation Group identified urgent maintenance needs: a discolored, mildewed eave line; loosening wood brackets that were never properly fastened; water infiltration; and a failing east-side gutter. The Historic District Commission approved the restoration plan (case HDC-26-01) in January 2026, with Facilities Project Manager Marta Kabalin and architects Doug Manley and Meghan Rodenhiser presenting the scope of work (Belmont HDC minutes, Jan. 27, 2026).

The project includes repairing the wood brackets, soffits, and eave woodwork; removing and reinstalling snow rails and slate (with 5% to 10% of slates needing replacement); installing a new copper gutter and downspouts on the east elevation; selectively repointing the brick and stone at the cornice; and repainting all restored woodwork. To preserve the building’s historic character, no new materials are being introduced; replacements will match the existing slate, copper, and mahogany. North stair repairs and additional masonry work were deemed outside the current budget.

The work is funded by a $550,396 Community Preservation Act grant, initially requested by the Facilities Department in December 2024 and later reflected in the town’s FY2026 capital budget at $605,396 (FY2026 CPC application; 2026 Annual Town Meeting CPC report). The town issued a public bid in late February 2026, with a pre-bid conference held at the building itself in early March. By late May, work was visibly underway. And by late August, another restoration project, a new iron railing and paving around the site, had been completed. The Homer Building restoration is separate from the recently completed renovation of the William Flagg Homer House, the Belmont Woman’s Club mansion on Pleasant Street, a common point of confusion given the shared name.

— Belmont Citizens Forum