By Robert Sullivan

robert.sullivan@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — The Salisbury City Council voted on Tuesday to endorse the National Register of Historic Places candidacy for a mid-century modern home built by prominent architect John Erwin Ramsay in the 1950s.

The home, called the John Erwin and Jean Anne Farrier Ramsay House, was nominated under criterion C of the register’s designation process, which states that a property is eligible if it embodies the distinct characteristics of a type, period or construction method or embodies the work of a master, said City Planner Emily Vanek.

Endorsement from the Salisbury City Council does not mean that the home has been placed on the register or designated as a local landmark, Vanek made sure to point out. The owners of the home, the Hurley family, have not applied for any local programs. The application for the home has been placed on the Feb. 13 agenda of the state’s National Registry Advisory Committee, who will decide whether or not to recommend it to the Keeper of the National Register.

The NRAC voted unanimously last year to place the home on the study list for the national register, but Tuesday’s endorsement comes after the homeowners were galvanized to place protective covenants on the home when the Alexander-Johnston Home next door, another 1950s-era Ramsay home, was demolished.

“The conversation is just beginning, but the message is clear: Salisbury’s history extends far beyond the 18th and 19th centuries. If we are to truly preserve the city’s heritage, we must embrace its full story, including the architectural treasures of the mid-to-late 20th century,” said Salisbury Historic Foundation President Ed Norvell at the time.

The demolition spawned conversations about the preservation of mid-century homes, with both 16 and 17 Pine Tree Road being used as great examples of Modernist architecture.

“We may say that it’s very easy to accept that 1800s, 1850s, 1900s, 1926 buildings should be on the national register or local registry. As time has marched on, this is now a historic building, but it is from the modern movement and is a wonderful example of that. John Ramsay as an architect, as Emily mentioned, his documents, his drawings and stuff are in archives at the state level because of his importance,” said Judy Kandl, who spoke in favor of endorsing the nomination.

After Vanek’s presentation and the public comment period, Council Member David Post said that the nomination of a Ramsay home was “close to home” for him, saying that he grew up with Ramsay’s son John Ramsay Jr. and currently lives in a mid-century home designed by the senior Ramsay. He also added that the Pine Tree Road house was a “phenomenal house.”

After the discussion, the members of the city council voted unanimously to add their endorsement to the nomination.