Will 1920s tourism information booth at Bourne Rotary be saved? Here's the latest.

BOURNE — During a Bourne Historical Commission hearing Tuesday, a 1928 Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce tourist information booth was placed on an eight-month demolition delay.

The commission voted unanimously for the demolition delay for the booth, which sits at 4 MacArthur Boulevard. The delay will put any plans for demolition on hold until Sept. 26. The date coincides with the commission's September hearing date.

The booth, which sits on property owned by Cumberland Farms, has been an issue of contention since demolition permits for the booth were pulled Nov. 14, according to Ken Murphy, inspector of buildings for the town of Bourne.

Cumberland Farms hoped to make way for gas station construction on the property, according to Doug Troyer, an attorney for the company.

Members of the community, including Jack MacDonald, a former commission member and local historian, have been fighting to save the booth through multiple efforts, including the Save the Booth website and campaign, which gathered donations and collected signatures from community members who also wanted to preserve the structure.

Good news for Bourne tourism booth advocates

During Tuesday's hearing, Carl Georgeson, commission chair, opened the hearing with welcome news for booth advocates. Mary Gilmetti-Gendron, manager of the Aptucxet Veterans of Foreign Wars or VFW Post 5988, he said, approached him Jan. 17, and said the VFW is interested in relocating the structure to its Shore Road site. If the relocation is successful, the booth will be used as a thrift shop.

The commission, said Georgeson, is working with the VFW to submit an application by Thursday, for community preservation money to Bourne Town Clerk Barry Johnson. The application will eventually be reviewed by the Community Preservation Committee. If it passes muster with the committee, it will be brought to the May town meeting for a vote. If the money is approved, it would be released in July and will pay for the move and building restoration.

In the interim, Georgeson said the commission will need access to the building to evaluate restoration details.

Pleased with potential arrangements, Troyer said Georgeson's plans are the first viable option he's heard since MacDonald approached him about saving the booth in 2021.

"This (suggestion) not only bolsters Bourne but bolsters the ability to preserve a structure that can be utilized," Troyer said.

Community members pleased with potential outcome

During the hearing's public comment period, MacDonald said he attended the hearing wishing for a win.

"And I just heard it," he said. "I'm so excited this booth gets another lease on life."

Throughout the hearing, several commission members, and Troyer, referred to the booth as a shed. MacDonald said the booth has been called many things including a shed and a chicken coop. But the truth is, he said, the booth is a special place that's uniquely Bourne.

"The (booth) inspires art and inspires poetry," he said. "And within this forgotten shed, really lies the heart of our history."

More about the Sagamore tourism booth:A little nod to tourism

Deborah Burgess, a member of the commission worked for the Chamber of Commerce in the 1960s at the booth. She agreed with MacDonald's assessment.

"Since I worked there, I cannot use the word shed to describe this building," she said.

Melissa Ferretti, chair of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe and a member of the Bourne Select Board, said the booth has a rich history and applauded the commission and Cumberland Farms for negotiating a potential outcome.

"This is a historic structure and it should be afforded the dignity and decency that it does deserve," Ferretti said.

Ellen Briggs, founder and president of Protect Our Past, a historical preservation organization, attended the hearing virtually and congratulated the VFW and the town of Bourne for working hard to find a solution to save the structure.

Judith Riordan, a member of the commission spoke about the Cape Cod Chamber's Sagamore information booth, which was preserved and relocated to the Aptuxcet Trading Post in 2005. The booth now serves as the museum gift shop. Similar efforts were made by MacDonald, and others, to save the Bourne booth's twin, which once stood in Sagamore Village.

"This would be a very similar type of usage and it's very appropriate for the Bourne booth," said Riordan.

Lesley Phillips of Pocasset called both booths tiny pieces of the big picture and said the structures were once working booths and businesses.

"They should always be part of the charm of Cape Cod," she said.

Contact Rachael Devaney at rdevaney@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @RachaelDevaney.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Demolition of former 1928 tourist information booth was delayed