Attempts made to tear down 1920s-era tourist information booth at the Bourne Rotary. Here's the latest.

Rachael Devaney, Cape Cod Times
·3 min read

BOURNE — A 1920s-era Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce tourist information booth at the Bourne Bridge faces demolition, due to modernization plans for a Cumberland Farms convenience store and gas station.

But, for the moment, the shed-like structure has been declared a historic, significant building, by the Bourne Historical Commission last Thursday.

The information booth is entitled to a demolition day hearing because it's more than 75 years old, according to a town bylaw, said Carl Georgeson, Bourne Historical Commission member.

A demolition delay hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10 for an 1920s-era tourist information booth at the Bourne Rotary, as Cumberland Farms plans to demolish it with new construction plans.
A demolition delay hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10 for an 1920s-era tourist information booth at the Bourne Rotary, as Cumberland Farms plans to demolish it with new construction plans.

The demolition delay hearing will be held at 10 a.m., Jan. 10 at the Bourne Historical Center at 30 Keene St., according to a notice in the Times.

The commission conducts town-wide demolition delay hearings under the bylaw, and hearings of applications relating to history under the Community Preservation Act.

More:'Invaluable pieces of yesteryear': Historic Bourne tourist information booth could be demolished

The booth currently sits on property owned by Cumberland Farms, and is surrounded by ongoing construction of a Cumberland Farms gas station at 6 MacArthur Blvd. Dawn Johnson, a representative for Cumberland Farms did not return calls from the Times for comment. While there was a question about the age of the Bourne booth, said Georgeson in an earlier email, the year 1928 was eventually confirmed by a 1928 Hyannis Patriot newspaper article that the booth is the twin of the Sagamore Bridge information booth, which was also in operation in 1928.

The tourist information booth demolition could be delayed, according to one advocate

Cumberland Farms applied for a demolition permit on Nov. 14.

But the town bylaw and subsequent hearing, said Jack MacDonald, a former member of the commission and advocate for the booth's preservation, could permit a year-long demolition delay.

More:Special permits approved for Cumberland Farms complex at Bourne rotary

At the hearing, said MacDonald, the commission will take comments from Cumberland Farms, as well as the public, and will decide to allow the demolition or enact the delay. If the demolition delay is granted, the town will have time to find an alternate preservation solution for the booth, he said.

MacDonald, a self-proclaimed history buff, has been pushing for the booth's preservation since January 2022, after he learned that Cumberland Farms purchased the land where the booth is located. Almost immediately, he initiated discussions with Cumberland Farm attorney Douglas Troyer about possible rehabilitation.

Troyer, MacDonald said, connected him to Johnson, who agreed to help MacDonald relocate the booth. But in October, Johnson notified MacDonald that the booth would instead be demolished.

The Bourne Planning Board has approved a special permit for Cumberland Farms to build a new convenience store and gas station complex at the Bourne Rotary, but a 1920s-era tourist information booth on the land has become a sticking point.
The Bourne Planning Board has approved a special permit for Cumberland Farms to build a new convenience store and gas station complex at the Bourne Rotary, but a 1920s-era tourist information booth on the land has become a sticking point.

"Dawn said they had talked it over with their lawyers, and they were worried about the presence of asbestos," said MacDonald. "They didn't want to be held liable if anyone ended up sick."

While the company agreed to test and confirm the presence of asbestos, which required the removal of all of the structure's original windows and several shingles, the company also pulled permits to demolish the building, according to Ken Murphy, inspector of buildings for the town of Bourne.

MacDonald sets up website to bolster booth's history

To give residents additional information about the booth's history, and raise awareness, MacDonald created the website "Save the Booth."

"This humble landmark has served hundreds of thousands of visitors to Cape Cod for almost 100 years," wrote MacDonald on the website. "We need your help to save the booth."

Bourne resident Jack MacDonald sees value in the 1920s-era tourist information booth at the Bourne Rotary that is at risk of demolition.
Bourne resident Jack MacDonald sees value in the 1920s-era tourist information booth at the Bourne Rotary that is at risk of demolition.

While MacDonald has no qualms about the construction of a new Cumberland Farms gas station complex, he said the community has a right to voice their concerns about the booth's possible demolition.

A new generation of preservation minded-Bourne citizens should be offered the opportunity to take the information booth off the property and preserve it. "It is uniquely Bourne, historic, savable, and if properly rescued, will serve for many years to come," he said.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cumberland Farms plans at Bourne Rotary put information booth at risk