Historical Commission approves Peacock Farm addition, delays Franklin Road demolition

Historical Commission · Meeting of August 19, 2026

Lexington Historical Commission delays a disputed teardown and clears a bulky Peacock Farm addition. The commission voted 5-0 to impose a 21-month demolition delay on 3 Franklin Road after owners Shamim and Phil Ruff, who paid $2.6 million for the house, argued through attorney Frederick Gilgun that its 2015 "preferably preserved" listing wrongly credited architect Royal Barry Wills. Commissioner Marilyn countered, reading from the town's inventory report that the home was "a handsome and well-detailed example of mid-20th century colonial revival residential design" independent of any Wills attribution.

Separately, the commission voted 5-0 to approve a garage and primary suite addition roughly six feet taller than the existing house at 19 Peacock Farm Road, with two members casting "reluctant" yes votes over concerns it "dominates" the historic home visually. Abutter Leslie Brunner asked the commission to protect a stone wall tied to the historic Hayes estate on the Franklin Road lot; the owners agreed.

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Source: the Historical Commission meeting of August 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.