The Fly Club has asked the Cambridge City Council to designate its building a historical landmark, possibly allowing for a reassessment of its property tax, according to Cambridge City Councilor Jim Braude.
The City Council received the request from the Fly, one of Harvard's eight all-male final clubs, last February. With a "historic easement," contributions to the club would be tax-deductible.
But the club's all-male status may prevent the council from giving its stamp of approval.
"There is a sense that that sort of exemption should not flow to an organization that is all male," Braude said.
The proposal to endorse the easement has been on the council agenda for several weeks. The council is expected to act upon it soon.
Fly members at the building yesterday evening declined comment for this article.
This proposal would prohibit any changes to the facade of the club's building at 2 Holyoke Place, next to Lowell House, meaning that it cannot be altered or demolished for renovation or new development.
The Fly had to first apply for the easement to Historic Massachusetts Inc, a non-profit state-wide organization. While the organization took the all-male status into account, they ultimately decided the preservation of the building was more important and beneficial to the entire community.
Read more in News
Sweatshop Report Paints Bleak PictureRecommended Articles
-
City Gets Say in Brattle ProjectThe owners of the building that houses the Brattle Street Theater have agreed to give city officials a say in
-
Plans for Hotel on Gulf Station Site Unlikely to Change Despite OppositionDespite opposition from faculty and community leaders, the University is moving closer to its goal of constructing a five-story "limited
-
City May Move to Block Motor House DevelopmentThe City Council, which has spent most of its current term unravelling the work of its predecessor, continued the trend
-
Rebuttal from NeighborTo the editors: Regarding the editorial “Philistines on the Charles” (Sept. 18) , you have been misinformed about the Riverside
-
COLLEGE POSTS REAL ESTATE TO AVOID PUBLIC EASEMENTThe sheriff of Middlesex County yesterday announced that Harvard owned some real estate in Cambridge. In length, legalistic posters placed
-
City CouncilTo the Editors of The Crimson: At the Cambridge City Council's January 23 meeting, in its haste to deliver the
