PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Creating a historic district around Park Square would take about a year through the work of a study committee. 

The Historical Commission last week mapped out the first phases of establishing a district for the historically significant city center so its facade is preserved and protected. This includes petitioning the City Council for a study committee, which will eventually produce a final report, and weighing the cost of a consultant against a self-guided process. 

"I think we could do it in-house," the City Planner Kevin Rayner said, pointing to resources available from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. 

Park Square is seen as an obvious location to start. The central area was laid out a few decades after Pittsfield was given a town charter in 1761 and was the site of the first agricultural fair in 1810.

"I don't think anybody is going to argue too hard that the buildings directly around Park Square are historic, and that we should preserve the look of Park Square as it is," Rayner said. 

The historical district is not expected to cover "massive swaths of Pittsfield" and would use National Historic District boundaries as a guide. 

The city has more than 20 locations on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Park Square Historical District, but the designation just allows communities to apply for federal tax credits and doesn't impose restrictions on buildings.

After consulting Somerville's planning staff about its historic districts, it became clear that the city could basically appoint Historical Commission members to the yearlong study committee. Three to seven members would be appointed by the City Council.