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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHistoric Preservation Agenda Packet 11-12-15.pdf MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION OCTOBER 8, 2015 EMMA HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Kent Ackerson, Thomas Agran, Esther Baker, Gosia Clore, Frank Durham, Andrew Litton, Pam Michaud, Ben Sandell, Ginalie Swaim, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Kate Corcoran STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo OTHERS PRESENT: Alicia Trimble RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action) CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Swaim called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS. 328 Brown Street. Miklo said this property is in the Brown Street Historic District at the northwest corner of Brown and Gilbert Streets. He showed a photograph of the house as it appears today, as well as one taken in 1903 after a fire had destroyed the attic level of the house. Miklo asked the Commission members to note the railing above the porch. He showed a photograph taken in about 1920 in which the railing is missing but there was railing elsewhere. Miklo stated that the proposal has two aspects including adding a one-story addition to the back, north side of the house. He said that as part of that addition, staff spoke with the applicant about the Secretary of Interior Standards, the guidelines that discuss preserving historic materials, and, if one adds on to a structure, doing it in such a way that changes to the original design are minimized if someone wants to go back and undo the work. Miklo said that would be unlikely with an addition of this size. Miklo showed a window that he said would be retained in the interior of the house as part of this project. He said the existing rear door would be removed and reused, and the material from one window will be saved on the property. Miklo showed a view from the north side of the house, looking to the south to the north wall of the house and what the addition would look like. He said it would be on a foundation similar to the foundation of the house and would be mostly windows on the north elevation. Miklo said the applicant has indicated that instead of having transom windows, there will be full height windows. Miklo said the door would be recessed into a little porch area. He said that if one looks at it from Gilbert Street, the area would actually be an indentation and a recess of the door there. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION October 8, 2015 Page 2 of 7 Miklo said that with the original application, there was a lot of discussion about how to treat the sides of the addition that are not going to be covered in windows. He said that rather than doing a board and batten design, staff has come to agreement with the owners to do a panel-type design, similar to what is on the front porch of the house. Miklo showed the west side of the addition. He said it would be very similar but would have a small bay window. Regarding the front, Miklo stated that the panels under the windows would be similar in design to the panels on the front porch. Rather than wood for the railing, Miklo said the applicants are proposing a Fypon material. He said that the guidelines call for wood but allow the Commission to approve an alternative material if it finds that it has the same quality and appearance of wood. Miklo said staff feels this product has come a long way and does a good job of mimicking wood when painted but will probably stand up to weather better than wood. He said the fact that all of these spindles above the front porch are missing from the original house indicate that it is not a good application for wood in an exposed environment like this over the long term. Miklo said staff does recommend allowing the material for the addition, some of the trim work such as the railing, and the porch details. Miklo said staff has discussed the option of not putting the railing on with the applicant, given that this is the back of the house and an addition, so one might want to make it simpler and not try to match the historic part of the house exactly. He said staff is recommending that the applicant have the option of putting it on or leaving it off, and staff feels it actually might look better with it off. Miklo stated that staff was expecting a revised drawing but did not receive one. He said the Commission could defer this to the next meeting if it wants to see the detailed drawings or approve it subject to chair and staff signing off on the detailed drawings. Swaim said there was some discussion of reducing the number of vertical balustrades and asked if that would be on the back or the front. Miklo said it would probably be for both. He replied that on the front they are spaced farther apart. Miklo said the reason the draftsperson showed them this close together is that there has to be a maximum four-inch space between spindles. He said that because the area above the porch will not have access, code does not require the maximum four-inch, so they can be spaced farther apart. Durham asked if the owner is proposing putting the railing on the front and back. Miklo confirmed this, saying the owner is proposing to replicate the railing that was original on the front and doing the same on the back. Swaim asked about the balcony on the west side on the bay. Miklo said the owner is not proposing to reinstall in the two areas and will leave those off. Sandell stated that on the back porch it looks like there are columns on that open area. He asked if those columns would match the ones in front. Miklo confirmed this. He said there were wood columns on the front that rotted. Miklo said they are fiberglass that the Commission approved several years ago. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION October 8, 2015 Page 3 of 7 Same Sandell asked if the one window of the little arched windows is remaining on the interior of the house and the other will be saved. Miklo answered that the owner will save the components of the window and the stone trim work. Sandell asked about the paneling in Bristow's sketch and if that would translate on to the north elevation below the windows. Miklo confirmed this. He said that it would be under the windows and under the west side as well, with the idea to make it look more like an open porch versus putting in a siding material that is not used elsewhere on the house. Michaud asked if they would be in squares instead of rectangular panels. Miklo responded that maybe all of them will be rectangular. He said that detail is still unknown, but staff would recommend a panel under each window. Michaud said this house has had a number of wood things replaced, which she has no problem with. She asked what the difficulty is with Trex for a porch floor. Michaud said she knows a porch floor is not being done here, but recently she was told that Trex would not be suitable for a front porch floor, but it would look a lot more like wood than this. Miklo said that Trex has been allowed in conservation districts and on back decks. He said it has not been allowed on front decks, because it does have a fake wood grain and fir wood floor is still available. Swaim said there are a lot of new synthetic materials that the Commission has seen in the last couple of years. Miklo said the difference between this and the Trex that is used for flooring is that this is a smooth finish, and if one doesn't see the cutaway, one couldn't tell that it is not a piece of wood, whereas one can with the Trex. Swaim asked if the Fypon could be used for a floor. Miklo answered that he does not believe that it has been designed or engineered for flooring. Regarding the Fypon product, Baker asked, should the Commission approve it for this application, is it then saying that it is approved for all future uses. Miklo said that it is on a case by case basis. Agran said that one of the things about wood is that it is somewhat interchangeable over time. He asked if the railing will be a system. Miklo replied that they come in different components so that there would be a top rail, the balustrades, etc. so that elements could be changed out over time. He said an example of this is the Shambaugh House on Clinton and Davenport Streets, with a railing made of this material. Agran said his one concern was that when one buys some kind of stock trim molding and has to go back later to buy it again, something has been changed or it's no longer available. He said his concern more generally about these kinds of products is what the future of it is. Swaim said the options are then to either vote for approval with final approval by chair and staff or wait and see the final plan at the next meeting. She said it is a big, very important building, and these are substantial changes. Akerson said the family has taken very good care of the house, and it's clear the applicant wants to do things the right way. He said he has no problem leaving final review up to staff and the chair. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION October 8, 2015 Page 4 of 7 Sandell said that when the revised drawings come back with the elongated windows, does that mean that the bottom course where panels were discussed would match the front. Miklo showed where there would be panels. He said staff would like to see a panel under each window, and the window would be elongated at the top, not from the bottom. Sandell asked if proportionally that fits in with the guidelines, as it appears that from the finished floor to the first level of the column may be a little bit taller on the front porch. He said that it appears to him that the proportion of the windows is a lot greater than the panel. Miklo said he believes it is a taller space. He said he did not know how important it is that it match. Miklo said it is a screened-in porch type look. Sandell said he agreed that this is a good project but just wondered about the proportions. MOTION: Ackerson moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 328 Brown Street as presented, subject to chair and staff approval of the final drawings. Wagner seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9-1 (Swaim voting no and Corcoran absent). 1025 Burlington Street. Miklo said this property is on the south side of Burlington Street in the College Hill Conservation District. He said the property had significant alterations about 15 years ago, including enclosing the front porch and the shortening and boxing in of the windows on the first floor. Miklo said the applicant is the UniverCity Neighborhood Partnership Program, and the proposal is to try to undo as much of the remodeling as possible within budget and then selling it to a homeowner who will hopefully take over from there. Miklo said the proposal includes reopening the front porch and trying to restore it to the original appearance. He showed where columns are still evident. Regarding windows, Miklo said the proposal is, where the interior function allows, to put the windows back in place in a size similar to what was there originally. He showed the area that was once a door, with the proposal being to put a window back in. Miklo presented a Photoshop prepared by Bristow that shows what the windows would look like on the fronts and sides of the house where they would be put more to their original state. For a few of the windows such as the kitchen and bathrooms, Miklo said the proposal is not to elongate them but to put them back to a level that is appropriate for a kitchen counter and then re-side the areas with wood siding. Miklo showed where there were three windows at one time. He said that a stairway was moved to this part of the house at one point, so it is not practical to put all three back, but one of them will be placed here. Miklo said there are two chimneys on the house, but one is pretty deteriorated and is likely to come off. He stated that the other one will be investigated to see if it can be retained. Miklo said the applicant is asking for permission to remove them both. He said that although the one chimney is somewhat prominent, it is not an architectural feature like a fireplace chimney. Miklo said staff recommends approval with conditions. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION October 8, 2015 Page 5 of 7 Swaim asked about the roof. Miklo answered that the proposal includes removing the metal roof, which is a second generation roof, to put on asphalt, architectural grade shingles that would mimic the original roof, which was wood shingles. Swaim asked about the garage in the back. Miklo said the proposal is to remove the chimney from the garage. He said it is unusual for a garage to have a chimney, so staff does not have a problem with that. Miklo showed some photographs of the building. Sandell asked about the porch flooring. Miklo answered that he believes it is carpet but thinks the original floor might be under that. He said it may be fine after the carpet is pulled out. MOTION: Baker moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 1025 Burlington Street as presented in the application and staff report with the following conditions: 1) if the porch flooring needs replacement, it is replaced with either vertical- grained fir flooring or a material approved by staff; 2) if either or both chimneys on the house need to be removed, their condition warrants it and their removal is approved by staff and chair; and 3) new window product approved by staff. Clore seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Corcoran absent). REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Certificate of No Material Effect – Chair and Staff Review. 403 E. Jefferson Street. Miklo said this is one of the first projects under the new requirements for review of roofs. He said that an asphalt roof was replaced with an asphalt roof - an architectural grade shingle that does a reasonable job of mimicking a wood shingle roof. 1223 E. Burlington Street. Miklo said the porch is being rebuilt to match what was there. 1024 Woodlawn Avenue. Miklo said this is the repair of rotten wood. 530 Ronalds Street. Miklo said this involves the repair of a soffit on the back of the house to match what was there. 739 Clark Street. Miklo stated that the crumbled driveway is being replaced with a new, concrete driveway. 613 E. College Street. Miklo stated that the front steps are being replaced with material to match what is there. Minor Review – Preapproved Item – Staff Review. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION October 8, 2015 Page 6 of 7 715 N. Johnson Street. Miklo said that some modern, slider windows on the back of the house are being replaced with double-hung windows appropriate for matching what is already on the house. 506 Clark Street. Miklo said that a number of casement windows are being repaired on a non-historic property. 636 South Governor Street. Miklo said this is a similar situation to the Clark Street house. Swaim stated that the house at 1025 Burlington Street is a good example to keep in the Commission's portfolio of before and after photographs. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR SEPTEMBER 10, 2015: MOTION: Baker moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's September 10, 2015 meeting, as written. Clore seconded the minutes. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Corcoran absent). Baker said that a couple of months ago a neighbor of hers in the east College Street Historic District with a deteriorated brick chimney had received an exorbitant bid to remove the chimney and had come before the Commission to ask for permission to remove it and put up a metal, round pipe coming through with a cap on it. She said the Commission gave suggestions for other ways to fix the problem. Baker said she talked to one of the owners who said they were able to get the chimney repaired and are really pleased with how it turned out. She said the owner thanked Baker for the Commission's work. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 5:54 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2014-2015 : X = Present O = Absent --- = Not a Member KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a Member NAME TERM EXP. 11/13 12/11 1/8 2/12 3/12 4/9 5/14 6/11 7/9 8/13 9/10 10/8 ACKERSON, KENT 3/29/16 X X X X X X X X X X X X AGRAN, THOMAS 3/29/17 O/E X X X O/E X X X X X O/E X BAKER, ESTHER 3/29/18 O/E X X O/E X X X X X X X X CLORE, GOSIA 3/29/17 X O/E X X X X O/E O/E O/E X O/E X CORCORAN, KATE 3/29/16 X X X X X X X X X O/E O/E O/E DURHAM, FRANK 3/29/16 X X X O/E X O/E O/E X X X O/E X LITTON, ANDREW 3/29/17 X X O/E X X X X X X O/E X X MICHAUD, PAM 3/29/18 X X X X X X X O/E X X X X SANDELL, BEN 3/29/17 X X X X X X X O/E X X X X SWAIM, GINALIE 3/29/18 X X X X X X X X X X X X WAGNER, FRANK 3/29/18 X O/E O/E O/E X X O/E X O/E O/E O/E X