Historic Zoning Commission

Miller Building H-1 Landmark: Level II

11-J-17-HZ

Applicant Request

Level II. Installation of signage

Install horizontal projecting sign with dimensions of up to an 8-foot projection and 3'- 9" overall height by 12"or 14" thick at a 12-foot mounting height on the second pilaster from the south of three-bay façade. Material is to be aluminum routed for lettering. Mounting will be tube supports and plates with thru-bolts into recent marble façade sheathing and attached to I-beams.

Site Info

Miller Brothers Department Store Building. The original building at the corner of Union Avenue was constructed in 1935 in the Edwardian style, and designed by Knoxville-based architect, R. F. Graf. A 1911 addition to the north was in the same style as the original building, but an expansion in 1935 was in the Art Deco style. In 1998, the building was restored, including the recreation of original details and return of the buildings to the earliest appearance of each of the three component sections.

1) The 1935 Art Deco structure is a contributing building within the Gay Street Commercial National Register District and is an individual H-1 overlay landmark. The design guidelines for the building are those established by the National Park Service as based on the Secretary of Interiors Standards.

2) The immediate context to be considered for precedent comprises the blocks that are visible from in front of the building looking north and south along S. Gay Street.

3) The National Park Service recommendations state that "Historic sign practices were not always "sympathetic" to buildings. . . Repeating some historic practices; therefore, would definitely not be recommended." The goal of the current sign ordinance is to achieve a reduction in sign clutter over that of the past.

4) Historically, as well as currently, both vertically and horizontally oriented signs were present on buildings on S. Gay Street as indicated by early photos. Historically, signs were allowed to be larger than currently permitted.

5) The historic district design guidelines for signage in Market Square and the Downtown Design District design guidlelines for historic buildings recommend that hanging signs be limited to 9 square feet. Since the Miller building is 6 stories tall, which is substanstially taller than Market Square buildings, the scale of the building's facade can accommodate a sign larger than the typically recommended 9 square feet.

6) The precedent set by approvals by the Downtown Design Review Board (DDRB) over the last 6 years has created a context along S. Gay Street in which signs between 18 and 27 square feet have been approved. The exceptions to this square footage are noted in the restoration/recreation of the historic signs on the former S& W Cafeteria building (now "Aveda") and the Tennessee Theater sign which were allowed to be are larger, and project further than current signs.

7) The square footage of the proposed sign at ~24 square feet, its placement, and its mounting at 12 feet above the sidewalk are appropriate given the height of the building and the precedent that has been set for other signs in the immediate context.

8) A photo postcard provided by the applicant appearing to date to the 1930s or 1940s depicts a projecting sign of unknown dimensions on the earlier 1905 Miller building, which is adjacent to the 1935 Art Deco addition which is the subject building.

9) The National Park Service recommendations state that "Signs should work with the building, rather than against it. New signs should respect the size, scale and design of the historic building. Often features or details of the building will suggest a motif for new signs."
In this case, the applicant's business logo is established as horizontally oriented graphic design. However, since this building features a vertically oriented Art Deco design with design elements reaching upwards 6 stories, a sign of this size and projection would better compliment and work with the architecture of the building as a vertical sign.

10) Most of the horizontally projecting signs shown in the historic photos provided in this application are not monolithic boxed signs, but are more square in shape, are flatter in thickness, and are hanging from horizontal metal rods. The sign is proposed to be 12" to 14" in thickness and is not proposed to hang from a rod.

11) The vertical portion of the "Babalu" sign at 412 S. Gay Street was approved by the Downtown Design Review Board (DDRB) with the horizontal bottom of the sign being 5' wide x 1' high (5 sq. ft.) and the vertical top of the sign being 11' high x 2' wide (22 sq.ft.) for a total of 27 sq. ft. The sign was approved to project a total of 5'-0" for the majority of its mass which is vertical, but projects 6'-6" from the building at its furtherest point. The "Phoenix" sign at 418 S. Gay Street is vertical and was approved by DDRB to project 4 feet. The Farragut Hotel sign at 402 S. Gay Street is an approved vertical sign that will project 4 feet. The signs at 424, 428, and 430 S. Gay Street are all vertical signs that are from 18 to 24 sf in area and the projections are all less than 8 feet.

12) In conclusion, staff believes the overall square footage of 24 sq ft, aluminum material, and placement of the sign are appropriate for the building and the immediate context.
However, there is no current or historical precedent in the immediate context for a horizontally-oriented sign of this shape and mass projecting from the building 8 feet over the sidewalk. A vertically-oriented sign of this square footage at a 6'-6" projection would compliment the Art Deco architecture of the building. A horizontally-oriented sign of the proposed dimensions and thickness would not compliment the overall building's vertically-oriented architecture, but would not necessarily be inappropriate for the immediate pedestrian streetscape if its projection from the building is in keeping with more current precedent. An appropriate projection would be limited to 6'-6", which is equal to that approved by DDRB for the vertical sign at 412 S. Gay Street (Babalu).