Historic Zoning Commission

Fourth and Gill H-1: Level III

2-F-13-HZ

Applicant Request

Level III. New construction of primary building(s) or deviation from guidelines

RESUBMITTAL OF DENIED APP FROM 2-21-13 and POSTPONEMENT from 4-18-2013 HZC MEETING. RESUBMITTAL from 5/16/2013 HZC MEETING. STAFF REPORT NOT UPDATED. SEE REVISED DRAWINGS AND 6/7 SITE MEETING NOTES.
Construct brick and polymeric synthetic-sided enclosure to house 3-story concrete stairwell on south side of the house.
Construct 2nd-level cantilevered concrete walkway to connect house and newly constructed
concrete stairs to existing two-story garage at the rear of the house.
Add concrete patio at ground level.
Add concrete deck at 2nd-level rear with metal or expanded polymer composite (EPC) balustrade.
Add 2nd-level exit door from house to concrete deck.
Construct brick wall enclosure around HVAC units on south side of house.
Replace windows on south side of house and garage with EPC windows.
Replace front porch balustrade with EPC balustrade.

Site Info

Two-story frame with weatherboard wall covering. Asphalt shingle roof covering with front gable, lunette attic vent. Two-over-two replacement windows. Two- story three-quarter front porch with splayed wood columns on brick piers, Doric column capitals and sawn wood balustrade. Brick foundation.Transom at front entry. Former two-story rear deck.

Staff recommends that the stairwell tower enclosure be re-designed in a contemporary style that distinguishes it from the house with projections or offsets. It should be less obtrusive and solid by utilizing glass and wood siding with a brick foundation, rather than be constructed of brick. The brick HVAC enclosure should be of open lattice-type or pierced brick work design. Staff cannot recommend polymeric composite railing/balustrade material without sample or specification submittal.

STAFF FINDINGS

1) No building permit was issued for the south side two-story concrete stairs and landing with brick enclosure, which are all partially constructed.

2) The stairwell and the HVAC units and their brick enclosures are on the south side of the house and are highly visible from Gill Avenue at the entrance to the historic district from Broadway.

3) There is physical evidence that a non-original.rear 2nd -level porch existed. A 2nd-level door to the rear porch exists.

4) No documentation as to the appearance and style of the rear 2nd-level porch exists. Therefore, the design of the elements should be kept basic and simple. The rear porch should contain elements that are more simple than and distinguished from the front porch, which was reconstructed with conjectural Craftsman elements. The appropriate material for the rear porch is wood or a product that adequately simulates wood when painted. Concrete is not a previously approved or tyical material for rear porches or 2-story stairs in the district, although patios may be of concrete.

6) The massing and material of the partially constructed brick stairwell enclosure and HVAC enclosure are too heavy and solid for the frame house. The quantity of brick overpowers the house and obscures a substantial portion of it. The brick should be limited to the foundation and HVAC enclosure.

7) The brick stairwell enclosure should be transparent and as unobtrusive as possible, and have a distinct and separate appearance from the house so as not to alter the massing of the south elevation.

8) The HVAC enclosure should be of a pierced design to reduce its opaqueness.

9) Composite windows can refer to a variety of materials to different manufacturers, but generally come in two basic types: fiberglass and a wood/plastic composite. The newer type of composite window that is becoming available uses chemically-bonded blends of wood and plastic resins, and there are also versions made from a blend of wood chips and recycled plastic or thermo-plastic polymer. However, with the exception of fiberglass, most composite frames are fairly new to the market, and as a result, there is no conclusive evidence to determine how these materials hold up over time. Fiberglass is made from sand and glass fibers so is considered to be econfriendly and is extremely durable. It can be painted.

10) Staff recommends consideration of a fiberglass or other composited material for windows, siding and porch elements; however, staff does not believe the apecific brand of COMPOZIT polymeric material proposed adequately simulates wood material and the window profiles offered do not adequately replicate those of historic windows in the district.


FOURTH AND GILL DESIGN GUIDELINES (the guidelines in their entirety apply)

ADDITIONS
1. Locate attached exterior additions at the rear or on an inconspicuous
side of a historic building, limiting the size and scale in relationship
to the historic building. Proportion is very important.

2. Design new additions in a manner that makes clear what is historic and what is new.

3. Consider the attached exterior addition both in terms of the new use and the appearance of other buildings in the Historic district. Design for the new work may be contemporary or may reference design motifs from the historic buildings. In either case, it should always be clearly differentiated from the historic building and be compatible in terms of mass, materials, size, texture, scale, relationship of solids to voids, and color.

4. Place new additions, such as balconies or solar greenhouses, on non-character-defining elevations, and limit the size and scale in relationship to the historic building.

5. Rather than expanding the size of the historic building by constructing a new addition, try to alter interior spaces that do not define the character of the building to accommodate the new space needs.

6. It is best not to add additional stories. If required for the new use, make sure they are set back from the wall plane and are as inconspicuous as possible when viewed from the street.

7. New work should not appear to be as old as the historic building. Do not duplicate the exact form, material, style, and detailing of the historic building in the new addition.

8. New additions should not cause a lessening or loss of historic character, including the historic building's design, materials, workmanship, location, or setting.

PORCHES
" . . . individual [porch] details should be repaired and preserved, or replicated if good documentation of the original porch exists."

1. Repair porches on historic houses using wood floors, balustrades, posts and columns, or replace duplicating the original size and design. Reconstruction of the documented original porch is also appropriate.



The following SECRETARY OF INTERIORS STANDARDS are particularly applicable to this proposal, but the standards apply in their entirety:

3. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.

6. . . . Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.

9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.

10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property would be unimpaired.