Historic Zoning Commission
Edgewood-Park City H: Level I/II
5-A-21-HZ
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of the front porch addition, with the following conditions:
1) the flat roof be modified to be a shed roof, with roof pitch, cladding, and fascia and soffit to be compatible with the primary house;
2) the revised design use porch columns larger than 4" by 4", with final drawings submitted to staff for approval.
Alternately, the applicant could remove the porch and install a small shed- or gable-roof stoop to match similar Minimal Traditional designs.
Applicant Request
Porch; RoofingLevel 1 COA Issued 4.5.2021: Replacement of existing asphalt shingle roof on main house with new asphalt shingle roofing.
Level 2 Scope of work: After-the-fact review of new front porch above existing 16' wide by 9' deep concrete porch foundation. Existing concrete foundation is between 5' and 8' tall. 16' wide by 9' deep, flat roof supported by 8' tall, 4" by 4" square wood posts. Porch roof extends across one bay of windows and front door. Roof will be clad in asphalt roll material.
Site Info
Minimal Traditional, c.1945One-story, side-gable residence with an exterior of aluminum siding and a continuous brick foundation. Side-gable, slightly recessed extension projects from the left half of the house. Five bay façade features a half-light door and an exterior brick chimney on the right side.
1. 1908 Jefferson Avenue is listed in the Park City National Register Historic District as a "non-contributing" structure. The NC status relates to the period of significance for the district defined at the time of the 1990 National Register designation, 1880-1940. The 1990 designation stopped at the 50-year mark for determination of contributing structures. If the district were re-surveyed to current standards, the property would most likely be a contributing structure.
2. 1908 Jefferson Avenue is a Minimal Traditional, a form of house built from the early 1940s through the 1950s, characterized by a low-to-medium-pitched roof, rectangular floor plan, one-story height, little or no eave overhangs, and minimal architectural detail. Porches on Minimal Traditionals are commonly small gable- or shed-roof stoops. Many Minimal Traditional houses in Knoxville (in neighborhoods such as Edgewood Park, Belle Morris, and North Hills) feature somewhat wider shed-roof porch extensions on the façade.
3. Guidelines recommend new porches be consistent in proportion with historic porches in the neighborhood (and the historic house), and use "details such as columns [and] posts [...] that are consistent in appearance with historic materials." The proposed (installed) 4 by 4 columns are too small for the proportions of the house or for a historic porch design.
4. In the opinion of staff, the addition of a shed-roof or gable-roof stoop would be most appropriate for a Minimal Traditional house. Drawing on comparable properties in Knoxville, a wider shed-roof front porch may also be appropriate, provided it receive a roof cladding and simple wood fascia and soffits to be compatible with the main house. The flat roof, as constructed, is not compatible with the design of the house.
