Historic Zoning Commission

Market Square H-1:

6-G-04-HZ

Applicant Request

Level I Certificate: Install window and hanging signs for new Chamber Partnership office.

Site Info

McBath Brothers/Drake, Perkey, Cullinan Building. One of four storefronts in a two story three bay brick building with arched second story windows with contrasting stone keystones, springers and sills. Pressed metal bracketed cornice with corbelled brick below cornice. Altered storefront, probably changed in c.1960 rework of Market Square and changed again in 2003. The building was original built as three storefronts with #11 first occupied by W. H. Drake & Co., and then used as a grocery operated by John Lichtenwanger from 1890 to 1920 when it became a merchandise store run by Ira Watson & Co. #13 was operated as McBath Brothers Dry Goods, Notions and Grocery in 1877. It was operated as a saloon by L.A.M. Perkay in 1885 with a watch and clock store operated by J.A. Lancaster. There were a succession of uses that included a grocery, brick man, dry goods, harness makers, hardware store, restaurant, and then a dray goods store in 1935 operated by Landston's, Inc. and finally by Ira A. Watson & Co. #15 was noted a s a saloon owned by Michael Cullinan in 1880. Cullinan expanded his saloon to #13 from 1886 to 1905. Later occupants included clothing and shoe stores in 1930, Market Square Billiards and then Snyder's dry goods and department store until it became a part of Watson's.

The signs apply to one street level storefront and the second stories of four storefronts. Page 19, Market Square Design Guidelines, provides as follows: D.1. A storefront shall not have more than two signs, a primary and a secondary sign. One ... may be a flush-mounted sign board located below the second story window sills and above the storefront display windows... not more than 2-1/2 ' high (proposed sign board is 14" high); D.2. A hanging sign can be mounted above the sidewalk, . . 4' to 6 ' in area ( the proposed sign is circular with a diameter of 29"); D.3. If window signs are used, they shall be composed of applied letters or symbols on no more than 30% of the storefront glass (proposed sign covers 12% of the storefront).