Historic Zoning Commission

Fourth and Gill H-1: Level II

6-L-12-HZ

Applicant Request

Level II. Replacement/repair

Remove and rebuild roof over one portion of the existing rear addition and remove entire late single-story rear addition. Add new hipped roof and constuct new 1- and 2-story addition and screened porch. The addition will utilize wood siding, asphalt roof shingles, and wood windows and door to match the existing house. More specifically, the project proposal includes:

removing laundry/mud room
removing the back deck and trellis
adding 1-story laundry/mud-room with an at-grade entrance
expanding an existing bathroom and adding a screen porch
constructing a second-floor addition located above a portion the existing first level

Site Info

Two-story frame with weatherboard siding. Gable roof with side shed -dormers and asphalt shingle covering. One story-full front porch with concrete floor, replacement metal columns. Three-over-one and one-over-one double-ung windows, with paired casements on second-story front elevation. Interior central brick chimney. Brick foundation. Rectangular plan.

FINDINGS
1) The existing 1890s frame house is two stories with single-story rear additions.
2) The existing laundry/mud room rear addition appears to have been constructed in the mid-20th century based on the following:
the doors leading to the room appear to be early or original exterior doors;
the room has a lower celling height by 20 inches (6-feet high) than the rest of the first floor;
the roof is improperly constructed around the existing eaves of the house;
the gutter of this addition runs into the trim of an existing window;
the siding on the addition is a vertically grooved siding panel;
the door of the laundry room is considerably shorter than the doors in the house;
the windows in the laundry room are horizontally installed double-hung windows; and
two walls on the interior of the laundry room are lined with faux stone asphalt siding.
3) The proposed materials and elements proposed for the addition match in appearance those on the existing house are therefore ompatible in terms of mass, materials, size, texture, scale.
4) The proposed rear additions are not taller than the existing house and are to be located on an inconspicuous side of the house (rear). They will not be highly visible, if visible at all, from the street.
5) The addition will not cause a loss of historic character, in terms of design, materials, location, or setting since the addition proposed for demo is noncontributing and the new additions will be added to a non-character-defining side of the house.
6) The proposed roof types (hipped and gabled), and lower pitch of the propoesd one-story additions are typical of rear additions in the district and on this style of house. However, the two-story addition requires a roof pitch to match that of the existing roof, as proposed, in order to be visually compatible with the main roof.

FOURTH AND GILL DESIGN GUIDESLINES:

NEW ADDITIONS-- Recommendations: (p.18)

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.
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.

DEMOLITION-- Recommendations: (p.19)

1. Demolition of any original feature or part of a historic building
should be avoided.
2. Demolition of any building which contributes to the historic
or architectural significance of the Fourth & Gill neighborhood
should not occur unless public health and safety require the
removal of the building or structure.
3. Demolition may be considered if the building does not contribute
to the historical or architectural character of the district.