Design Review Board

Level 1: Minor alteration of an existing building/structure

8-B-20-DT

Applicant Request

The Hyatt Place rooftop was reviewed and approved by the Design Review Board in November 2019; this proposal includes minor revisions to the existing rooftop design.

On the west elevation fronting Gay Street, a storage room will be removed and a cantilevered steel canopy is proposed to be installed around an existing ERV. The canopy is 7'-6" above the floor level, and is set back 13'-8" from the exterior edge of the building fronting Gay Street. The canopy measures roughly 21' wide on the north elevation, 30' long on the west elevation, and 17' wide on the south elevation.

On the east elevation fronting the alley, a new steel and canvas trellis will be installed above the existing rooftop deck. The roughly L-shaped trellis will extend along the rooftop's south elevation from the existing interior space, then along the east elevation. The trellis will be set back from the building's existing parapet fronting Clinch Avenue, and set back 17'-4" from the exterior edge of the building fronting the alley. The trellis will have a retractable canvas covering to provide moveable shade for the rooftop deck.

Site Info

The Hyatt Place Hotel (Farragut Building) is within the Gay Street Commercial Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, so the Historic Resources section of the design guidelines are applicable. The proposal meets the guidelines by preserving historic roofline features, and using materials that are complimentary to the historic building and the existing rooftop deck. The proposed cantilevered steel canopy on the west elevation is sufficiently set back to not be visible from Gay Street. The new steel and canvas trellis is located towards the rear of the building, fronting the alley. Renderings provided by the applicant show the steel trellis would be very minimally visible from Clinch Avenue, due to the building's height and the narrow width of Clinch Avenue. The trellis could be easily removed without effect on the building's historic features.

Applicable guidelines
SECTION 1.C.1. (ROOFLINES AND ADDITIONS)
Alterations of the rooflines of historic buildings are not appropriate. A one-story rooftop addition, including railings, may be possible on taller buildings if it is inconspicuous from the public right-of-way. Additions should be set back from the primary elevation of the building, and should not damage character-defining features, including parapets and side walls. These walls are often topped by coping stones offering contrasting color or texture, or contain cornices, decorative grills, chimneys, corbelled brickwork, and other architectural elements. Rooftop additions are almost never inappropriate on buildings less than four stories in height.

GUIDELINES:
1a. Preserve or restore historic roofline features, including parapet walls and cornices.
1b. Design rooftop additions to be complimentary to the historic building in terms of materials and color.
1c. Avoid construction that maintains only the historic façade.
1d. Do not alter, obscure, or destroy significant features of historic resources when constructing additions.
1e. Design rooftop additions so that they are not seen from adjoining streets and sidewalks.