Historic Zoning Commission

Old North Knoxville H: Level II

8-F-22-HZ

Applicant Request

Major exterior rehabilitation of existing house. Removal of non-historic exterior elements, including vinyl siding, non-historic vinyl windows, non-historic and deteriorated wood porch and concrete steps, removal of rear elevation concrete steps and shed roof, removal of north side steps and secondary door. Removal of non-historic vinyl windows and secondary entry door on façade.

New wood lap siding, wood trim, cornerboards, and weatherboard above existing brick foundation. New asphalt shingle roof. New two-over-two, double-hung wood windows in original fenestrations. New half-round gutters.

Façade (south elevation): front porch will be reconstructed with hipped roof and centrally-located, front-gable portico; porch to be supported by 8" round wood columns; porch will feature wood tongue-and-groove flooring and a brick foundation. New front door.

Rear elevation to feature a secondary porch with a 3/12 pitch, shed roof clad in standing-seam metal, a brick masonry foundation, and a metal railing.

CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL PER 8/18/22 HZC MEETING: 1) final front door selection, and design of front porch balustrade, if necessary, to be submitted to staff for approval; 2) minor modifications to rear porch design may be approved by staff.

Site Info

Two-story, hipped roof residence with gables projecting to the front, sides, and rear, clad ina sphalt shingles. Highly modified façade featuring vinyl siding, an enclosed front porch, and replacement windows. Refer to further house history provided in application for COA.

1. 1417 Grainger Avenue is part of the Brownlow District, a section of Old North Knoxville east of N. Broadway which is not currently listed on (but eligible for) the National Register of Historic Places. The house may have been determined as non-contributing to the local overlay, due to alterations and condition. After holding multiple apartments, the house was condemned in 2011 and experienced a long period of vacancy and deferred maintenance.

2. The applicant has received several COAs for repair and removal of non-historic elements since 2016, including removal of the enclosed porch and extensive masonry repair and repointing on the foundation.

3. Overall, the project meets the design guidelines, as it involves the removal of non-historic siding, vinyl windows, and porch elements, and the restoration of historic materials and design features. The removal of vinyl siding and replacement with wood lap siding, cornerboards, and trim; the in-kind replacement of asphalt shingle roofing; and the use of a standing-seam metal roof on low slope sections all meet the guidelines.

4. The proposed two-over-two, double-hung wood windows are based on physical evidence, from the one remaining original window present on the house. The applicant proposes to restore original window openings on the façade and side elevations. Additional window openings proposed for the side and rear elevations are compatible with the building's original design and proportionate to the house.

5. The front porch has been heavily modified throughout the house's history; at one point, a round rotunda projected from the left half of the façade, with a full-length hipped-roof porch and a centered front-gable portico. The rotunda was removed and half of the hipped-roof porch was enclosed to provide additional interior space. Present-day restoration of the rotunda would be compromised by the c.1930 one-story, hipped roof addition on the west elevation. While the earliest porch design featured more elaborate detailing, the reconstruction of a new porch with more modest columns, and a footprint and roofline to reflect the original, meets the design guidelines. The porch materials, including tongue-and-groove wood flooring and 8" round wood columns, are appropriate for the house. If the front porch foundation is 30" above grade and requires a railing, the balustrade detail should be submitted to staff for approval and feature balusters set into the top and bottom rails.

6. The applicant has provided a draft reconstruction of the rear porch, featuring an approximately 21' by 11' porch with a 3/12, standing-seam metal roof, a wood balustrade, and an existing masonry foundation. Minor modifications to the rear porch may be necessary, which could be approved by staff. As the house is set significantly back from the front property line and backs up to First Creek, the rear elevation is not visible from the right-of-way.