Historic Zoning Commission

Fourth and Gill H-1: Level II

8-L-12-HZ

Applicant Request

Level II. Replacement/repair

Level I
1) Repair or replace in-kind as necessary the following items which are all of wood:
siding, windows, soffit, eaves, column bases; rear access door to basement; tongue-and- groove porch floor boards, beadboard ceilings on front porches; north-side porch stairs; capitals on front porches and porte cochere.
2) Repoint mortar as necessary using low-Portland content mortar and clean masonry as necessary. Rebuild chimney tops with corbelling (all using Preservation Brief # 2).
3) Reroof house and carport in-kind with asphalt shingles.
4) Remove non-original plywood roof enclosure from porte cochere.
5) Remove fire escape and its concrete base from rear elevation.
6) Jack-up sinking porch columns.
7) Repair storm windows as necessary, with eventual replacement with wood storm windows.
8) Install sconces to either side of front entry door. Install porch ceiling lights and ceiling fans on front porch and balcony.

Level II
1) Replace shingled balustrade (installed in mid-1990s) with solid weatherboarded panel ( not approved). Further changes to the 2nd-story porch will be detailed at a later date.
2) Replace existing non-original windows on rear and side elevations (some are storm windows w/out window sashes, some sliding windows) with wood one-over-one double-hung windows.
3) Add wood one-over-one double-hung triple window on rear elevation (under existing metal stairway).
4) Fill in existing non-original first-floor rear window opening and patch with siding to match.
5) Install antique quarter-sawn oak front first-story entry doorw/full or half-view beveled glass (final desgn approved by staff).
6) Remove exising filled-in window panels on porch foundation and fill in openings with lattice-patterned brickwork.

Site Info

Two-story frame with weatherboard wall covering. Hip roof with lower front gables, gabled side dormers, asphalt shingle and aluminum siding wall covering (sides and rear) and applied sunburst on side gables, sawn wood brackets. One -over -one double-hung windows with diagonal muntins on first floor transom and sidelights and second- story façade windows. One-story front and sides u-shaped wrap around porch with centered balcony on second story, round wood columns with Doric capitals, applied bead board panels between brick piers, concrete straight buttresses at front steps, turned spindled balustrade on first story and shingled balustrade on balcony, some remaining Scamozzi capitals on columns. Projecting one-story bay on front elevation. Modified porte cochere at north elevation with brick piers, shed roof and square columns. Enclosed rear porches.

The majority of the work proposed is repair and replacement in-kind to restore the house to its original appearance as closely as possible. The specifications for the items below are not finalized and must be approved by staff or HZC before installation:
1) Applicant must confirm the "solid panel" replacement material for the shingled balustrade (installed in mid-1990s) with staff.
2) Further changes to the 2nd story porch must be submitted for review at the appropriate later date.
3) Applicant must confirm location of the wood one-over-one double-hung windows to be added on rear elevation.
4) Applicant must confirm front first-story entry door selection (antique quarter-sawn oak with full or half-view beveled glass) with staff.
5) Applicant must confirm pattern for pierced brick foundation with staff.

STAFF FINDINGS
1) The materials and items proposed to be repaired or replaced in-kind have been confirmed as severely deteriorated or inappropriate during a field visit by staff and have been documented by photos.
2) The upper-level corner windows on the southeast side are unique and should be accurately replicated in material and design if replaced.
3) The front balcony balustrade was replaced in the 1990s (MPC files)
4) The addition of two wood double-hung windows on the rear will not detract from the character of the main house given the rear of the house has been altered and added onto over the years.

FOURTH AND GILL DESIGN GUIDELINES
Window Recommendations:
1. Vinyl and aluminum replacement windows should not be used.
2. Original windows should be reused. It will be much less expensive and much better historically to retain the original windows.
3. Storm windows are often considered when a homeowner wants to increase the heating and cooling efficiency of a building. Interior storm windows that cannot be seen from the street might be a better alternative.
4. If replacement windows are necessary, they should be the same overall size as the originals, with the same pane division, and the same muntin style and exterior depth, width and profile. False muntins or grids should not be used.
5. Windows should not be replaced with fixed thermal glazing or permitted to be inoperable. In many cases fixed or inoperable glazing violates code requirements for egress.
7. It can be appropriate to design and install additional windows on the rear or another secondary elevation. The designs should be compatible with the overall design of the building.
9. Reuse existing, serviceable window hardware.

Porch Recommendations:
1. Repair porches on historic houses using wood floors, balustrades, posts and columns, or replace duplicating the original size and design. Reconstruction of the documented original porch is also appropriate.

Entrance Reccommendations
1. Entry features that should be preserved include sidelights and
transoms of plain, patterned, beveled or stained glass, fan light
windows, entablatures, and the original doors. All add character
to the structures within the Fourth and Gill Historic District.
2. It may be appropriate to design or construct a new entrance if
the historic one is missing. Any restoration should be based on
historical, pictorial and physical documentation and should be
compatible with the historic character of the building
and with adjacent buildings. It should not create a false
historic appearance. Entrances should not be removed
when rehabilitating a building, either in adapting to a
new use or continuing a historic one.
7. Missing doors should be replaced with new doors appropriate
for the style and period of the building. In replacing missing
original doors, replacement doors should mimic doors typical
for that architectural style, including materials, glazing, and pane
configuration. Solid six panel or flush wood or steel design doors
should only be used for entrances not visible from the public
street. "Decorator" designed doors available from wholesale
hardware stores are usually not appropriate for the architectural
styles of the Fourth & Gill Historic District.