Historic Zoning Commission

Fourth and Gill H-1: Level II

9-K-13-HZ

Applicant Request

Level II. Replacement/repair

Replace late-added (1990s), inappropriate front door with a historically appropriate salvaged half-light wood door. Existing sidelight panels would remain and their wood framing would be painted. The amber-colored glass in the sidelights would be replaced with clear glass.

Site Info

One-story frame with weatherboard wallcovering. Hip roof with lower cross gables. Imbricated shingles in gables. One-story 2/3s front porch with turned posts. Sawn bargeboard. 1/1 double-hung windows. Two interrior brick offset chimneys. Stuccoed foundation. Cut-away bay on front and side elevations.

PROPOSED FINDINGS OF FACT
1) The current front door and sidelights were installed in the 1990s. The door conveys a false sense of history and is against the Sec'y of Interior Stds. which state that "Alterations that have no historical basis and which seek to create an earlier appearance shall be discouraged."

2) The Design Guidelines state that "Decorator" designed doors available from wholesale hardware stores are usually not appropriate . . . In this case, they are not appropriate as they are overly embellished.

3) The proposed salvaged wood half-lite door is appropriate for the Victorian period of the house. It reflects typical doors in the neighborhood for the Queen Anne style, including materials, glazing, and no. of panes.

4) The prominence of the existing sidelights will be diminished when painted to match the house trim, which will help them to more appear more appropriate for the Queen Anne cottage entrance.


4TH AND GILL DESIGN GUIDELINES (The design guidelines in their entirety apply.)
ENTRANCES: Recommendations:
Rehabilitation and New Construction

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. "Decorator" designed doors available from wholesale
hardware stores are usually not appropriate for the architectural
styles of the Fourth & Gill Historic District.


SECRETARY OF INTERIOR STANDARDS

2. The distinguishing original qualities or character of a building, structure, or site and its environmental shall not be destroyed. The removal or alteration of any historic material or distinctive architectural features should be avoided when possible.

3. All buildings, structures, and sites shall be recognized as products of their own time. Alterations that have no historical basis and which seek to create an earlier appearance shall be discouraged.

4. Changes which may have taken place in the course of time are evidence of the history and development of a building, structure, or site and its environment. These changes may have acquired significance in their own right, and this significance shall be recognized and respected