Material Change of Appearance Certification (After-the-Fact Window Replacement)

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1 Publication Date: January 28, 2011 by: MMA HPC REVIEW FORM: MCAC 1101 REQUEST FOR: Material Change of Appearance Certification (After-the-Fact Window Replacement) HPC MEETING DATE: February 2, 2011 CITY COUNCIL DATE: APPLICANT S NAME: ADDRESS OF PROPOSAL: DISTRICTS: N/A Richard and Martha Lundh 818 Prospect Place Midland Subdistrict PROPOSAL: The Applicants request after-the-fact approval of the installation of a replacement window in the existing residence. Please see the information attached to this report. STAFF REPORT: This property is centrally-located in the Midland Subdistrict (see attached map), which is named for the Midland Railroad that ran through the middle of this neighborhood until the late 1940s. The following are the subdistrict characteristics: 1. Building siting laid out in a grid pattern 2. Moderately scaled residences 3. Terracing of sites related to the historic railroad right-of-way 4. Bungalows and cottages 5. Wood frame construction 6. Cut stone walls 7. Unique detailing The natural topography of this area is a north-facing slope and quite steep in places; the deep, flat cut of the old right-of-way contributes a terraced quality to the subdistrict. In addition, the streets and lots were laid out in a grid pattern, rather than conforming to the natural topography. Average buildings in the subdistrict moderately sized and regularly spaced. Wood frame construction and bungalows are common. Some unique detailing can also be found, including areas of high-style Victorian design. Although stone retaining walls are less consistent in this area than in some other subdistricts, cut stone is still commonly found. According to the El Paso County Assessor, the subject property was built in 1924 and is comprised of a portion of a platted lot at 4,325 square feet; the house itself is slightly less than 700 square feet in size and sits at a curve of Prospect and Modoc Place. The Applicants family has owned the property since approximately 1949 or This is a second home (their primary residence is in Missouri) and they have done an admirable job maintaining the property. Prior to the replacement of the original windows, the cottage was very intact and still features the original siding, trim and simple detailing. The residence appears to be a typical Manitou Summer Cottage (see Architectural description from Guidelines attached). Staff s determination is that the house is Contributing to the Historic District. 1

2 Publication Date: January 28, 2011 by: MMA Last July, Staff and Mr. Lundh exchanged s regarding his plans to replace the windows. Staff noted that window repair was preferred under the Guidelines and recommended he speak with a contractor or contractors. Staff provided one potential contractor contact. Unfortunately, that contractor did not respond quickly enough and Mr. Lundh pursued window replacement without further consultation with Staff. The replacement window Contractor did not correctly advise the Applicant regarding what permits and approvals were required by Manitou Springs. In October, Code Enforcement became aware of work being performed without a permit at this location and notified the Contractor on-site that this was required. Unfortunately all the windows were replaced at the point the Officer made contact on the property. Mr. Lundh, who was not in town, contacted Staff by after hearing from the Contractor. After looking at the before and after photos of the property, and since the work had already been done and the original windows were gone, Staff offered to administratively approve the replacement windows. However, the window to the right of the front door (as you face the house) had been changed from a 1/1 lite unit to a single lite picture window. Staff was not comfortable issuing the Use Tax Permit and permission unless all the windows visible from the street matched the pattern of the original windows, so asked the Applicant to change this window or seek permission from the Commission. Staff did not hear from the Applicants until recently; they wanted to be in town to take care of this issue and hadn t been back since before the window replacements occurred. Staff recommended the Applicants discuss replacing this one window at the Contractors expense since he failed to obtain all the required permits and approvals. However, the Applicants preferred seeking Commission approval of the installation of the single lite window where a single/double-hung unit previously existed. The application letter does not provide specific reasoning for this change, but indicates the Applicants do not see the window change as affecting the historical value of the home. The following are the Guidelines for Preservation, Alterations and Additions to Contributing Residential Structures that apply to this request: 4.1 An addition or alteration to an historic building shall ensure that the original architectural character and style of the structure is maintained and the addition is subordinate in appearance to the original building Historic windows, window materials, scale and their arrangement and location on a building façade shall be preserved, especially any façade visible from the street. When window sashes need replacing, use new frames that match the originals. Consider having new replacements custom made to match the original windows to maintain the historic integrity of the building. When using new double-glazed windows, retain historic window grid configurations by using external grids that retain actual shadow lines. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff sincerely appreciates the care and pride the Applicants obviously take in this property and believes they are trying to do what they feel is best for the property and their interests. 2

3 Publication Date: January 28, 2011 by: MMA The original windows are no longer in place or available; therefore Staff has not addressed the overall issue of repair vs. replacement. Based on the photos, most of the new windows maintain a similar appearance to the previous windows, which is why Staff was willing to administratively approve the replacement. However, the Design Guidelines recommend maintaining the historic window patterns and lite configurations, which one of the more prominent new windows obviously does not do. Staff still feels the Contractor should be asked to replace this window with one that maintains the original look of the cottage and is not comfortable recommending approval of the requested change to a single lite, picture window. However, the replacement of the windows overall and the change to the historic pattern of this specific window, while having an impact on the historic integrity of the building, will not render it as noncontributing. Therefore, if the Commission is comfortable approving the change, Staff will support that decision and would recommend the following finding: Approval of this request is based on the fact that the proposed alteration will not remove the cottage from a contributing status to the local Historic District, or have a detrimental impact to the District overall. Staff also notes that according to statistics and information regarding replacement windows, these will likely need replacement much sooner than the historic windows and the original window pattern can be restored at that time. 3

4 Publication Date: January 28, 2011 by: MMA Before Window Change 818 Prospect Place After Window Change 4

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