D/DRC Case 1319 Gladden Street

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1 WYNDHAM E BERKELEY ADGER ALBION SUNNYSIDE JENNINGS SHEFFIELD EASTMINISTER GLENWOOD CANTERBURY WINDSOR GERVAIS MCDUFFIE GARDEN LADY LYON LONGLEAF SHIRLEY WEBSTER FAIRVIEW ZEIGLER LYON TREE KERSHAW MAPLE HOUSE DEAL BRATTON PICKETT MILLWOOD SHORT PICKETT HAGOOD GREENE KLINE DALY MEDWAY STARK KLINE OLD SHANDON CYPRESS MICHIGAN SIMS PRESTON QUEEN HEIDT E D/DRC Case 1319 Gladden Street Melrose Heights/Oak Lawn Architectural Conservation District TMS:

2 DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMISSION DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICT HISTORIC AGENDA EVALUATION SHEET Case # 12 ADDRESS: APPLICANT: 1319 Gladden Street Jane Britton and Fritz Hamer, owners TAX MAP REFERENCE: TMS# USE OF PROPERTY: REVIEW DISTRICT: Residential Melrose Heights/Oak Lawn Architectural Conservation District NATURE OF REQUEST: Request Certificate of Design Approval for exterior changes to garage FINDINGS/COMMENTS: The residence and garage at this site were constructed in 1925 from hollow core tile, a fireproof building material that was popular at the time. The exterior of both buildings were finished with stucco walls with wood trim and exposed rafter tails in the eaves. In August 2015 a large tree fell over during a rainstorm and heavily damaged the garage, a pergola, a fence, and a potting shed attached to the garage. The repair of the fence and pergola can be handled by staff. The tree punctured the garage roof and pushed the entire building out of square, creating a lean to the west. The owners immediately called staff to determine potential courses of action. Staff would allow a demolition of the garage based on its structural damage. The owners have considered that option as well but after receiving a number of bids they are presenting an option that would retain the building by putting it back square and making repairs. In addition to repairing the building, the owners are requesting to alter its exterior appearance from a garage to a garden house. They have not used the building as a garage and suggest that it is not useful for a garage. Their interest is in creating a workspace for garden work tasks, as well as a sitting area for relaxation and viewing of the adjacent garden. The guidelines address the exterior historic appearance of a building regardless of its function. If this building is converted to a different use then the Zoning rules would apply, including the necessity of retaining two off-street parking spots. The garage is fulfilling part of that requirement and changing its use may result in the need to add more parking to the yard or seek a Zoning variance. This holds true even though the building has not been used as a garage for many years. The garage is very prominently located on the property, which is a corner lot. It is very close to the sidewalk and is adjacent to another similarly sized garage facing the same direction. Although this is a secondary building on the property it contributes to the district and the streetscape and the pattern of historic garages in the area. It appears that the doors on the front of the garage are not Richey 1

3 original. The framing around them has been built out from the face of the building to accommodate the doors. This is in contrast to older doors found in the district and what is typical, wherein the doors are tucked into the opening. The doors may be old, and could have been on the building a number of decades, but do not appear as though they were integrated into the original design or the original opening. PERTINENT SECTIONS FROM GUIDELINES SECTION 7: GUIDELINES FOR MAINTENANCE & REHABILITATION GENERAL PRINCIPLES Rehabilitation is a practical approach to historic preservation. It is the process of repairing or altering a historic building while retaining its historic features. It represents a compromise between remodeling, which offers no sensitivity to the historic features of a building, and restoration, which is a more accurate but costly approach to repair, replacement, and maintenance. Rehabilitation guidelines are limited to the review of exterior elements visible from the public right-of-way. The priority of the guidelines is to ensure the preservation of a building's character-defining features while accommodating an efficient contemporary use. DOORS Principles Significant features such as doors and entrances should be preserved wherever possible. Changes to door size and configuration should be avoided. Replacement doors should either match the original or substitute new materials and designs sympathetic to the original. Sometimes new entrances are required for practical reasons or to satisfy code requirements. Placement of new entrances on principal facades should be avoided. New entrances can result in loss of historic fabric and detailing and change the rhythm of bays. New entrances should be compatible with the building and be located on side or rear walls that are not readily visible from the public right-of-way. If a historic entrance cannot be incorporated into a contemporary use for the building, the opening and any significant detailing should, nevertheless, be retained. Guidelines i. Install new openings so that they carry on the same rhythm of existing openings and are compatible in size, materials and design. There is an existing opening in the east (left) side of the garage at the rear corner that would be removed. A new opening would be installed in a much more prominent location in the center of the wall and would be wide enough to accommodate two French doors and two sidelights. This would be approximately 8 in width altogether, set in an 18 wide wall. The size of the new opening is about 44% of the wall size and is not compatible in scale to the size of the opening that already exists in the side nor is it compatible with a typical side wall on a garage. Historic garages in this district typically have either a simple single door or no door at all on the side, as they sometimes had no garage doors either and could therefore access the building through the front. The design of the proposed new opening is not compatible in design with the existing garage. The owner has stated that the proposal is in keeping with details on the front of the house, namely the doors found on that elevation, which they believe to be original. A 1950 Sanborn Map details these areas as open porches, and although the maps do occasionally make mistakes, the details of the two front doors are not consistent with each other and the owner noted that those front parts of the house had not been tied in to the house s heating Richey 2

4 and cooling system. It is possible that the doors were reused from another part of the house and are therefore still consistent with the original design intent for the building. The proposal would combine the double French doors from one opening and the sidelights from the other façade opening to create a very wide bank of glass in what is currently a largely blank stucco wall. The proposed design and size is larger than any entrance element currently found on the house and is out of character for a garage building. A single door entry would be a compatible design and the materials would need to be wood or aluminum clad wood with Simulated Divided Lite to allow muntins to replicate the design of historic doors. ii. Retain and repair historic door openings, doors, screen doors, trim, and details such as transom, sidelights, pediments, and hoods, where they contribute to the architectural character of the building. The current proposal would relocate a pedestrian door on the east side. The existing opening and door is probably around 3 wide and it not highly visible as it is located near the far corner of the wall. It is not a strong contributor to the architectural character of the building. Staff does not know if the door itself is original. iii. Replace missing or deteriorated doors with doors that closely match the original, or that are of compatible contemporary design. As it appears that the front garage doors may not be original, it would be possible for the applicants to replace the doors with others that were of compatible contemporary design and could offer glass sections along the top that may accomplish the desire for natural light. The National Park Service has produced a Preservation Tech Note about historic door preservation and has suggested that the exterior wall could be trimmed out to look like a garage door, replete with operable windows (see attached photo). Staff is willing to work with the applicant on a door design that would meet this guideline. iv. Place new entrances on secondary elevations away from the main elevation. Preserve non-functional entrances that are architecturally significant. The proposed new entrance would be on the side elevation away from the main elevation and would meet this guideline. v. Add simple or compatibly designed wooden screen doors when necessary. Screen doors are proposed for the new side entry, and appear to conform to this guideline based on the drawing submitted. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff finds that the project meets Section 7 of the guidelines and recommends a Certificate of Design Approval with the following conditions: - Replacement of garage doors with garage doors of a compatible contemporary design and materials, approved by staff - Relocation of side door opening on east elevation and a new single door with no sidelights or transom; door to be of materials and design consistent with guidelines and approved by staff - All details deferred to staff Richey 3

5 Above and Top Right: Google Streetview images of garage before damage Right: Staff photo of tree on garage Bottom Right: Staff photo of damage Richey 4

6 Staff photos Richey 5

7 Above: Staff photo of rear yard showing proximity of buildings Above: Preservation Tech Note showing garage door converted to operable windows and fixed door/wall. Richey 6