City of Kingston Information Report to Heritage Kingston Report Number HK

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1 To: From: Resource Staff: Date of Meeting: June 1, 2016 Subject: Address: File Number: City of Kingston Information Report to Heritage Kingston Chair and Members of Heritage Kingston Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services Paige Agnew, Director, Planning, Building & Licensing Services Application for Heritage Permit 32 Simcoe Street P Executive Summary: The subject property at 32 Simcoe Street is located on the west side of Simcoe Street in the Old Sydenham Heritage Conservation District. It contains the end unit of a three unit limestone townhouse building, built in An application for alteration under Section 42 of the Ontario Heritage Act, File Number P , has been submitted to request approval to repair and repoint the south facing stone wall at the side of the townhouse dwelling, including replacement of three stone window sills. Masonry repair and repointing is a normal cyclical form of maintenance for stone of this vintage and is encouraged to help to conserve this valued heritage building. The works will be undertaken in accordance with the City s Policy on Masonry Restoration and the Old Sydenham Heritage Conservation District Plan. Staff recommends approval of the permit application, subject to the necessary conditions. The Director of Planning may pre-consult with the Committee where deemed necessary due to the complexity of the application, under Section 15 and 16 of the Procedural By-Law for Heritage. The following report is provided for information, prior to a decision from Council pursuant to section 42(4.1) of the Ontario Heritage Act. Staff intend to recommend approval of the application at the Council meeting on June 21, 2016, subject to the following design consideration and conditions: 289

2 Information Report to Heritage Kingston June 1, 2016 Page 2 of 6 Design Considerations: Repointing of the entire southern wall of the building, including resealing around the windows and replacement of three window sills with cut limestone sills; and Three (3) conditions: 1. The existing stone pattern be retained through the repointing, with as much retention and reuse of stones as is possible and in accordance with prudent construction practice; 2. All masonry work shall be completed in accordance with the City s Policy on Masonry Restoration in Heritage Buildings; and 3. An encroachment permit be obtained, as required. Recommendation: This report is for consultation purposes. 290

3 Information Report to Heritage Kingston June 1, 2016 Page 3 of 6 Authorizing Signatures: Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services Gerard Hunt, Chief Administrative Officer Consultation with the following Members of the Corporate Management Team: Cynthia Beach, Corporate & Strategic Initiatives Denis Leger, Transportation, Facilities & Emergency Services Jim Keech, President and CEO, Utilities Kingston Desiree Kennedy, Chief Financial Officer & City Treasurer Not required Not required Not required Not required 291

4 Information Report to Heritage Kingston June 1, 2016 Page 4 of 6 Options/Discussion: Proposal/Background The subject property contains the end unit of a three-unit, two-and-a-half storey limestone townhouse dwelling on the west side of Simcoe Street in the Old Sydenham Heritage Conservation District. According to the report prepared by the applicant, and stone mason Craig Beattie of Edgewater Stone Masons (Exhibit A - Report from Mason), the south facing stone wall is in poor condition and requires a full repoint (removal of existing mortar and replacement with new mortar). Further, where the windows meet the stone walls, the sealant appears to be insufficient to keep moisture out. The applicant recommends that the existing sealant be replaced with a flexible sealant that is compatible with the historic masonry. Finally, the existing window sills appear to be either concrete or limestone covered with concrete parging, and recommends removal of the sills and replacement with sloped Kingston Limestone sills. As a result, the application requests the approval to repoint the entire south facing wall, reseal the three window openings and replace the three window sills. The Director of Planning may pre-consult with the Committee where deemed necessary due to the complexity of the application, under Section 15 and 16 of the Procedural By-Law for Heritage. The following report is provided for information, prior to a decision from Council pursuant to section 42(4.1) of the Ontario Heritage Act. Staff intend to recommend approval of the application at the Council meeting on June 21, 2016, subject to the listed design consideration and conditions. Reasons for Designation The subject property was designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in 1984 through Designation By-Law Number It is also designated under Part V of the Act being in the Old Sydenham Heritage Conservation District. The reason for designation in the by-law reads: This row of stone dwellings, originally a triple house, was built for John P. Bower, as rental property in It is the dominant aspect of this streetscape. Previous Approvals P EA P P P DA P Emergency roof repair Third floor addition Rear detached garage Roofing replacement Amendment to garage approval 292

5 Information Report to Heritage Kingston June 1, 2016 Page 5 of 6 Comments from Agencies and Business Units The following two internal departments provided comments on the applications: Building: A building permit is not required for the proposed scope of work. Engineering: It appears that a portion of the front steps encroach on the City s road allowance. Please contact the Engineering department regarding obtaining an encroachment permit in order to resolve this matter. Built Heritage Analysis The subject property is located in the Old Sydenham Heritage Conservation District, within the King Street Corridor sub-area, which notes buildings that form a strong street edge as an important heritage attribute of this sub-area and the District. This south facing wall is highly visible from the sidewalk and the waterfront trail. The proposed works to repair the stone wall will improve the longevity of the building by restricting water penetration into the structure. The replacement of the concrete window sills with new limestone sills meets the policies of Section of the District Plan, which notes that replacement stone should match the original as closely as possible. Existing Policy/By-Law: Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, C. O.18. (Province of Ontario) By-Law Number By-Law Number Procedural By-Law for Heritage Designation By-Law for 32 Simcoe Street City s Policy on Masonry Restoration in Heritage Buildings Old Sydenham Heritage Conservation District Plan Notice Provisions: Pursuant to Section 42(3) of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA), notice of receipt of a complete application has been served on the applicant. Accessibility Considerations: Not applicable Financial Considerations: Not applicable 293

6 Information Report to Heritage Kingston June 1, 2016 Page 6 of 6 Contacts: Paige Agnew, Director, Planning, Building & Licensing Services extension 3252 Greg Newman, Manager, Policy Planning extension 3289 Ryan Leary, Senior Planner, Heritage extension 3233 Other City of Kingston Staff Consulted: The application has been circulated to internal departments for review and comment. Exhibits Attached: Exhibit A Exhibit B Report from Mason Photographs of Building 294

7 Exhibit A 11 April, 2016 Heritage Planning Department City of Kingston Re. 32 Simcoe Masonry Repairs Summary The current owners of 32 Simcoe St. requested that our firm do an assessment of the Southfacing wall of the building, in response to ongoing issues with moisture inside the house. The following is an overview of current conditions, as well as a suggested scope of work for addressing these issues. Repointing The existing mortar joints are a combination of original lime material, and cement-based pointing which appears to have been done in a piecework manner, at various different times in the past. There is a wide range of conditions, from heavy erosion to cracks and voids. Although commonly used in restoration work, cement-based mortars are not suitable for use in the restoration of heritage masonry. In general, they are excessively hard, which reduces the overall permeability of the mortar joint, and its ability to absorb and evaporate moisture. The high compressive strength of such mortars also introduces increased rigidity into the wall, reducing the ability of the stonework to accommodate small movements that occur throughout the year, and resulting in cracks throughout the mortar joints. In the context of the issues presently occurring at 32 Simcoe St., the inability of the cement to absorb, and more importantly hold moisture, means that the wind driven rain is more likely to pass through the hairline cracks in the wall, where it can travel through voids in the stonework to the interior. Given the overall poor condition of the mortar joints, a full repoint of all stonework on the South facing wall is recommended using a heritage grade, lime-based mortar. All existing mortar joints would be chipped out to a minimum specified depth, cleaned out, and then replaced with lime mortar. Windows- I believe it likely that the current windows are contributing to moisture issues within the house. The metal clad storms, which are currently installed over what appears to be older, wood framed windows, are not sealed well to the stonework, and they project out from the stone arches above. The issue being that water that runs down the face of the wall, hits a barrier at this aluminum flashing, and can be diverted into the wall, where a cracked mortar joint or failed caulking can allow the moisture to then penetrate the building. Any window frame should be recessed from the stone wall, and the space between the frame and the stone filled with a flexible sealant. Because of differential rates of thermal expansion and contraction between Ontario Ltd. O/A Edgewater Stonemasons 19 Bishop Street Kingston, ON K7M 3P5 T F E. info@edgewaterstonemasons.com 295

8 Exhibit A Hairline cracks throughout the cement-based repointing mortar are a typical problem area where water is able to enter the wall. metal, wood and stone, it is crucial that the material between the window and stone be flexible enough to accommodate this movement. It is my opinion that it will be difficult to eliminate moisture completely without addressing the windows. Window sils- Presently, all three sils on the South wall appear to be concrete. It is possible that the original stone sils were replaced at some point in the past, or that the concrete is a patch material that was applied over the stone as a repair. Either way, cracks can be observed, which is a direct route for water into the wall. As well, the concrete sils do not have a drip-edge which is an indentation along the bottom of the sil meant to prevent water from travelling along the underside of the sil, and back against the wall. When water hits the drip-edge, it falls to the ground, helping to keep the wall dry Ontario Ltd. O/A Edgewater Stonemasons 19 Bishop Street Kingston, ON K7M 3P5 T F E. info@edgewaterstonemasons.com 296

9 Exhibit A The concrete sis are cracked, do not project out sufficiently from the wall, and do not include a drip edge. This is a common problem area where water goes directly through the sil and into the stone wall. I would advise removal of the sils, regardless of whether they are solid concrete, or patched stone, and replacement with sloped Kingston Limestone sils, complete with drip edge Ontario Ltd. O/A Edgewater Stonemasons 19 Bishop Street Kingston, ON K7M 3P5 T F E. info@edgewaterstonemasons.com 297

10 Exhibit A S 32 Simcoe Street- Suggested Scope of Work Repointing- Removal of existing mortar and replacement with a heritage-grade lime mortar in accordance with the City of Kingston s guidelines for historic masonry. 100% repointing of South wall. Window Sealant- Remove existing mortar around windows and replace with flexible sealant, compatible with historic masonry. Sils- Remove existing window sils, supply and install (3) cut limestone sils (local Kingston Limestone) Ontario Ltd. O/A Edgewater Stonemasons 19 Bishop Street Kingston, ON K7M 3P5 T F E. info@edgewaterstonemasons.com 298

11 Exhibit B Photographs of 32 Simcoe Street 299