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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC Packet 10.12.17 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION EMMA HARVAT HALL SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 MEMBERS PRESENT: Thomas Agran, Esther Baker, Zach Builta, Gosia Clore, Sharon DeGraw, G. T. Karr, Cecile Kuenzli, Pam Michaud, Ginalie Swaim MEMBERS ABSENT: Frank Wagner, Kevin Boyd STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow, Bob Miklo OTHERS PRESENT: RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action) CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Swaim called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS: 330 North Gilbert Street. Bristow said this house is a non-historic house, at least it was at the time the district was formed, on the south edge of the North Side Historic District. She stated that it was built about 1953. Bristow said it has a few touches of mid-century modern and is part of post-World War II infill. She said the house has a projecting second floor and an attached garage. Bristow showed where there is a small basement window. Bristow showed the north/Davenport Street side. She said there are currently two small basement windows along here. Bristow said there is an addition on the back with a small bay window and a big limestone chimney. Bristow stated that the application is to remove one of the existing basement windows on the north side and install an egress window and a window well. She said that typically, one likes to see these on the back or on the non-street side of the house. Bristow said that because the addition is on the back and the attached garage is on the south side, this house does not have another option other than this north side. Bristow said that typically, the window well should be made of the same material as the foundation. She said that here it is a block, but putting in some kind of a poured concrete window well would be acceptable. Bristow said that since the siding extends all the way to grade on this house, staff would like to see the top of the window well that projects above grade to be a material that somehow works with the siding on the house. She said that since a wood lap will not be used, staff has suggested either trying to match the stone-like brick that is on the front face or to match the limestone on the back, which may be easier. Bristow said the applicant has agreed to match one of those. She said that a double hung window will be used. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 14, 2017 Page 2 of 7 Bristow said that because there is obviously a little bit of a divot in the grade near the window, the owners will be repairing that a little bit and anchoring the basement wall back into the ground. She said it is bowing in a little bit and is apparently in danger of collapsing on this side. Bristow said that staff recommends approval of this project, even though it does have an egress window on the north side, because of the fact that there are not really any other better alternatives for the location. Karr asked if the double hung window will meet the egress requirements in the building code. Bristow replied that the owners are actually going to use a casement window that has a division to look like a double hung window. MOTION: DeGraw moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 330 North Gilbert as presented in the application and revised as described in the staff report with the following condition: that the exposed portion of the egress window well is clad in stone or brick matching either the material on the front or back of the house. Clore seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9-0 (Boyd and Wagner absent). 418 North Gilbert Street. Bristow stated that this house is also in the North Side Historic District. She said that it is a key, contributing property. Bristow said this project involves the garage. She stated that the survey showed that the house was moved in order to build either the post office on the corner of Linn and Washington or an apartment building across Washington Street from the post office, because there was a row of houses with this footprint in that area originally. Bristow showed where the garage is located behind the house. She stated that it is a very small garage built out of a rock cut block. Bristow showed the area of the wall that is bowing out and has a large crack. She said that some of the foundation is failing. Bristow said that the contractor is proposing to rebuild the wall and then actually wrap the block around on each side of the front face. She said it would be one block that they would tooth in, and there will be a mixture of existing block and new block to match. Bristow said that would then reduce the size of the area for a garage door. She said that currently, there is a very small garage anyway; each door is only eight feet wide. Bristow said staff finds that it would be acceptable for this, especially since it is an alley-facing garage, to use one garage door that spans the whole 14 feet that will be left. She said that the new garage door would not have windows, but it would be modeled on the type of one garage door that looks more like a pair of folding garage doors. Bristow said the owners would like to use part of the Courtyard Collection at Dan's Overhead Doors. She showed a photograph of the basic door but said that the proportions are a little different than what one would end up with. Bristow showed a diagram that is pretty much to scale in terms of the single door looking like a pair of garage doors with no window. She said staff would be working with the applicant to figure out where the window is under the piece of plywood and replace it if it is broken. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 14, 2017 Page 3 of 7 Bristow said staff recommends allowing a change in the structure of this garage, because it is necessary to stabilize it. She said that therefore reduces the size of the door and results in staff recommending a single door instead of two. Clore asked if it is known when the house was moved. Bristow responded that it was built in 1896 and moved in 1904. MOTION: Builta moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 418 North Gilbert Street as presented in the application and staff report with the following conditions: 1) the matching concrete block will be approved by staff and chair, 2) the final garage door will be approved by staff and chair, and 3) a replacement window, if necessary, for the east window will be approved by staff and chair. Karr seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9-0 (Boyd and Wagner absent). REPORTS ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Certificate of No Material Effect - Chair and Staff Review. 828 Church Street. Bristow said this house is in the northeast corner of the Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District. She said the house is getting new storm windows, which do not need review, but there will also be reconstruction of some of the wood window sills, which involves a certificate of no material effect. 221 Fairchild Street. Bristow stated that this house is in the North Side Historic District. She said the house will be getting new roof shingles. 816 East College Street. Bristow said this house has a porch that really needs some pier repair. She said the whole column, including the porch floor, is sinking. Bristow said the pier will be repaired, and the wood will be replaced with wood to match existing. Minor Review - Staff Review. 521 North Van Buren Street. Bristow stated that this house had many of its windows replaced prior to the formation of the Goosetown/Horace Mann District, except for two windows on the side and the large front window. She said staff approved replacing the two side windows to match the rest. Bristow said the large front window is unusual, however, because it is a double hung with an uneven sash size, and it is actually operable. She said staff convinced the owners to go ahead and rehab that window. Bristow said the contractor is looking for an operable storm, but they may just put a fixed storm in it. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 14, 2017 Page 4 of 7 223 South Dodge Street. Bristow said this house has always had a mixture of original windows and replacement windows. She stated that it is slowly getting rid of some very deteriorated windows and some older replacement windows. Bristow said the dormer on the Burlington Street side is really rotted out and is getting critters in there. She said the owners are replacing that window. 613 Grant Street. Bristow said this house just needed new site stairs and railing. She said staff went out to review the new stairs, because for a while the new concrete stairs had big concrete sidewalls that were not appropriate. Bristow said the contractor repaired the sidewalls so that they now work correctly. She said the owner will be putting a simple, black, metal handrail on that. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR AUGUST 10, 2017: MOTION: Agran moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's August 10, 2017 meeting, as written. Builta seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9-0 (Boyd and Wagner absent). COMMISSION INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION: Iowa City Downtown District Update with Alexa McDowell. McDowell gave an update on the Downtown District. She said that the primary component is a re-survey/update of the 2001 Survey and Evaluation for the purpose of determining whether or not an historic district still remains and, if so, what those boundaries would be, and also for differentiating contributing from non-contributing resources. McDowell said the site work and photography work has all been done on that. She said her research staff has completed the initial updates of all of the inventories, with the exception of a handful of them that are a little confusing in terms of how they were recorded or counted previously. McDowell said that by and large, that work is therefore done. McDowell said what remains about that piece is for her to go through and do a very thorough comparison against the work that was done in 2001. She said she has spent a lot of time downtown looking and evaluating the properties but will be taking a look at the images and the text that Marlys Svendsen prepared when she evaluated the properties. McDowell said her aim is to have a preliminary statement or material presentation by the middle of October about whether a district exists or not. She said it will be something that she will be looking for feedback about from the Commission. McDowell said the other part of this involves conversations with a variety of people, ranging from developers, architects, University personnel, preservationists, and business people. She said she received an initial list of names from the City, the downtown district, and preservationists, so that there would be a good cross-section of perspectives. McDowell said one thing that is clear about this is that everyone recognizes that the heart of the downtown is the historic buildings. She said there is very clearly a conversation about how to HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 14, 2017 Page 5 of 7 accommodate change and protect the historic buildings at the same time and about how this gets very complicated. McDowell said that conversation continues. She stated that at this point, she will be concentrating on defining the district, if it exists, and what those structures are. McDowell said that is the big piece, because at that point one can begin to talk about what comes next. McDowell said she will be back multiple times by the end of October. She invited Commission members to reach out to her through the City to provide thoughts and feedback. Miklo said that City Channel 4 did tape the recent event regarding the downtown at the Englert. He said that once that is available, staff will send the Commission members a link to watch the video. McDowell said that she will be doing two more presentations. She said that one will be directed to downtown business and property owners to answer questions about National Register requirements, etc. Discussion of 109 East Market Street - Sanxay-Gilmore House. Swaim said there is not an application regarding this property at this time, so there is no decision or action for the Commission to take. She said there will not be public discussion, but this is really just to share what is known at this point with the Commission. Swaim said that two weeks ago, the Press Citizen disclosed that the University hopes to purchase this lot, not the building but the lot, from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, which uses it for offices and its campus ministry. She said the article stated that the University is conducting a feasibility study regarding building on this lot and three adjoining lots that are on Clinton Street. Swaim stated that in early 2015, the Commission recommended that the Planning and Zoning Commission pay special attention to this house when considering amendments to the Comprehensive Plan (Central Planning District), which the Commission considers the number one priority for landmark status. She said that consequently, the City Council amended its Comprehensive Plan because of the recommendation. Swaim said that the packet included a brief write-up on the history of this house, which is known as the Sanxay-Gilmore House. She stated that the significance of the house lies in four facts. Swaim said the house is associated with a very early family in Iowa City's history in terms of business and culture - the Sanxay family. Swaim said the house is also associated with Eugene Gilmore, who was the University President during the very active building period in the University's history in the 1930s. Swaim said that Gilmore and his wife lived in the house from 1946 onward for some years. Swaim said it is perhaps the earliest and one of the strongest examples of Greek Revival domestic architecture. She said it has a lot of Italianate details as well. Swaim stated that the building has always been dated to 1855 -1860, but there is some indication that it may well have been built as early as 1843, which would make it the oldest HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 14, 2017 Page 6 of 7 house in what was then the city limits of Iowa City. She said it is therefore a significant house in all four respects. Swaim said there were subsequent articles after that first one in the Press-Citizen that said that the church would like to move this house to the immediate west of the building at 130 Jefferson, the Park House Hotel, the building with the mansard roof. She said the article stated that the University would help cover the cost of moving. Swaim said she is extremely pleased to see that the University and the church both really want to save this house, and she could not agree more. She said that the green space, where they propose to move this house, is part of 130 Jefferson, the Park House Hotel. Swaim said the Hotel was built in 1850 and served as a hotel when Iowa City was still the State capital. She said it later became a boarding and day school for girls and was called St. Agatha's female seminary until 1909. Swaim said it was then a women's dormitory for a while, and then it became Berkeley Apartments and so on. Swaim stated that there is historical evidence that this space to the west of the building, where the trees are, has been historically a green space. She said that nothing of substance has ever been built on it. Swaim said there are very few examples of that kind of open space from the original town. Miklo said that because this is part of both a National Register and local historic district, if something were to be moved or built on this site, it would require the Commission's approval for any construction. He said that staff has raised the question with the State Historic Preservation Office, and they reminded staff once again that it is a National Register District so they would want to consult with the National Park Service. Miklo stated that there is some concern that moving a building to or building on this site would have an adverse effect on the two adjacent buildings: the Park House Hotel and the historic convent to the west, so it would be looked at very carefully. He said that no decisions have been made, and in fact, there is no proposal before the Commission to construct on this site. Miklo said that some caution has been raised, however, that it will have to be looked into with the concern of not having an effect on an adjacent historic site. He said staff wants to put it out there that there would be some concern about any potential construction on this particular site. Swaim stated that from a preservation viewpoint, the very best practice is to leave a building where it is - where the history happened. She said that the hope is to explore all avenues for this house. Swaim said she is very excited that everyone seems to want to keep this house. She said that all avenues will be explored with the University and with the church, and the Commission will be kept informed as all of this unfolds. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 5:56 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2017-2018 KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a Member NAME TERM EXP. 9/8 10/13 11/10 12/8 1/12 2/9 3/9 4/13 5/11 6/15 7/31 8/10 9/14 AGRAN, THOMAS 7/1/20 X X X X X X O/E X X X X X X BAKER, ESTHER 7/1/18 X X O/E X X X O/E X X X X X X BOYD, KEVIN 7/1/20 X X X O/E X X X X X X O/E X BUILTA, ZACH 7/1/19 X X X X O/E X X O/E X X O/E X X CLORE, GOSIA 7/1/20 X O/E X X X O/E X X X X X O/E X DEGRAW, SHARON 7/1/19 X O/E X X X X X X O/E X X X X KARR, G. T. 7/1/20 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X KUENZLI, CECILE 7/1/19 X X X X O/E X X O/E O/E X O/E O/E X MICHAUD, PAM 7/1/18 X X X X X X X X X X X O/E X SWAIM, GINALIE 7/1/18 X X X O/E O/E X X X X X X X X WAGNER, FRANK 7/1/18 X O/E X X X X X X X O/E O/E X