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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC 04.12.18 Packet (2) MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MARCH 8, 2018 MEMBERS PRESENT: Thomas Agran, Esther Baker, Kevin Boyd, Zach Builta, Sharon DeGraw, G. T. Karr, Cecile Kuenzli, Pam Michaud, Ginalie Swaim, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Gosia Clore STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow OTHERS PRESENT: Nick Lindsley, John Logel 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. CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS: 10 South Gilbert Street. Bristow said this is the former Unitarian-Universalist Church that became a local landmark last year and that the Commission reviewed a portion of the new development more recently. She said the current project is the stair and elevator tower addition on the south side of the Church building. She showed the front of the church and then the south side of the Church and the new addition. Bristow stated that staff had worked with the architect to discuss options to tie into the building. She said staff had suggested a roofline that mimicked the gable roofline of the church. She said the architect had pointed out how that would cause more of the church building to be altered by the new addition. She said staff agreed that a separate structure would be better for the church. Bristow said that looking at Preservation Brief 14 from the National Park Service would be appropriate for this project. She showed images from the document and talked about how they are simple forms. She said that they are behind the historic buildings and that one has a “hyphen” or indent that separates it from the historic building. Then she showed a church and said it had a larger addition with the same roof as the church. She said this addition is separated but it is also a meeting space. She said that it is a larger space so it can have the bigger roof like the church. She said the meeting space is not small like a stair tower. Bristow showed the south side of the church and showed a diagram of the openings the addition will make in the wall. She showed the diagram of opening from the interior. Bristow stated that the original idea had a smaller addition but would reduce the size of the organ room. Bristow said the stair and elevator are all outside the historic church so the church does not change for that. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 8, 2018 Page 2 of 8 Bristow showed the plans for the addition and an image of the addition with the development behind. She said that the brick will match the church and the windows will be a kind of dark storefront material. She showed the addition from the other side. Bristow said that staff finds the addition acceptable because it places everything outside the church and does not impact the church structure. She said the materials will blend with the church and staff recommends approval. Kuenzli asked if the brick will match because the picture was not very clear and it didn’t look like it would be right. Bristow said that the architect will have samples and match the church. Lindsley said that the brick will match the church. He said if this doesn’t match well another brick will be chosen. Michaud asked if the addition could have a roof with a slope so that water does not leak inside the Church or the Addition. Lindsley said that they looked at a gable roof. He said that the elevator in the addition has an area above it, above the top floor for equipment. He said that because of that space, if a gable roof is put above that it becomes tall enough that the addition roof begins to compete with the church roof. Lindsley said that they do not want to impact the Church more than they have to in order to add a stair and elevator. He said that the owner will do a tax credit project for the work on the older church building. He said they set the addition in from the sides so that the structure of the church will remain intact. The addition could be removed in the future. Michaud asked if the color of the window frame will match the dark brown. Lindsley said the dark bronze frame is chosen to match the dark brown trim on the church. Michaud asked if the south church wall will be repaired. Lindsley referred to the diagram of openings and said that the concrete block that is not removed for the new openings will be replaced with brick and the old brick arch in the wall will remain. Swaim said that passersby might see the elevator/stair addition and assume it is part of the surrounding new buildings. Agran said that the addition does not bother him because it echoes the style of the new buildings being built around it. MOTION: Agran moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 10 S. Gilbert Street, as presented in the staff report. Boyd seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Clore absent). 8 Bella Vista Place. Wagner recused himself from this project. Bristow said this is the same house that had the front terrace approved and then a new garage and kitchen. She said this application is for the basement egress windows. She said the applicant is now finishing the basement and with new finished basements an egress window is required. Bristow showed the front and south sides of the house. She said that egress windows are usually on the back but with this house it is paved. She said that the egress window should not go on the front and the north side slopes down and away so egress windows would be very visible. She said that the south side is the best option. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 8, 2018 Page 3 of 8 Bristow showed the south side and three basement windows there. She said that the front window is alone and the two back windows are like a pair because they are next to each other. Bristow said that to get more light and have them be the same, the applicant would like to make both of the back windows egress windows. Bristow said that staff finds this acceptable. Kuenzli asked if the front window will not match then. Bristow said that the two new windows will be casement windows for egress. She said they will be black to match the other basement windows instead of white like the upper windows. She said they will have a muntin bar to appear similar to a double hung window. She said the upper portion will have three divided lights to look like the other basement windows. Bristow said that window wells will usually match the foundation which on this house is brick. She said this house has concrete window wells so the new ones will match that. MOTION: Boyd moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 8 Bella Vista Place, as presented in the staff report with the condition that window product material is approved by staff. Agran seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9-0 (Clore absent and Wagner recused). 720 North Dodge Street. Bristow said this house is a pristine, well-cared-for example of a bungalow in the Brown Street Historic District. She said the application is for a kitchen and bathroom addition. She showed an image of the back yard. Bristow said she spoke with the applicants last fall about the location of the addition. She said that it has a very small back yard and a nearby cistern. Bristow showed an image of the side yard and also where the cistern is located. She said that as people drive down Dodge street it is hard to see the North side of the house. She said that the area on the back of the house is too tight to put the addition there so staff found it acceptable to build the addition on the north side set back from the street. Bristow showed the north side of the house and showed where the front window will remain and the addition will be behind that. She showed another small window that will be moved to the north wall of the addition. She showed another window that will be replaced because it is too small. Bristow said that the project also went through several versions. She said that the roof was originally a shed roof which ties in awkwardly to the house. The front window was very small. Staff worked with the applicant to refine the design. She said that they looked at other one-story additions in the neighborhood. It appeared that the additions with flat roofs tended to work best. Bristow showed the plan and the location of the new windows and said they would be Marvin Integrity Double Hung windows. She showed the elevation drawings and how the roof is now a low hip roof. Kuenzli asked if a shed roof would be better since the house has a rear shed roof addition and has a shed roof on the bump-out. Bristow said that the addition was too long to have a shed roof look right on the house because it creates an awkward wall condition facing the street. The angle of the roof would be different from the bump out. The low hip roof creates a better street presence because of the horizontal roof edge. Bristow said that all of the trim details, siding, and foundation would match the house. She said that at the time the agenda packet was made, there were questions about some of the windows HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 8, 2018 Page 4 of 8 and the roof. She said, for the windows, the front window will be only 10 inches shorter than the front windows. It needs to be shorter because of the bathroom layout. Bristow said that the applicant is going to reroof the house in architectural shingles and the new addition will be the same. MOTION: Agran moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 720 North Dodge Street, as presented in the staff report Baker seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Clore absent). 727 Dearborn Street. Bristow said this house is in the Dearborn Street Conservation District and at the time of the survey of the area it was non-historic. Now that it is 50 years old it could be considered historic but it is unclear whether it would be considered contributing or non-contributing to the District. Bristow showed the front of the house and commented that the metal chimney was added, as was the bay projection on the north side. She showed the back of the house and the rear gable projection with a bay window that is not centered. Bristow said that the glass block window is also not original. Bristow said the project now is to add an addition to the back of the house on the south end. She said the addition would be set in one foot from the south side of the house. She said the addition would project 14 and a half feet toward the rear of the lot. Bristow said the roof slope and eave line of the new addition will match the existing house. She said that the aluminum siding had previously been approved to be removed and new cement board siding was approved to replace it. She said the applicants will work with staff to review any trim details after the aluminum is removed. She said the new addition will match the main house. Bristow showed drawings of the addition and said that the addition will encroach on the rear projection so that its roofline will be centered over it and the bay window will be more centered. She also said that the existing skylights in the main roof will likely be removed and the owner wants to install two Sonotube skylights in the new addition. She said that they would be located in the back facing north and would not be visible from most locations. Bristow showed the north side of the new addition and said it is next to the deck and will not have any windows. She said that in the plan that area is a closet and a bathroom. She said that because the space faces the deck and the house is likely non-contributing to the district, staff finds this acceptable. Bristow showed the south side of the new addition and said that the two windows are narrower than the ones on the south side of the existing house and spaced further apart. She showed an image of the side of the house and said that the property line is right there and the neighbor has a tall fence. She said that it will be difficult to see the side of the addition from the street. She said that since the house is likely non-contributing and the house has narrow bay windows to mimic with these windows, staff finds the windows acceptable. Michaud asked if the depth of the addition would exceed that of the existing deck so the tree would need to be removed. Bristow confirmed that it would. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 8, 2018 Page 5 of 8 MOTION: Michaud moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 727 Dearborn Street, as presented in the staff report with the condition that the applicant work with staff on the siding details. Karr seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Clore absent). 424 Davenport Street. Wagner recused himself from this project. Bristow said that house is a foursquare built in 1909. She said the project is a garage demolition and reconstruction. She said that the garage was built in 1912 and is severely deteriorated. She showed a picture of the corner and said the garage looks like it has been hit by a car. Bristow said this garage is a single-story garage with a gable roof, exposed rafter tails and Dutch lap siding. She said the project would replicate the existing garage. She showed pictures of the roof and said that it is rotten and shows underneath. She showed a picture of the windows and said the new garage would have new windows because some of the sashes are missing and they are boarded up now. Bristow showed details of the wood trim and siding. She said that she didn’t know if the garage could be salvaged at all because the material is checked and has dry rot. She showed the large doors on the alley and said the garage has a sliding door with two swinging doors next to it to enlarge the opening. She said all of the garage details would be copied in the new garage. Bristow showed an aerial photograph. She said that the only change to the new garage will be the location. She said that the current garage is on the east property line and too close to the alley. Bristow said that to satisfy zoning codes the new garage will be built 4 feet off the property line and 5 feet off the alley. MOTION: Kuenzli moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 424 Davenport Street, as presented in the staff report with the condition that the window and door product materials are approved by staff. DeGraw seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9-0 (Clore absent, Wagner recused). John Logel, who owns 720 Dodge with his wife, thanked the commissioner for their work and especially Jessica Bristow for working through various options with him and his wife. He said that they have long enjoyed living in the neighborhood but thought they might have to move if they could not figure out how to add an addition. They are pleased to stay in the house and neighborhood. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 8, 2018: MOTION: Baker moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's February 8, 2018 meeting. Kuenzli seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Clore absent). COMMISSION INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION: HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 8, 2018 Page 6 of 8 Swaim said that we have multiple additions to this section of the meeting Annual Work Plan Report to City Council. Bristow explained that the packet includes the Annual Work Plan Report which the Commission approved at the last meeting. Gloria Dei Letter to Ginalie Swaim re: Sanxay-Gilmore House. Bristow said that correspondence from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church to the mayor and to Commission Chair Swaim is included in the packet. She said that responses by the mayor and Swaim were handed out to the Commission. Kuenzli asked what the reference to Hodge refers to in the church’s letter. Swaim said that as owner, Hodge had offered to donate land in the courtyard at 130 Jefferson to Gloria Dei so that the house could be moved there. Kuenzli asked what happens next. Swaim said that first off, the good news is that the historic courtyard at 130 Jefferson has been saved. She said that there are several issues to figure out regarding 109 Market. She said that Bristow and staff are looking for possible lots where the house could be relocated, and that issues of distance, street width, tree cover, and cost will all figure in. Kuenzli asked if only city-owned lots are being sought. Bristow said that available lots might include city-owned property, or lots owned by the University of Iowa or Mercy Hospital, for example, that they no longer want. Swaim encouraged commissioners to contact Bristow with any ideas. Bristow said that a structural engineer or architect skilled in historic structures will need to assess the house in terms of the construction of its additions and how they are joined to the original part and to each other to evaluate the feasibility of moving the house. Kuenzli asked about the size of this house and how moving it would compare to moving the Houser-Metzger House. Bristow said the Sanxay-Gilmore House is 36 feet wide and that some of the streets are 40 feet wide. Bristow said that the moving company charged about $35,000 for the Houser-Metzger House, and that there is an estimate of about $125,000 for moving the Sanxay-Gilmore House. Swaim said that the house is obviously a lot heavier because it is made of brick. Kuenzli asked if it could be a single-family home again. Bristow said that is one possibility. Bristow said there are several unknowns regarding costs and outcomes. Chuck Grassley Letter to Mayor James Throgmorton re: Historic Tax Credits. Bristow said that included in the packet is a letter from Senator Grassley in response to a letter from Mayor Throgmorton regarding historic tax credits. Channel 4 video proposal. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 8, 2018 Page 7 of 8 Bristow said that she received a memo from Ty Coleman, from local Channel 4, which has been producing brief videos about various topics of city government. Coleman’s idea is to produce some videos about the city’s boards and commissions, and how the members view their work. Bristow said that since the Historic Preservation Commission has long had an opening for the Jefferson Street Historic District and will have potentially four additional openings this summer, a video on the commission would be useful, if the commission is open to this idea. Swaim agreed that this could helpful. Bristow said that the video would be three to five minutes long, that it would be produced quite soon, and asked for volunteers to be interviewed. Agran, Boyd, Michaud, and Swaim volunteered. Kuenzli asked if questions could be given ahead of time so interviewees could prepare their answers. Bristow said that this might be possible and she would inquire. City Park Cabin restoration update. Bristow said that a few city staffers, including Bob Miklo and some of Parks and Recreation staff, recently drove to Clemons, Iowa, to observe progress on the two log cabins from City Park. She said that a preservation grant is paying for work on the roof. Bristow said that the Heritage Wood Works had numbered each piece of the cabins, disassembled them, and then transported them to their workshop in Clemons. Bristow showed photos of the project. In the photo the original logs are quite dark and are marked with yellow tags. New replacement logs appear much lighter. Bristow said that one of the reasons for deterioration of the cabins was because small pieces of wood had been added to the chinking in especially large gaps between existing logs. This had introduced moisture and rot. Bristow said that an epoxy-like material was added to the original logs to help preserve them. Bristow showed photos of the hand tools used and of a worker making wood shingles by hand. Boyd asked about the timeline for completion. Bristow said that final completion is expected by October 2018. Michaud asked if the cabins would be returned to their original site in City Park. Bristow said yes. Local Landmarks Bristow said that the landmark nominations of the seven properties would be on the Planning and Zoning Commission agenda for March 15. Michaud asked if these were the brick houses. Bristow confirmed that this included the six brick houses plus the Byfield House on Park Road in Manville Heights. Agran asked if they would be presented and voted on as a group or as individual properties. Bristow said they would be presented individually and voted on individually. She said that Planning and Zoning’s criteria is how these fit in with the Comprehensive Plan and related neighborhood plans. Bristow encouraged commissioners to attend the meeting if possible. Boyd asked if the Planning and Zoning Commission accepted written comments. Bristow said yes. Swaim affirmed this. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6:40 p.m. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2017-2018 KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a Member NAME TERM EXP. 6/15 7/31 8/10 9/14 10/12 11/9 12/14 1/11 2/8 3/8 4/12 5/10 6/14 AGRAN, THOMAS 7/1/20 X X X X X X X X X X BAKER, ESTHER 7/1/18 X X X X X X X X X X BOYD, KEVIN 7/1/20 X O/E X O/E X X X X X X BUILTA, ZACH 7/1/19 X O/E X X X X X X O/E X CLORE, GOSIA 7/1/20 X X O/E X X X O/E O/E X O/E DEGRAW, SHARON 7/1/19 X X X X X X O/E X X X KARR, G. T. 7/1/20 -- X X X X X X X X X KUENZLI, CECILE 7/1/19 X O/E O/E X O/E X X X X X MICHAUD, PAM 7/1/18 X X O/E X X X X X X X SWAIM, GINALIE 7/1/18 X X X X X O/E X X X X WAGNER, FRANK 7/1/18 O/E O/E X O/E X X O/E O/E X X