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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-23-2018 Historic Preservation CommissionIowa City Historic Preservation Commission c Thursday C4��eti' e August 23, 2018 ^ o 4 j �h 5:30 p.m. •'1 w• �n '� e , " • IN a� w . 5 f Helling Conference Room =% City Hall nn/, q ww•mP6wKw,f . S f. IOWA CITY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Thursday, August 23, 2018 City Hall, 410 E. Washington Street Helling Conference Room 5:30 p.m. A) Call to Order B) Roll Call C) Public discussion of anything not on the agenda D) Certificate of Appropriateness 1. 115 S. Dubuque Street —Franklin Printing House —Local and National Register Historic Landmark (signage) E) Adjournment If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jessica Bristow, Urban Planning, at 319-356-5243 or at jessica-bristow@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. Staff Report August 20,2018 Historic Review for 115 S. Dubuque Street DistrictDowntown Classification: Local and National Register Listed Landmark The applicant, MediaQuest Sign Company, is requesting approval for a proposed alteration project at 115 S. Dubuque Street, the Franklin Printing House, a Local Historic Landmark in the Central Business District which is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The project consists of installing an illuminated flag -mounted sign at the storefront on the building. Applicable Regulations and Guidelines: 10.0 The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation Iowa City Downtown District Storefront and Signage Guidelines Staff Comments This three-story brick building was built in 1856 in a Victorian Renaissance style with a rectangular plan and narrow storefront. The walls are clad in brick and the upper levels have three evenly spaced windows. They are one -over -one double hung windows with metal pedimented hoods and side brackets and a cast iron sill. The pressed metal cornice is set above a corbeled brick raised plane and consists of an ornate frieze, a band of dentils, a row of modillions, and a crown molding. The storefront is the product of a 1984 rehabilitation of the building that incorporated cast iron pilasters discovered while work was being completed. The storefront includes a pair of offset doors on the right side leading to the upstairs apartments and the shop space below. A display window on the left has three plate glass windows set on a brick bulkhead. The clerestory over the display window and doors has five square lights and a plain signboard separates the storefront from the second floor. The building is a well-preserved example of a Victorian Renaissance Style Commercial block. It is associated with two of Iowa City's earliest newspapers, the Iowa Capital Reporter and the Iowa Standard (later the Iowa City Republican). The applicant is proposing to install a double-faced, illuminated flag -mount sign to the storefront. The sign will be mounted to the pilaster on the right or north side of the entry doors so that the bottom of the sign is at or above the 8-foot height required by city regulations. The sign is metal with a black -painted frame and grey -painted face. The letters are cut out and backed by white acrylic and the sign is internally illuminated by LEDs. The guidelines are limited in recommendations applicable to this project. In order to review projects that are not covered in individual sections, the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation are included in Section 10. Number Nine of the standards states that exterior alterations shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property and the new work shall be differentiated from the old and compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. For more guidance, the National Park Service has published Preservation Brief 25 which includes a section on new signs on the last page (included in the packet). This Brief states that signs should work with the building rather than against it Often features or details of the building will suggest a motif for new signs. Signs should not obscure significant features of the historic building. Sign materials should be compatible with those of the historic building. Materials characteristic of the building's period and style, used in contemporary designs, can form effective new signs. The Iowa City Downtown District has also published Storefront and Signage Guidelines (included in the packet). The signage guidelines encourage projecting signs, durable materials, dimensional letterforms, and a scale to fit the building. Sign placement should take into consideration the architectural features and proportions of the building and when a sign band exists fit signs into the original space of the sign band. Storefront projecting signs are located below the second -floor window sill, a minimum of S feet above the sidewalk and project a maximum of 4 feet. Plastic signs with painted letters where the entire face of the sign is illuminated is not allowed. In Staffs opinion, new sign designs are a necessary and welcome part of a vibrant, active downtown that require a blending of old and new materials and designs. Staff has worked with the sign designer to revise the original design to be more compatible with the existing storefront and to revise the location of the sign. Placing signage in the sign band was discussed but was not optimal because the logo of the business is more square than linear and would not fit well proportionally in the sign band. A projecting sign was preferred by the business and is a type of sign seen on many buildings in the Central Business District. The new location, mounted at the pilaster, locates the sign near the shop door and at a height appropriate to the storefront and signage regulations. This location is also preferred over locations such as the window mullion or the brick wall above the sign band. The sign will be at a location and scale meant to attract pedestrian traffic. The metal sign material is a common material for modern signs but also relates to the metal cornice and window trim. The black frame of the sign relates to the heavy frame of the storefront, pilasters, and sign band. The cutout letters are the only portion of the sign illuminated. The sign design makes some refence to the historic building but is a more simplified design to distinguish it from the historic building. Staff finds the new sign design appropriate for the historic building. Recommended Motion Move to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 115 S. Dubuque Street as presented in the application. '0A s,. - - I APPOO on mW W.Ork RWWW Application for elteraftne to tim historic laedmerla or p vpetdes locaaad In a h ftdo detrict or ammervadwx district pinacutt to Iowa Cily Code Section l"Q Guidelines ibr du HWWW Review process, explanation of the peocci s and mplatioa can be !herd in the Iowa CW EfBd&* Proaarvratlwt Anildbook which is availd* in the NeiShborhood sod Development Services office at City Mll or online at: tvwwdcgov cog/ FG 1. a lonrarow err, ForSWUm Dole submitted: 13 cad®naro am mmwid Emot 17 cawwleofAmapboa 0 blyasmbw a lismedomssaiar 0 Ilfbm sev6w The HPC doss not review applications for compliance with building and inning codes. Wort most comply with all opproprims coda and be reviewed by the building division prior to the Issuance of a building permit. Mecfbag Schedalet The HIT toeets do second Tinnft of esdx month. Applications an dun In din office of N oighborhoW and Development Services by noon an Wednesday three weeks prior to the mo ding. 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VIEWING DISTANCE OF COPY. UP TO 421.8 FT D/F ILLUMINATED EXTERIOR FLAG -MOUNTED SIGN. FABRICATE INTERIOR STRUCTURE ON 3"ALUMINUM TUBE. ALUMINUM FACES TO BE ROUTED AND BACKED WITH WHITE ACRYLIC. 1 "RETURNS TO BE REMOVABLE. ILLUMINATE WITH LEDS. SELF CONTAINED POWER SUPPLY. PAINTAS PER PRINT. 3"ALUM/NUM TUBE MOUNTING ARM. PAINT. ROUTED 1/4"ALUMINUM MOUNTING PLATE. PAINT. INSTALL M LOCATIONAS PER PRINT WITH 112" DROPdN ANCHORS, 2"LONG. RI: 08.17.2018ISS%-INCREASED SIZE R2: R3: R4: DESIDBAPPROVEDBY: AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE DATE LANDLORD SIGNATURE DATE Copyright 02017MadiaQuest Sign company, LLC. All Rights Resemad. 2 PRESERVATION 5 BRIEFS :Ile nmservation of Historic Signs Michael J. Auer U.B. Depelmertaf We IMalor MOmW Park Service Caftwal Resources Ptir ervatloa Assistsace refers to a great mumbw of verbal, symbolic or frgaral mark- ers. PbeWs, billbowda, graffiti and lrafftc stgma4, eeryanac l�ae, dunh and iwaper atiekam, laetgata ore baeabal! cape a� tee ak all of theme are "slgrn."Bulldirrgs themxlves can be sJgrrs, as draped k+7ce hot doge, coffee pots wCltlppendale higkboya Meet. Tks eacoa domed each day am seemingly countless, for tasgaage N�e is lily s rst"lic. 7b10 Brlgf hme ,rail limit its diseasaloa of "algae" to lettered or symbolic messages affixed to histaNc bxildinga or ass"law with awn, Signs are everywhere. And everywhere they play an important role in human activity. They identify. They direct and decorate. They promote, inform, and adver- tise. Signs are essentially social. They dame a human activity, and often identify who is doing it. Signs allow the owner to cntnmunicate with the reader, and the people inside a building to communicate with those outside of it. Signs speak of the people who run the businesses, shops, and firms. Signs are signatures. They reflect the owner's tastes and personalittyy They often reflect the ethnic makeup of a ne�hborhood and its character, as well as the social and business activities carried out there. By giving concrete details about daily life in a former era, historic signs allow the past to speak to the present in ways that buildings by emselves do not (Figs. 1 and 2). And multiple = ' historic signs on the same building can indicates al periods in its history or use. In this respect, signs like archeologi- cal layers that reveal different periods human occu- pancy and use. Historic signs give continuity to public aces, be- cmningpaart of the community memory. ` some- times become landmarks in themselves, aim without regard for the building to which they are atta or the .property on which they stand. Furthermo in an age of uniform franchise signs and generic pla ' "box" signs, historic signs often attract by their in 'vid- uality: by a clever detail, a dazing use of color and bio- tion, or a reference to particular people, shops, or events. C i,� -6 e — 1. Ddail fmm a bmy Chi qo street merkel, abase 1905. The sign oast the sklewAdepicts a Nsh. It also gives the Hobnw ktim fDr the English cords "Fish Market. •" 7'ia sip offem information abort Me pe%* who pats mism the store that is not avar7able from k aft of the buildings. They were European Jena wlw wens ing to kw n EmglM. Chicago Historian Soedetg negative number t 19155. Yet historic signs pose problems for those who would save them. Buildings change uses. Businesses undergo change in ownership. New ownership or use normally brings change in signs. Signs are typically part of a business owner`s sales strategy, and may be changed to reflect evolving business practices or to project a new image- sign is then sealed with a clear, water-resistant "neon' gas (neon or mercury -argon) added. Neon varnish. gives red light, mercury -argon produces blue. Gilded signs, both surface and reverse on glass, Other colors are produced }ry using colored glass can be cleaned gently with soap and water, using and any of dozens of phosphor coatings inside a soft cloth. Additionally, for glass signs, the vac the tube. Green, for exampple, can be produced by nish backing should be replaced every seven years using mercury -argon in yellow glass. Since color at the latest. is so important in neon signs, it is vital to deter - Neon. Neon signs can last 50 years, although mine the original color or colors. A neon studio 20-25 years is more typical. When a neon sign can accomplish this using a number of specialized fails, it is not because the gas has "failed," but techniques. because the system surrounding it has broken A failing transformer can cause the neon sign to down. The glass tubes have been broken, for ex- flicker intensely, and may have to be replaced. ample, thus letting the gas escape, or the elec- Flickering neon can also indicate a problem with trades or transformers have failed. If the tube is the gas pressure inside the tube. The gas may be broken, a new one must be made by a highly at too high or too low a pressure. if so, the gas skilled "glass bender." After the hot glass tube must be repumped. has been shaped, it must undergo 'purification" Repairs to neon signs also include repairs to the The "metal before being refilled with gas. The glass and the surrounding components of the sign. metal electrode at the end of the tube are heated cans" that often serve as backdrops to the tubing in turns. As these elements become hot, surface may need cleaning or, in case of rust, scraping impurities bum off into the tube. The resulting and repairh'ng vapor is then removed through "evacuation" —the As with gilded signs, repair of neons signs is process of treating a vacuum. Only then is the not a matter for amateurs (Fig. 17). New Signs and Historic Buildings Preserving old siis one�t ung. Making new ones is another. Closely related to the preservation of historic signs on historic buildings is the subject of new signs for historic buildii s. Determining what new signs are appropriate for historic buildings, however, involves a major paradox: Historic sign practices were not always "sympathetic" to buildings. They were often unsympa- thetic to the building, or frankly contemptuous of it. Repeating some historic practices, thore, would definitely not be recommended. Yet many efforts to control signage lead to bland sameness. For this reason the National Park Service discourages the adoption of local guidelines that are too restrictive, and that effectively dictate uniform signs within commercial districts. Instead, it encourages communities to promote diversity in signs —their sizes, types, colors, lighting, lettering and other qualities. It also encourages business owners to choose signs that reflect their own tastes, values, and personalities. At the same time, tenant sign practices can be stricter than sign ordinances. The National Park Service therefore encourages businesses to fit their sign programs to the building. The following points should be considered when desr'grung and constructing new signs for historic b�iludi&s. o signs should be viewed as part of an overall graphics system for the building. They do not have to do all the "work" by themselves. The building's form, name and outstanding features, both decorative and functional, also support the advertising function of a sign. Signs should work with the building, rather than against it. * new signs should respect the size, scale and design of the historic building. Often features or details of the building will suggest a motif for new signs. • sign placement is important: new signs should not obscure significant features of the historic building. (Signs above a storefront should fit within the his- toric signboard, for example.) • new signs should also respect neighboring buildings. They should not shadow or averpower adjacent structures. • sign materials should be compatible with those of the historic building. Materials characteristic of the build- ing's period and style, used in contemporary designs, can form effective new signs. • new signs should be attached to the building care- fully, both to prevent damage to historic fabric, and to ensure the safety of pedestrians. Fittings should pen- etrate mortar joints rather than brick, for example, and signboads should be properly calculated and distributed. Conclusion Historic signs once allowed buyers and sellers to com- municate quickly, using images that were the medium of daily life. Surviving historic signs have not lost their ability to speak. But their message has changed. By communicating names, addresses, prices, products, images and other fragments of daily life, they also bring the past to life (Fig. 18). 18. 2n painters pauft f om their work, 1932. 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