HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.12.24 HPC Agenda packet
Thursday
December 12, 2024
5:30 p.m.
Emma J. Harvat Hall
City Hall
IOWA CITY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Thursday, December 12, 2024
City Hall, 410 E. Washington Street
Emma J. Harvat Hall
5:30 p.m.
Agenda
A) Call to Order
B) Roll Call
C) Public discussion of anything not on the agenda
D) Certificates of Appropriateness
1. HPC24-0048: 621 North Johnson Street – Brown Street Historic District (alterations to garage
windows and doors)
2. HPC24-0117: 518 North Van Buren Street – Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District
(chimney demolition)
E) Report on Certificates issued by Chair and Staff
Certificate of No Material Effect –Chair and Staff review
1. HPC24-0112: 1033 Woodlawn Avenue – Woodlawn Historic District (internal gutter, trim, and
porch repair)
2. HPC24-0113: 425 Oakland Avenue – Longfellow Historic District (brick step reconstruction
and dryer vent installation)
Minor Review –Staff review
HPC24-0115: 602 Dearborn Street – Dearborn Street Conservation District (new deck)
F) Consideration of Minutes for November 14, 2024
G) Commission Discussion
1. Election of Officers
2. Awards update
H) Commission Information
I) 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 December 4, 2024
Historic Review for HPC24-0048: 621 North Johnson Street
General Information:
Applicant/Owner: Erin Landsee, erinlandsee@gmail.com
Contact person: Marcelo Aruani, marceloaruani@icloud.com
District: Brown Street Historic District
Classification: Key Contributing
Project Scope: The project converts the garage to additional living space by adding
a window, passage door, mini split HVAC unit and altering the main
doors to include glazing.
Applicable Regulations and Guidelines:
4.0 Iowa City Historic Preservation Guidelines for Alterations
4.3 Doors
4.13 Windows
4.14 Wood
Property History:
This two-story gable-front house is likely a catalogue home built between 1926 and
1933. The house sits on a rock-faced CMU foundation. The full-width front porch has
square, slightly battered columns supporting a low-sloped gable roof. A solid balustrade
spans between the columns. The first floor of the house is clad in lap siding with a
watertable and corner boards. A mid-level band board with a pronounced drip edge, is
located at the level of the second-floor windowsills. Above the band board, the house is
clad in shingle siding mitered at the corners. The eaves have exposed rafter tails and
long notched bargeboards have been trimmed for the installation of gutters extending
past them. The house has four-over-one windows with the first-floor front window
paired. The historic garage is located behind the house and has its original windows,
doors, and lap siding.
Detailed Project Description:
This project converts the garage to a living space with a bathroom, laundry, and main
open space. The two existing windows will be converted to operable awning windows
and an additional window, matching the others will be added to the south wall. A
passage door will also be added to the south wall. The main east-facing garage doors
will be modified with glazing in the upper panel similar to other historic garage doors.
The laundry will be vented through one of the walls of the garage. A mini-split HVAC will
be added with the unit located on the south wall of the garage (code requires it is two
feet minimum from the property line). It is likely that they may install an on-demand
water heater that would vent directly out the wall of the garage if it is gas-fueled.
Guidelines:
Section 4.3 Doors recommends:
• Historic garage doors often possess distinctive design features and should be
retained if possible.
• Retaining and repairing historic garage doors where practical.
• Adding new door openings that are trimmed to match other doors and windows in
the building.
• Substituting a material in place of wood for doors and screen doors only if the
substitute material retains the style and appearance of the historic doors and
screen doors. The substitute material must be durable, accept paint, and be
approved by the HPC.
‘
Section 4.13 Windows recommends:
• Preserving the historic windows by repairing sashes and frames.
• Adding windows that match the type, size, sash width, trim, use of divided lights,
and overall appearance of the historic windows.
• Adding new windows in a location that is consistent with the window pattern of
the historic building or buildings of similar architectural style.
• Windows on outbuildings should be relatively small and rectangular or square.
• Divided lights may be true of simulated. Simulated divided lights may be created
with muntin bars that are permanently adhered to both sides of the glass.
Analysis:
In Staff’s opinion, the alterations to this garage to make it a living space are minimal and
generally comply with the guidelines. The two existing windows are in good condition
and retained with minimal alterations needed to make them operable. The additional
window is placed in a location that works with the existing window pattern. It will comply
with the guidelines and generally match the existing windows.
While many garages have a passage door, this one does not. Adding a passage door to
the south side would be appropriate. While we would suggest a half-light two panel
door, a Craftsman style door would be appropriate here because of the Craftsman
detailing on the main house. A steel door was submitted but staff recommends a wood
or fiberglass door to comply with the guidelines regarding materials.
The existing garage doors are historic hinged doors, not an overhead door. The
applicant plans to retain the doors but add glazing to the upper panel. They have
submitted two inspiration photos and staff agrees that this modification is an appropriate
way to add additional light into the space. Currently they have submitted window
product information for windows to be inserted into the door. It is unclear if that will be
successful with the current door construction. Staff has suggested that it may be
possible to replace the upper panel with muntin bars and glazing (whether single pane
or insulated glass units). In either case, the glazing or windows will comply with the
guidelines.
The installation of the mini-split unit and any additional venting required for this project
will be located on the sides or rear of the structure which staff finds acceptable.
Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 621 North
Johnson Street as presented in the application with the following conditions:
The door is constructed of wood or fiberglass
All windows and glazing complies with the guidelines.
621 North Johnson Street – front façade (garage is visible to the right)
621 North Johnson Street – garage east end
621 North Johnson Street – garage north side
621 North Johnson Street – garage south wall
621 North Johnson Street – window detail
Example doors submitted.
Example doors submitted
Staff Report December 4, 2024
Historic Review for HPC24-0117: 518 North Van Buren Street
General Information:
Applicant/Owner: Black and Gold Properties
Contact person: Brandon Platts, BRP Rentals, bplatts12@gmail.com
District: Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District
Classification: Non-contributing
Project Scope: Demolition of the chimney at the east-facing (rear) gable
Applicable Regulations and Guidelines:
4.0 Iowa City Historic Preservation Guidelines for Alterations
4.2 Chimneys
7.0 Guidelines for Demolition
7.1 Demolition of Whole Structures or Significant Features
Property History:
This house was likely built in the 1890s in another location and moved to this site about
1921 or 1926. The main house is a Queen Anne Ell or cross-gabled house with a fish
scale shingle beltcourse and scrolled corner brackets. The south-facing gable features a
chamfered bay at the first floor with scroll brackets. The rear facing gable has scroll
brackets matching those at the front. It likely had an open porch along the south wall
that has been enclosed and the roof altered to be a continuation of the main roof above.
The south-facing roof slope also has an attic dormer with a shed roof. An open porch on
the north side of this wing has been partially enclosed. The windows are two-over-two
double-hung sash hung in singles and pairs. Some of the windows have been replaced.
While this house exhibits many alterations, the most visible alteration was the front
porch construction. A large Craftsman influenced open porch was built on the front of
the house, likely replacing any Queen Anne porch when the house was moved. Since it
is highly likely that this alteration was completed at the time the house was moved to the
site and is a historic alteration, it does not impact the house’s historic integrity. The
Craftsman porch features large square brick piers at each corner with a third pier
framing the entry which has a bracketed gable front. To the north of the entry, the open
porch has been enclosed, likely in the 1950s or 1960s.
The site inventory form mentions a basement garage here but there are no records that
mention it. The south-facing basement entry would be the most likely entry location for a
basement garage if it existed. A wood stair to the second floor was added at an
unknown date. Additional entries have been added to the east and south sides.
Detailed Project Description:
This project involves the removal of a deteriorated chimney on the back of the structure.
The work was completed prior to the completion of historic review and the acquisition of
the required demolition permit. The roof was leaking and flashing was added to a large
chimney to solve the problem. The rear chimney was too deteriorated to flash and
instead of repairing the chimney, the contractor removed it, leaving the exposed metal
pipe. Once the chimney was removed, the roof was patched with sheathing and
shingles.
Guidelines:
Section 4.2 Chimneys recommends:
• Historic chimneys should be preserved.
• Repairing and capping unused chimneys in a manner that prevents vermin from
entering the chimney but allows air circulation.
• Boxing and finishing new chimney pipes that penetrate the roof with thin brick
veneer or stucco.
• It is disallowed to remove prominent chimneys that are important to the historic
architectural character of the building.
Section 7.1 Demolitions recommends:
• It is disallowed to remove any historic architectural feature such as a porch,
chimney, bay window, dormer, brackets, or decorative trim, that is significant to
the architectural character and style of the building.
Analysis:
In Staff’s opinion, while this chimney was deteriorated, it could have been repaired
and/or reconstructed. However, since this chimney was on the back of the structure,
staff does not consider it a significant architectural feature on this house. The
Commission has approved the demolition of unused and deteriorated chimneys when
they are located on the rear or are not visible and are not architecturally significant. This
chimney, however, is still in use to vent the boiler. While this pipe is not a new pipe, it is
a new situation with this pipe. Therefore, staff typically would recommend that the pipe
is covered by a chimney constructed of framing and thin bricks to mask the exposed
pipe penetrating the roof as recommended in the guidelines.
This building is considered non-contributing to the Goosetown/Horace Mann
Conservation District because of the various entries and alterations created to access
the many units located here, as well as the enclosure of the front porch. Because of this
classification and the location of the chimney on the back, staff recommends approval of
the demolition if the existing chimney pipe is straightened and shortened to a code-
required height (2 feet) and the roof is patched to match the existing roof. If the
Commission denies the application for demolition, staff recommends approval of an
alternative construction of a chimney using wood framing and thin bricks in lieu of
requiring the reconstruction of the chimney with full bricks.
Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 518 North
Van Buren Street as presented in the application with the following conditions:
The existing chimney pipe is straightened and shortened to a code-required
height (2 feet)
The roof is patched to match the existing roof.
518 North Van Buren Street- west-facing facade
518 North Van Buren- north side showing trim details.
518 North Van Buren – NE corner showing remaining large chimney, pipe for the
chimney under review is indicated with an arrow.
518 N Van Buren – chimney prior during flashing installation, prior to demolition
518 N Van Buren – current condition without brick chimney
518 North Van Buren – if the pipe is shortened to a code-required 2 feet, it would be
about as tall as the top red line (3 bricks tall = 8 inches)
MINUTES PRELIMINARY
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
NOVEMBER 14, 2024 – 5:30 PM – FORMAL MEETING
EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Margaret Beck, Carl Brown, Kevin Burford, Andrew Lewis, Ryan Russell,
Jordan Sellergren, Deanna Thomann, Nicole Villanueva, Frank Wagner,
Christina Welu-Reynolds
MEMBERS ABSENT:
STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow
OTHERS PRESENT: Andy Martin, Steven Bullard
CALL TO ORDER:
Sellergren called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS:
HPC24-0090: 10 Bella Vista Place- Brown Street Historic District (garage additions):
Bristow stated this house is located in the Brown Street Historic District. It is a Craftsman Bungalow
built around 1908. It has some interesting patterning of the siding and trim.There's a wider lap with
mitered corners and then a band board at the lower windowsill which is not a common place for a band
board on a house here in town. Then above that, it has corner boards and a narrower siding and then
there's another band board just below the level of the second-floor area.
Bristow said that two years ago the Commission approved a demolition of the garage that is behind the
house and adjacent to the rear alley. The owner was going to put another building above it but he
ended up pricing it out and deciding he wasn't going to do that so now he's come back with a proposal
to do an addition to the garage with a building above. Bristow shared images of the garage noting it's a
concrete structure poured with boards holding the concrete so we can see their impression in the
ceiling. There is some deterioration all around it and that's why it was approved to be demolished
before but now he is going to repair it.
Bristow also shared the site plan and noted it shows the garage aligning with the house and the
building above will align with the house but the existing garage does not align with the house so the
new garage will be in a slightly wedge shape. No one will see that because it's underground but then it
will align better with the house and then the other building will just be placed on top of the basement
garages. The new garage will have a door that matches the existing doors on the existing garage and it
will have stairs that go up along the north side. She noted the property owner will just have to verify
that he has enough room with the setback requirements but that will be figured that out through the
building permit process.
Bristow has talked with the owner about the fact that to have an outbuilding in a historic district,
especially of this age, it would be most appropriate for it to really resemble an outbuilding and it could
potentially resemble an agricultural building as well especially since the north side might have had
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
November 14, 2024
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agriculture still going on hundred years ago. They also discussed using board and batten siding so it
looks like a barn and could be one of the ways to differentiate this extra building from an additional
house in the yard. However, given the siding pattern on the house the owner wanted to come up with
something that worked more with the house instead and be something similar to some of the catalog
houses. The owner found similar houses in the 1908 Sears catalog to the house at 10 Bella Vista.
Poultry houses were something that they were selling around the time of the construction of the house
and could be bought through Sears and assembled and that became the inspiration for this out building
in the proposal.
Bristow said the structure will have a low slope shed roof on the south half and a higher slope shed roof
on the north half, creating a band of clerestory windows between the two roof ridges. The building will
have three windows on the south wall that will be aligned with the evenly spaced clerestory windows
above. There will be three windows in the east wall facing the alley and two evenly spaced windows in
the north wall. The west wall facing the house will have one window. It is recommended that the west
facing window is centered on the wall to match the window patterning on the opposite, east wall. The
building will have two passage doors, one in the west wall facing the house, and one in the south wall
leading to the patio over the roof of the garage stall below.
The guidelines suggest that a new outbuilding incorporate smaller rectangular windows to differentiate
between a house and an outbuilding but the owner has had windows for a long time that came from the
house which was remodeled more than 20 years ago. He is proposing to reuse the casement windows
in this new building. Since that doesn't follow the guidelines for an outbuilding the Commission
recommendation will need to include an exception to the guidelines if they want to approve the use of
those windows.
Another thing Bristow wanted to note for the Commission is the balustrades and handrails, there is a
platform roof over the adjacent garage and since he has a door going out to it they assume it will be
used as a patio. Code will require that a guard rail is there and there would also need to be a handrail
along the stairs. Staff would recommend not a typical wood handrail but a metal one made of black
steel in a simple design. Staff also recommended a fiberglass door since the owner didn't want a wood
door and instead of metal doors because they dent and rust and don't resemble wood doors. The
recommended fiberglass door is a half-light two- panel door as is typically recommended on an
outbuilding. Other guidelines are met, it will still have single car doors, palette of materials similar to the
historic structure, and the outbuildings are at the rear of the house and subordinate in size to the house.
The staff recommended motion is to approve as presented in the application with the following
conditions:
• The south windows are revised so that they align with the clerestory windows above and the
west window is centered in the wall and the lower the north lower window matches the
clerestory windows.
• Trim is included as described in the staff report.
• The windows are revised as relatively small and rectangular.
• The balustrade is constructed of black steel and complies with the guidelines.
• The passage door is a fiberglass half-light two- panel door.
If the Commission wishes to approve the proposed windows and forgo the requirement that the
windows are relatively small and rectangular, the motion could be changed to:
• The proposed windows are approved through an exception to the guidelines to in order to
bring additional light into the space and reuse historic materials.
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In his written statements the owner included he really wanted to include additional light as he'll use this
as a workspace, and he also really wants to reuse the windows.
Sellergren asked for more information about how the size of the proposed windows compared to what
the size in the guidelines. Bristow replied they don’t have a size dimension but the drawings probably
are accurate with the size of the window in relationship to the wall so a relatively small window is
probably half of one of those.
Reynolds thinks it's a great idea he is reusing materials and totally agrees about the extra light, it will
also make the building look a better match to the house and if the owner uses storm windows that's
historically correct for old houses.
Burford stated he is very much a proponent of the reuse of salvaged architectural materials and the fact
that they're local is even better. He finds the windows to appear unique and interesting and is excited
by that proposal so would be in favor of the exception and the use of the proposed salvaged windows.
Sellergren asked if the windows match the age of this type of out building. Bristow stated they might
but she didn't look up the age of the house that was remodeled, she is assuming that house could have
been built anywhere from 1905 to 1925 so similar enough to be an argument for it if it matches.
MOTION: Reynolds moves to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 10 Bella
Vista Place as presented in the application with the following conditions:
• The south windows are revised so that they align with the clerestory windows above
and the west window is centered in the wall and the lower the north lower window
matches the clerestory windows.
• Trim is included as described in the staff report.
• The proposed windows are approved through an exception to guidelines in order to
bring additional light into the space and reuse historic materials.
• The balustrade is constructed of black steel and complies with the guidelines.
• The passage door is a fiberglass half-light two- panel door.
Wagner seconded the motion.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 10-0.
HPC24-0093: 705 Oakland Avenue - Longfellow Historic District (rear porch conversion/ addition):
Bristow stated this house is located near the Longfellow Elementary School and is a small bungalow
with aluminum or steel siding. It is a gable front house with a brick porch and piers, battered columns
and the back has a little bump out that was historically an open porch, it now has piers and the skirting
area has been filled in with panel walls to bring it in as part of the house. This project is a kitchen
remodel and for this project they using the small porch and are keeping the roof and the porch piers
and replacing the walls. Basically they're removing the enclosed porch portion and putting an addition
on the house that reuses the piers and the roof structure so it'll be insulated. Bristow shared the
footprint of that area noting where the refrigerator will go, where they’ve proposed a window that faces
west and a window that faces south, the windows will match the nearby kitchen windows.
Bristow stated one of the things that did come up with this project was because of the fact that it has
metal siding and they can't approve a synthetic siding on an addition in a historic district and comply
with the guidelines, they’ll need to match the historic siding. They'll uncover a little bit of that as they get
into the demo of the porch walls so they'll match the historic siding for this addition and then hopefully
someday in the future some owner will choose to remove all the synthetic siding.
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The guidelines recommend new windows that match the general type and size of the historic windows
and in a location consistent with the window patterning. Bristow noted she doesn’t know if they plan to
use a wood or a cement board siding but generally, they can approve a cement board if it's smooth and
matches the lap. Because this is technically an addition it'll have to match the horizontal lines, the
foundation will match because they're using the existing piers, whether or not they replace the wood
infill between is up to them, the siding must match the historic sighting, and it is disallowed to leave
large expanses of wall surface uninterrupted by windows or doors. Again they're putting windows on
the west and south sides. The guidelines also state is disallowed to add space by enclosing a historic
front or side porch, this is a rear porch and technically they are demolishing most of it and making a
new addition.
Andy Martin, Martin Construction, stated that the enclosed porch is already being used as part of the
kitchen.
MOTION: Wagner moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 705
Oakland Avenue as presented in the application with the following conditions:
Historic siding and trim configuration is documented and reviewed by staff and will be
matched in the addition.
Burford seconded the motion.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 10-0.
HPC24-0097: 927 South 7th Avenue - Dearborn Street Conservation District (window sash
replacement):
Bristow stated this house is located in a group of small brick bungalows. There are six of them all built
by the same person. In fact when this neighborhood was surveyed it was determined that they were
eligible to be a historic district on their own, but when the City was forming the Dearborn Conservation
District It was included in that instead of forming a small historic district.
The subject property has a very expressive front porch with battered columns and brick piers. There is
shingle siding in the gables and on the dormers, but the rest of the house is brick. In the past, this
house has been approved for the replacement of the deteriorated shingle siding in the dormers with a
cement board product. This particular house is the only one of the six that doesn't have a garage;
instead, there's an adjacent lot that has a garage on it. The project is the replacement of the window
sashes.
Both David Powers (one of the housing inspectors) and Bristow reviewed the windows and they were in
a good to excellent condition. During conversation with the owner they found out that when they
originally bought the house in the 1990s he rehabbed all the windows. He's a carpenter so he did that
work himself and now over the years he has had condensation building up on the windows and
sometimes turning to frost so they're exhibiting some damage. The owner has done some work in the
house such as insulating the roof so his goal is to replace the window sashes so that he has insulated
glass units in an effort to reduce the possibility of frost accumulating on the windows.
When he rehabbed the windows in 1990 he did the weather stripping and all of the stuff needed to
increase the energy efficiency, he replaced the storm windows as well. Again, both David Powers and
Bristow did not consider these windows in any way deteriorated beyond repair when they viewed them.
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They could see there has been some moisture that has gotten in. It may also be expected that after 30
years a finish would need to be maintained or potentially redone. None of windows are in any shape
that would cause them to typically say they are deteriorated and should be replaced. Clearly there's
some finish damage and some of the joints are showing.
The staff recommendation here is not to approve the replacement of all of these sashes however if
there were any individual sashes that were deteriorated beyond repair the owner could document and
determine which ones and then those could be approved individually. Bristow noted when they review
windows they recommend to people things that they can do such as replace ropes that are fraying,
drying out any damp wood and removing excess moisture when it occurs, touching up finishes to help
prevent moisture infiltration into the wood, revising window covering options to allow better air
circulation around window openings, and then if necessary using internal storm windows.
Bristow noted currently the recommended motion is a recommendation to approve the project. She
stated even though staff does not recommend approving this all motions are made in the affirmative
and so if the Commission did not want to approve this they would vote no instead of yes. An alternative
Bristow suggested would be to approve selective window sash replacements. The applicant did submit
a window sash product and it is a product that the Commission could approve if the windows were
deteriorated beyond repair.
Steven Bullard (927 S. 7th Avenue) stated he loves their old house, it's part of the Palmer brick houses
that were built by an old professor Palmer that used them to house visiting professors for many years.
Of all of houses theirs is probably the truest to character, one of them has been resided totally with
metal siding and others have changed other characters inside. Bullard explained his background is he
was a framing and remodel contract carpenter for about 7 years before he went back to college and he
put himself through college as a trim carpenter that subcontracted from his old framing carpenter
person. He got his degree in biochemistry and biophysics and has done research here at the
University for about 40 years. He has a shop in his garage and could remake all of these windows, and
when they first bought the house he did remake all of these windows as the person before had let them
go to the point where almost all of them had to be taken out, stripped down, and repaired. A lot of them
had rot in them which was repaired with the liquid wood stuff that solidifies rot and they were glued
back together. When the windows were put in he replaced all the glazing, all the lead paint was
removed, he put on new paint, every window in the house was done and it took him over 2 years to do
that.
He does take very good care of his windows, it's not been 30 years since they've been attended to, he
attended them every couple years, the glazing and things have been repaired as needed throughout
the whole 30 years. All of them were glued together and repaired when he did it 30 years ago, a lot of
them were already repaired for rot so taking those frames apart to repair them now would require him to
steam them apart, break that joint and try and glue them back together. He would bet that 50% of them
would break the frame before they broke the joint just because of the age of the wood.
Bullard states they did everything the National Historic Register had suggested, he cut down all the
sashes, he put in foam above and below, he put in V stripping between the windows, the condensation
and stuff is an issue that comes from the window being cold, he has nice top quality storm windows that
they put on, he took off the old aluminum ones which they had glued to the exterior of the house so
when he tore those off he had to redo a lot of repair on the structure itself and the front trim because it
would pull tons of wood with it.
Bullard noted his house is about 950 square feet, maybe 1,000 square feet, and he has 29 windows
and the cavities between the windows that aren't insulated equal about a 10x10 wall that's not
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November 14, 2024
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insulated, the windows themselves represent about 400 square feet of exposure if not a little bit more.
He stated they’ve done everything they can do, he repaired the all the cracks in the basement and
professionally filled and sealed everything down there, he insulated up as far as he could and installed
drywall down there to eliminate any leaks of air. Upstairs they've blown in insulation in the areas where
they could but due to the structure of the house they’ve had to use closed cell foam on the ceilings of
the dormers. All of those things have helped so he feels as though he has been a good steward to this
old house and had he not been the one that moved into it they'd be dealing with quite a much bigger
mess. Not very many people have the skills he has to restore a house like this. He’s done all the trim
in the upstairs, he’s done the floors, they’ve kept the original trim on everything, he loves their old
house but the cold from the windows and the condensation that comes is an issue. They have to keep
their blinds down at night to keep the cold out otherwise he’s heating the outside. He wants to live in
the house forever. When he retires he has his shop out there, he would just like it to be a little more
comfortable as far as air infiltration and the insulation between the windows, things like that are going to
help, with a sealed double pane glass he’s not going to get the heat transfer out or the cold transfer in.
Bullard says he feels he is not able to redo what's there, he can do the finish stuff every few years and
because of that it's going to help the energy efficiency of the house and it's going to help the comfort
inside, it's also going to help the noise from the train nearby and it would add a lot of value to the house
because it would be exactly the same type of sash and it would allow him to insulate everything that he
can. The windows with the double pane and the storm staying in place, which pretty much hides the
window itself, and the trim inside would make it look exactly like it is now, he is saving the whole
outside frame and the inside trim, he feels this would be a good fix that will help them be more
comfortable as they get a little bit older and also improve the efficiency of the house and reduce their
energy cost, reduce their green carbon footprint, and if they are worried about the sashes themselves,
they won’t go to the landfill, there is a CSA guy down the street that does urban farming who will take
them for cold frames, which is about what they're worth now. Bullard just wanted to let the Commission
know he really does care about his house and that he’s thought this through pretty seriously and has
tried all the steps and feel as though he needs to move to the next step which is going to help him
alleviate the problem and be a little bit more comfortable in his house.
Brown asked what the storm windows on the outside are. Bullard stated they are they Larson storm
windows.
Reynolds asked who's making the new windows. Bristow stated the new windows are a Sierra Pacific
double hung sash kit so it's a metal clad wood sash and the owner said it would be a dark green color
to match the house. Reynolds asked if he wants to do all the windows or just wants to do the ones that
are rotted. Bullard replied he was going to do all of them otherwise he has a mismatched house that's
not going to sell real well.
Sellergren asked if he is looking to sell. Bullard confirmed not, he is looking to stay so selling is not
really an issue at hand, he loves this house and has done so much work on this house. He has his
shop outside that he is going to build furniture out of.
Sellergren wanted to talk about her experience with her own windows. She lives in a 1924 Foursquare
and they are in bad condition so she is very envious of the condition of Bullard’s windows. No she
hasn’t seen them in person but really does have a lot of faith in the city staff and their expertise. She
acknowledged Bullard is an expert in hjs own home but Sellergren does think that what Bullard
currently possesses is about as good as it gets and there aren't modern alternatives that match the
quality of what they currently have. The current windows look beautiful and he is in an old an old home
that's going to have leaks no matter what, even if he was to replace all the windows it might not solve
the problem of air leakage.
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November 14, 2024
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Bullard stated if Sellergren lives in an old house then she knows how the window weights and
everything work right and so there is that cavity in the middle between each of those windows which
there is about 8 or 9 inch wide and that's where the air infiltration comes from, if that gets filled with
close cell foam there is no longer an air issue, the issue is the windows themselves will fit much tighter.
Old windows rattle and there's no real way to get rid of that, he’s tried to put in a piece that has a rubber
seal that would tighten that up. Sellergren asked if that was due to wind and Bullard replied no it's due
to the structure of the window itself. He noted there has to be enough play there this way and that way
due to the way the weights work for that sash to lift so newer types of windows use a different lift
system which has more strength to lift that sash so that side and part that touches the window can be
much tighter and seal, it holds the window in there better whereas due to the way the windows are built
there's no way to get that here with window weights.
Sellergren asked how recently he put the new storms on. Bullard replied the new storms were put on
when he redid each window so they're 20 some years old. Sellergren reiterated her windows are in
terrible condition and it's to the point where she can't even do anything because she’s so overwhelmed
by the task. She stated she put on new storm windows two years ago after they painted the house and
hasn’t heard a rattle since no matter how windy so she wonders if perhaps rather than removing one of
the key historic qualities of the home maybe they just need some new exterior storms which would be a
less expensive option.
Wagner stated he has installed hundreds of the newer storm windows and it does make a huge
difference. Bullard fully understands but one of their issues is the single pane window is still going to
have the same issue with a good storm window, the outside is still going to be cold to touch which is
going to radiate into the house and condensate on the window.
Sellergren noted approving this is breaking the guidelines which are quite important to maintaining the
integrity throughout town and setting a precedent for the rest of the homeowners and building owners in
town. Mr. Bullard is an example of a very responsible steward of a historic home who’s been extremely
thorough and loves his home, there are a lot of folks who don't so once they set a precedent there are a
lot of property owners who will take advantage of it and use that to accomplish fixes that are using
cheaper materials and less effective materials and the Commission won't necessarily be able to
prevent that which will result in the degradation of the historic properties in this town. Therefore, that is
one reason the Commission is interested in encouraging Mr. Bullard to consider other options a while
longer before moving to this step.
Bristow wanted to add a couple things, historically in order to prevent windows from rattling in the winter
they would adjust the stops on the windows and would make the stop tighter in the winter so they don't
rattle and then adjust them looser so that they operate in warmer months. Most of the window
rehabbers actually install a stop adjuster so that they can do that easily without having to remove
everything, it's done with a screw instead. The other thing is that an insulated glass unit has a shelf life
and the seal will break on them and then those sashes will have to be replaced, there's not a fix for
that, someone may be able to have the seals redone but they will get condensation in between them so
an insulated glass unit on its own is something that must be replaced periodically where as a single
pane wood window only needs to be replaced when it's deteriorated beyond repair. She noted they
also have documentation and have provided in the packet where testing has shown that they cannot
recoup the cost of replacement windows through energy efficiency because the difference between a
new insulated glass unit and a single pane with a storm is a negligible difference. Bullard would tend to
argue that's a statistic that doesn't take into account the insulation that would be added to the empty air
spaces.
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November 14, 2024
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Lewis said he has not heard an argument tonight that would allow the exception for using materials
other than historical materials.
Bullard appreciates everything everyone has said, he feels rehabbing these frames that are in there
now as they deteriorate further is impossible, they've been repaired once and they've been filled with a
wood hardener and will not be easily separated. Bullard noted in years to come he’s going to face that
issue when he no longer has the ability nor the financial means to take care of it. There's also the fact
that he is going to be able to insulate and have increased comfort inside due to the less radiating cold
coming in which will also be better on cooling because the heat won’t be coming in during the summer.
This is a way for him to stay in the house and be comfortable. He has redone the fireplace, he has
redone everything and kept everything the same, he just doesn’t want to deal with rotted windows when
he’s 72 because he won’t be able to pull them out and repair them like he can now. Bullard pointed out
on the windows there are the separation joints and all of those windows were tight when they were
redone, he is a perfectionist when it comes to such things, they're starting to separate now and that's
just going to continue and when that continues he is not going to be able to break those joints apart to
repair them. Again, he would argue that the ability to insulate and upgrade outweighs the disadvantage
of setting a precedent for the entire town.
Thomann noted one of the things they look at too is being able to maintain and reuse rather than throw
away. Bullard stated most don't throw away the whole sash they replace the sealed glass insert.
Sellergren stated though in this case they're talking about removing the entire sash and replacing it with
a modern version.
Burford asked if Mr. Bullard had entertained the thought of the interior storms. Bullard stated once
again he is trying to insulate against air infiltration due to the single pane, if he were to have a double
pane sash that has a sealed argon or gas between panes that allows the r value so that they don't
transfer that cold or let the heat in the summer.
Sellergren thinks Mr. Bullard might be quite impressed with new storms. She stated it's not what the
applicant wants to hear but one of the main tenants here is to protect historic windows and it's very
difficult to make exceptions to that.
Wagner stated he trusts staff’s recommendation that if they could determine that there are some
specific windows that they would approve replacing then they could do that, or if that would be
something would consider. Both Bristow and David Powers reviewed this and to him that strengthens
the argument the windows don't need to be replaced.
Lewis stated this motion is basically saying an alternative would be a separate project for selective
windows.
MOTION: Brown moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 927 South
7th Avenue as presented in the application. Lewis seconded the motion.
Brown still thinks that the recommendation of newer storm windows with a flush mount system is a
good alternative and can make a huge difference in thermal and acoustics and would be substantially
cheaper than replacing them which also aside from setting a precedent saves money. He stated there
are plenty of historic homes in Iowa City which have those windows.
Lewis stated to reiterate what Wagner said the Commission has the staff recommendation that says the
windows are not beyond repair.
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November 14, 2024
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Bristow stated David Powers is the housing inspector who is the main lead person on the UniverCity
partnership houses and he works with the housing department and the people applying for funding
through the housing rehab program. He is one of the people who goes in and assesses the building
and determines what work needs to be done. He started coming along for the window reviews because
it does tend to be contentious just having one person do the reviews, two is preferred.
A vote was taken and the motion failed 0-10.
REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF:
Certificate of No Material Effect-Chair and Staff review:
HPC24-0100: 316 Church Street- Northside Historic District (laundry vent addition):
Bristow stated this home had been previously approved for some repair and redo of the front porch and
now they're just putting in a laundry vent in one of the rear roofs.
HPC24-0101: 826 E Davenport Street - Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (porch soffit
replacement):
This house was in the UniverCity program and is needing to replace the sofit.
HPC24-0109: 813 Ronalds Street - Brown Street Historic District (brick porch pier reconstruction):
This project is replacing the porch piers as they've started to settle.
HPC24-0108: 416 Reno Street- Local Historic Landmark (front porch railing and step replacement):
Bristow noted this is an interesting house that Carl Klaus lived in and then he donated it to the National
Trust when he passed. The house is both listed in the National Register and locally designated to
protect it. The Trust sold it in order to fund some of their programming but one of the interesting
requirements is that the new owner is required to make it open to the public periodically. It’s currently
for sale, and staff is trying to work through the process to review a garage built without historic review
but are struggling getting drawings. This project started just as a porch step and railing replacement,
but when they got further into it they found a lot of rot in the base of the columns. Bristow stated this is
one of those situations where she did help them assess this and it was noted that the bases of the
columns would need to be replaced and it was discovered again during the project. Therefore, they
have new flooring and some new railing, they also have a contractor who is turning new bases for the
columns. Historic columns were made to drain and had a hollow center so that any water that got into
the porch roof structure could drain through the column. The column usually was set up off the porch
floor either with actual feet or with little lead squares. These column bases were replaced and blocked
all of that drainage so any moisture that got in the column just pooled on top of the new base and rotted
it out. There was also no air flow around the base of the column.
Minor Review -Staff review:
HPC24-0095: 725 East Davenport Street - Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (new front
step and balustrade):
This project is replacing the steps and handrail, the handrail needed to change since it looked like a
deck railing.
HPC24-0094: 115 East College Street-Local Landmark (commercial signage):
This property got new signage but is a local Landmark downtown that used to be Graze, they will mount
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
November 14, 2024
Page 10 of 12
the signage to the non-historic transom window and they'll also have a projecting sign from the brick.
HPC24-0106: 28 South Linn Street - Local Landmark (awning fabric/ sign replacement):
Bristow noted this should have been a certificate of no material effect as it's just replacing the awning
fabric. Because a sign permit is required, they review it. This building is the local Landmark Iowa City
Post Office.
HPC24-0103: 416 Reno Street- Reno Street Neighborhood (step and stoop replacement):
This is the house again with a front porch step and stoop replacement, but also the southside porch
with the proximity of the shrubs was really rotting out and so the owner replaced it all and used a
contractor who copied all the spindles so they are exact matches which is nice.
HPC24-0110: 1129 E College Street - East College Historic District (overhead garage door
replacement):
This is considered a non-contributing house with a garage. The garage had a historic door but it was
deteriorated and replaced with a flush door with no windows. This is the simplest overhead door that
they can approve.
Intermediate Review -Chair and Staff review:
HPC24-0099: 829 Kirkwood Avenue - Local Landmark (window replacement):
The rear addition of this house is a kitchen and it had windows with raised sills put in long ago and the
owner decided to replace those with full height windows so they'll fit the opening again.
HPC24-0074: 629 Melrose Avenue - Local Landmark (roof replacement and internal gutter pan
replacement):
This is a landmark house on Melrose with shingles and they are replacing it with a metal roof made to
look like shingles, not a standing seam metal roof. The house does have all its original copper gutters
but they're damaged and are going to be removed and replaced. Because they don't regulate external
gutters, they are not required to replace them with copper ones. The carriage house has internal gutters
and those will remain.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR OCTOBER 10, 2024:
MOTION: Thomann moves to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's
October 10, 2024 meeting. Wagner seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0.
COMMISSION INFORMATION:
Bristow noted they have been working on the awards and had planned to send the letters out next
week but may not be quite ready for that but are moving along.
Bristow went to the Past Forward conference in New Orleans which was spectacular. The National
Trust is the nation's nonprofit historic preservation organization, and they do a really great conference,
there was a lot of focus on sustainability and historic preservation. She personally did one full day
session that was formal training on historic building assessments, and it was really exciting because
they got to crawl all over a historic house in New Orleans and assessed six different areas including
interior and exterior. It was a great learning experience and after hours there were tours.
Sellergren noted she is going to need to step down as chair and Lewis as vice chair will run next
month’s meeting because she will be unavailable and conduct a vote for a new chair. Sellergren will
stay on the Commission, she is just unable to continue in the chair role due to time commitments.
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November 14, 2024
Page 11 of 12
ADJOURNMENT:
Wagner moved to adjourn the meeting. seconded. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:58 pm.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD
2023-2024
NAME
TERM
EXP. 12/14 1/11 2/8 3/21 4/24 5/22 6/13 7/11 8/8 9/12 10/10 11/14
BECK,
MARGARET 6/30/24 X X X X X X X X X X O/E X
BROWN,
CARL
6/30/26 X O/E O/E X X O/E X O/E O/E X X X
BURFORD,
KEVIN 6/30/27 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- X X X X X
LEWIS,
ANDREW 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X
RUSSELL,
RYAN 6/30/27 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- X X O/E X
SELLERGREN,
JORDAN 6/30/25 X X X X X X X X X X X X
STORK, NOAH 6/30/24 X O/E X X X X X --- --- --- --- ---
THOMANN,
DEANNA 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X
VILLANUEVA,
NICOLE 6/30/25 X X X X X X X X O/E X X X
WAGNER,
FRANK 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X O/E X X
WELU-
REYNOLDS,
CHRISTINA
6/30/25 X X X X O/E X O/E X X X O/E X
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
--- = Not a member