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STAFF REPORT <br />CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR A <br />CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS <br /> <br />Date: March 9, 2020 <br />Application Number: 2020-0224A <br />Property Location: 617-619 North Cushing <br />Architectural Style/Date/Architect or Builder: Gabled-ell/Stick / 1892 <br />Property Owner: Avnis LLC <br />Landmark or District Designation: Local Landmark, Ordinance #8142-90 <br />Rating: Outstanding <br /> <br />DESCRIPTION OF STRUCTURE/SITE: Main structure is a two-story irregular plan Gabled-ell house in the <br />stick style on a brick foundation (that was previously covered in stucco). Wood clapboard siding with decorative <br />square panels and jigsaw shingles. Asphalt shingle roof with centrally mounted brick chimney. Gabled dormers <br />with decorated rakeboards, molded wood eaves and rake, and a plain frieze. The front entry porch adds distinctive <br />styling, the side entrance has a unique canopy with fan-decorated semicircular brackets. Windows were originally <br />1-over-1 double hung with plain wood jambs and sills and decorated wood entablatures; many windows are now <br />vinyl replacements. <br /> <br />617 Cushing stands to the rear of the main house closer to the alley and was possibly originally an outbuilding. It is <br />a one and a half story structure with a brick foundation and a centrally mounted chimney. Originally sided in <br />wood, it is now covered in vinyl. Windows are a mix of original wood one-over-one double hung, casements, and <br />replacement vinyl windows. <br /> <br />ALTERATIONS: Both properties have been extensively modified over the course over the last century. <br />Windows have been replaced in both structures (without COA); 617 Cushing had vinyl siding installed over the <br />original siding. AA 2019-0517 approved a number of projects on the exterior of both structures which have not <br />been completed (removal and reconstruction of chimneys, foundation work, tree removal, landscaping <br />improvements, and the removal of the exterior stair well). AA 2019-1023 allowed for the removal and re-roofing <br />of the asphalt shingle roof, as well as the installation of new gutters and downspouts. <br /> <br />APPLICATION ITEMS: “Take off North west back entry door. Seal and replace with wood siding. Change <br />vinyl kitchen window above the sink, take off back entry door and replace by sliding patio door and build a wood <br />deck 10’ x 8’ with stairs towards the back yard. Fix basement hatch exterior entry door, make it functional and <br />safe for use.” <br /> <br />DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROJECT: Applicant seeks a Certificate of Appropriateness for changes on <br />the structure: <br /> <br />1. Remove exterior entrance door at northwest corner of house. Side over with wood siding to match the <br />existing reveal and dimensions. <br />2. Remove vinyl kitchen window on rear facade, replace with new JELD-WEN ‘Better Series’ 24 ¼” W x <br />38” H vinyl single hung window in white. Replace siding as needed, matching existing reveal and <br />dimensions. <br />3. Retroactively remove rear entrance door, widen opening, and replace with JELD-WEN Builders series <br />60” x 80” Vinyl Left Hand Sliding Patio Door. Trim and repair siding to match original. <br />4. Construct new 10’ x 8’ patio outside rear entrance with pressure treated #1 Thick Deck Board. <br />5. Reconstruct existing basement access hatch. <br /> <br />Late 19th century structures often had multiple front entrances (leading to some being labeled as ‘coffin doors’ or <br />‘funeral doors’ as they were supposedly installed to allow coffins to be brought into and removed from a house <br />without navigating tight turns or corners). Historic record indicates this structure has long existed as a multi-family