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STAFF REPORT CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFIATE OF APPROPRIATENESS Application Number: 1999-0821 Property Location: 730 Bronson Street. Property Owner: Walter Berndt Designation: Local Historic District — Edgewater Place Rating: Contributing - 9 HISTORY This is a small bungalow -style house built in 1910, probably by Whitcomb & Keller Co. The Gleva family was the first to live there. It has a more pronounced gable over the front porch than most bungalows, and also has characteristics reminiscent of older "Hall & Parlor" or vernacular type dwellings. The house was sold to Mary Souder Richards, who in turn transferred it to her relative, Oran Souder, in 1925. Mr. Souder was a postal carrier in California, who rented the house out until 1948. In 1948 or shortly thereafter the Berndt family bought it, and members of the Berndt family have lived there ever since. Mr. Berndt informs me that his parents originally bought it because they also owned the business property immediately adjacent, on Lincolnway, and it was convenient to his father to live next-door to his place of business. The elder Berndts are in their 80s, and live there still. I cannot find out that the Berndt family has ever done anything about ensuring proper ventilation in their attic, roof, bathroom, or elsewhere in the house. My questions on the subject elicit detailed information regarding how the family has worked very hard, and spent considerable sums, to seal all walls with special paint, to install insulation with vapor barriers, and generally to battle moisture by a desperate effort to keep it out, with no notion of letting the house breathe. In 2000 and 2001, the Standards & Maintenance Committee, and the City Code Enforcement Department, became concerned about the deplorable condition of the house, and took steps to compel improvement. The Berndt family agreed that some of the required items needed attention, and so applied for and received a Certificate of Appropriateness listing eight items, including: demolishing carport; repair damaged roof; remove steps from roof (steps had been installed years earlier to facilitate repairs which had not been completed); replace or repair wood soffit where damaged; replace gutters on eaves; replace porch floor and ceiling with wood identical to original; replace rotted wood trim boards with identical trim; repair or replace porch steps with wood or cement, at owners option as to material. Most of these items have been attended to, and in fact an entire new roof has been installed in very workmanlike and, satisfactory manner. The porch, however, remains in dreadful shape, and Mr. Berndt believes that the siding on the house is deteriorated beyond repair. Since there seems to be no way for it to ventilate or dry, he is possibly correct, though he does not see ventilation as the problem. Since he believes that the existing siding is beyond repair, and must be replaced, he seeks to replace it with vinyl siding. He may have applied for this before, and been denied. RECOMMENDATION The house is in such dreadful shape that some attention to its porch and siding is imperative. If the house is so poorly ventilated that the wood siding is deteriorating, then vinyl siding will not solve the underlying problem. However, it would provide relief to the neighborhood from an eyesore, and at least a temporary comfort to the inhabitants in their declining years. Therefore, staff recommends that the Commission deviate from the Edgewater Place District Guidelines because of the exceptionally bad condition of the house, and approve the application, with the following conditions: a) The new siding shall be the same size and style as the original wood; b) All original existing architectural detail around windows, porches, doors, and eaves shall be retained, except that any rotted wood trim shall be replaced with identical trim; c) Gutters shall be re -installed on the eaves when the siding is complete; d) The porch floor and ceiling shall be replaced with wood identical to the original; e) The original or existing porch pillars shall be retained & appropriate stair rails replaced.