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STAFF REPORT CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS Date: 10-10-03 Application Number: 2003--0919--04 Property Location: 107 W. North Shore, South Bend, IN Property Owner: Mary Ann Sheets/ Ronni Sheahan Landmark or District Designation: West North Shore Local Historic District Rating: S/12 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE/HISTORIC CONTEXT This stately 1905 Neo -Classical Revival home sits on the second lot from Michigan Street and has views of the Saint Joseph River, the Leeper Bridge, and Leeper Park.. Two-st6ry Ionic columns grace the front porch on this clapboard sided home. Several classical balustrades line the home' i s balconies in addition to classical entablatures and dentil moldings. This home reflected the growing popularity of the Neo -Classical style, which the Chicago's Columbian Exposition triggered at the end of the nineteenth century. The first owner of this home, Dr. Edwin Lent, lived in this home for thirty-five years. He received a deed for the property in 1903, which also included specifications for the maintenance of his yard and the placement of barns and other structures. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: L.L. Geans submitted the application on behalf of Mrs. Sheets for: 1.) A concrete block privacy and security wall 8' tall and 32' long from the garage to the east property line and 6' tall and 24' long along the east property line (Note: the portion of the wall along the east property line would stand upon an existing 40" concrete block retaining wall and tic into an existing wood fence). a. The wall would be constructed of 8" concrete blocks and capped with limestone or cement, b. The interior would be faced with brick, c. The east wall would have an exterior Thoroseal coating, d. The north wall would be covered with ivy to conceal the view of the concrete blocks from - the alley, and 2.) The removal of a concrete parking pad, which has already been completed. Staff is ecstatic that this was removed, but wishes Mrs. Sheets had filed an application before the work was done. Mrs. Sheets also plans to landscape the area where the parking pad once was and envisions her yard as a terraced garden. Her landscaping plans are a vast improvement to the parking pad. The project also calls for the removal of a portion of the existing wood fence that presently stands above the south side of the removed parking pad. Moving this portion of the fence will enlarge and enhance the rear yard of the property. Staff believes the current proposal could be modified to reuse the wood fence that now stands above the removed parking pad in order to continue the existing wood fence the length of the eastern property line. Staff feels this is a much better proposal and understands Mrs. Sheets is amenable to this change. RECOMMENDATION Part I: Eastern Wall After reviewing this application, staff feels quite strongly that the construction of a concrete block wall along a portion of the eastern property line between 103 and 107 West North Shore would be an inappropriate. addition