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STAFF REPORT CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS Date: 09/09/04 Application Number: Property Location: 2004-0903-2 739 Bronson Court Property Owner: Elizabeth and Ron Farr Landmark or District Designation: Edgewater Drive LHD Rating: Vacant Lot — previously occupied by a one and one half story frame gabled ell APPLICATION ITEMS: Build 30' by 56' house with a 6' front porch, a 6/12 pitch with gable facing the street, and a 15' setback. Build 30' by 22' detached garage. PRESERVATION STANDARDS IIIA. Height and Proportion Required. The height of a new structure and its height to width proportions shall be consistent with adjacent buildings in the district. The building height shall be no greater than that pf the tallest building and no less than that of the lowest existing structure of the same block. Facade proportions shall be established by permitting no structure with a fagade wider or narrower than those existing in the same block. _ Recommended. Contemporary designs should be compatible in character and mood to the building or neighborhood. Not recommended: Any style or period of architecture that is incompatible with what exists should not be permitted in the new additions [in this case new construction]. RECOMMENDATION The Edgewater Place Historic District standard that states, "Contemporary designs should be compatible in character and mood to the building or the district" infers the question "What designs would be appropriate to Bronson Court and the Edgewater Place historic district?" The district guideline books offer many historic styles which would be appropriate guides for contemporary buildings: bungalows, arts and crafts, American Four-square, Prairie, Dutch Colonial Revival, or Colonial. There are several historic house plan booklets that have been reprinted to aid contemporary designs, which were included in the July HPC meeting packets. The owners submitted only a drawing of the elevation of the proposed fagade. Staff would characterize this fagade as Contemporary Greek Revival due to the large triangular pediment created by the gable roof and square porch posts. According to the district's style guide and period of historic significance, no Greek Revival structure is extant in the district, and the office does not have any record of such a structure's existence within the district's boundaries. The proposed fagade also has a circular louver, shutters, and large double hung windows across the fagade that seem oddly spaced in conjuction with the porch posts. Most of the residences in the district are two -stories tall and are square in plan. Those that do have gables facing the street are two -storied and have projecting front porches such as: 520 River Avenue, 528