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II. EXISTING STRUCTURES <br />A. BUILDING MATERIALS <br />Original exterior building materials in the district include brick, stucco, clapboard, wood shingles, and <br />brick or stone masonry. In some instances, vinyl, composite and aluminum siding have been applied <br />over the original material. <br />Required <br />Original exterior building materials shall be retained when possible. Deterioration of wood materials <br />shall be prevented through repair, cleaning, and painting. The existing architectural detail around <br />windows, porches, doors, and eaves shall be retained or replaced by replicas of the same design when <br />deteriorated beyond repair. <br />Masonry, including brick and stucco structures, shall be maintained, and properly cleaned only when <br />necessary to halt deterioration or to remove stains and shall be done in a method acceptable for the <br />preservation of the surface: i.e. low pressure water and soft natural bristle brushes. Brick or masonry <br />mortar joints should be repointed only when there is evidence of moisture problems, or when sufficient <br />mortar is missing to allow water to stand in the mortar joint. Existing mortar shall be duplicated in <br />composition, color, texture, joint size, method of application, and joint profile. <br />When repairing stucco, stucco mixture shall be used. A professional shall make a study of the old <br />stucco, to determine the exact mixture and underlayment used in the original work. Some repair <br />methods are not compatible with the original techniques and may cause early disintegration of the repair <br />work and the original work. <br />Ample ventilation must be afforded the structure when siding is installed, in order to prevent increased <br />deterioration of the structure from moisture and insects. <br />Recommended <br />Whenever possible, the original building materials should be restored. When maintaining or replacing <br />original siding is not feasible, aluminum, vinyl, or composite siding may be used. When used over <br />wood surfaces, this siding should be the same size and style as the original wood. Every effort should <br />be made to retain the original trim around windows, doors, cornices, gables, eaves, and other <br />architectural features. <br />Property owners should contact the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St. Joseph <br />County prior to initiating any restoration of rehabilitation effort. [Address and contact information is <br />listed in the front of the Guidebook.] The Commission is an invaluable source of information about all <br />facets of rehabilitation and restoration - materials, methods, contractors and the like. <br />Prohibited <br />Wood siding shall not be resurfaced with new material that is inappropriate or was unavailable when <br />the building was constructed, such as artificial stone, brick veneer, asbestos or asphalt shingles. <br />Sandblasting or the use of harsh detergents shall not be used on masonry including brick, stucco, <br />limestone, flagstone and sandstone. This method of cleaning erodes the surface material and accelerates <br />deterioration. <br />Repointing shall not be done with a mortar of high Portland cement content which can often create a <br />bond that is stronger than the building material. Usage of Portland cement can cause deterioration as a <br />Page 8 of 26 <br />