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:1 STAFF REPORT CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS ate: 18 October 2016 Application Number: 2016-1018 Property Location: 511 West Colfax Architectural Style/Date/Architect or Builder: Tudor Revival/ 1898Birdsell House/Wilson Parker, Archt. Property Owner: Steve Mihaljevic/Anisah Michael Landmark or District Designation: Local Landmark/West Washington St. National Register Historic Dist. Rating: Outstanding DESCRIPTION OF STRUCTURE/ SITE: The wood frame house has field stone veneer facade on the first floor, second floor is brick veneer, gable ends of house are Tudor -style half timbers. The foundation is concrete and stone and the half-timbering in the gables. Wood windows are diamond patterned 4/1. Verandah is supported with stone columns with ornate capitals. The porte cochere has a hipped roof. ALTERATIONS: COA 2000-0316 approved a wrought fence around the property, and a rear yard chain link fence was approved with COA 2001-0129, although neither of these fences were installed. COA 2008-0604A approved reconstruction of chimney. RME 2016-0825A approved repair of five original double hung windows in second story south and third story south. APPLICATION ITEMS: New copper roof on portescochere and new roof made of copper on front porch. Entire roof will be of copper. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROJECT: Owner proposes to install new standing -seam copper roof with copper drip edge, copper valley, edge trim and flashings on entire house, including front porch and porte cochere. The original porch and porte cochere roofs, as well as gutters and accents which still exist, are painted copper; the original house roof has been replaced.. A historic photo shows what appears to be a slate roof on the house; the old assessor's card says tile. Brendan Crumlish, local architect and son of former Birdsell tenant. Brian Crumlish, remembers VanOverberghe Builders installing the current roof in 1983-84, which replaced another asphalt shingle roof, so the original roofing material had disappeared long before the 1980's. Crumlish says the porch and porte cochere roofs have always been painted metal, and the historic photo would confirm that. However, there does not seem to be a precedent for metal roofing on the house. Group B Standards say the proposed treatment should be reviewed for "character and style consistency with the original surfaces." The National Park Service's Preservation Brief 4 on roofs says "if the roof is readily visible ... material should match as closely as possible the scale, texture, and coloration of the historic roofing material." Historically, copper roofs were used on important buildings in the early 1800s, then infrequently until the latter 19"` century when copper mines were opened in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, making copper more accessible. It was still used most frequently for ornamental roofs on public buildings. (National Park Service, Roofing for Historic Buildings, Metals) The owner has selected copper for the roof material in an effort to match the original roof materials that remain, as well as for its durability. PRESERVATION SPECIALIST REPORT: STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES: Group B A. Maintenance The maintenance of any historical structure or site shall in no way involve any direct physical change except for the general cleaning and upkeep of the landmark. The Commission shall encourage the proper maintenance of all structure or sites.