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garden furniture, trellises and other similar structures shall be compatible to the historic character of the site and the neighborhood and inconspicuous when viewed from a public walkway. RECOMMENDED: New site work should be based upon actual knowledge of the past appearance of the property found in photographs, drawings and newspapers. New site work should be appropriate to existing surrounding site elements in scale, type and appearance. Plant materials and trees in close proximity to the building that are causing deterioration to the building's historic fabric should be removed. However, trees and plant materials that must be removed should be immediately replaced by suitable flora. All high-intensity security lights should be approved by the Historic Preservation Commission. PROHIBITED: No changes may be made to the appearance of the site by removing major landscaping items, trees, fencing, walkways, outbuildings or other elements before evaluating their importance to the property's history and development. Front yard areas shall not be transformed into parking lots nor paved nor black -topped. Front yard areas shall not be fenced and fences shall not extend forward beyond the setback line of the house. The installation of unsightly devices such as television reception dishes and solar collectors shall not be permitted in areas where they can be viewed from the public thoroughfare. NOT RECOMMENDED: Telephone or utility poles with high-intensity overhead lights should be installed so that they cannot be seen from the thoroughfare. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Given the continued history of the property, staff has reservations about major changes to the existing structures and composition of the landscaping of this property. That being said, the tennis court was a later addition to the property, and the adjacent lot where it stood was at one time entirely green -space. For example, at the time of Knute Rockne's fitneral, the adjacent lot was filled with floral arrangements (see attached image). No record of the construction, maintenance, and/or improvements to the tennis court or surrounding fence were retained by or provided to the Historic preservation Commission. Additionally, the fencing and tennis court were not entirely obscured from the street in its most recent composition as was required by the aforementioned Standards and Guidelines. Given these considerations, staff recommends retroactive approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness for the removal of the tennis court and surrounding fencing. Written by Adam Toering Deputy Director Approved by Elicia Feasel Executive Director