821 Ashland Avenue_COA 2020-1209

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STAFF REPORT CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS Date: December 14, 2020 Application Number: 2020-1209 Property Location: 821 Ashland Avenue Architectural Style/Date/Architect or Builder: American Foursquare / 1901 Property Owner: Stackhouse & St. Clair Holdings Landmark or District Designation: Chapin Park Local (Ordinance #9574-05) and National Historic District Rating: Contributing DESCRIPTION OF STRUCTURE/ SITE: Two story wood frame house with a square plan sitting upon a brick foundation. The hip roof has asphalt shingles and a brick chimney offset from the peak with three simple corbel courses. The house front features a full height bay with windows. Windows throughout were wood 1/1 double hung with diamond pattern muntins on the front facade. ALTERATIONS: Administrative approval #2020-0720 allowed for the replacement of the fire damaged roof with new rafters and asphalt architectural shingles (not completed). Certificate of Appropriateness #2019-0404 allowed for the retroactive replacement of a number of the original windows with new vinyl windows. AA #20 l 9 -0404A allowed for the tear off and replacement of the asphalt shingle roof. COA #2017-0605 allowed for the demolition of the garage structures at the rear of the property. Aluminum siding was added to the exterior of the structure sometime prior to 1987. In 1949 the full-width front porch was removed and a front stoop was added, with a small plastic porch roof over the entrance. APPLICATION ITEMS: “Remove current home from property with an excavator. Remove all debris and prepare to redevelop the property for a residential home.” DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROJECT: The applicant has requested approval to: i. Demolish the existing structure, ii. Clean the site to prepare for redevelopment. In November of 2019 a fire caused extensive damage to the property at 821 Ashland Avenue. HPC Staff, members of the Department of Code Enforcement, local preservation entities (Indiana Landmarks), and the property owner have been in conversation to determine various options available to the property owner. The previous property owner had been discussing options with their insurance provider regarding the fire claim and he testified to this fact at a Code Hearing in early 2020. The property owner expressed interest in selling the property and had been actively seeking a potential buyer. Code Enforcement applied for the Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish the structure in June of 2020. Phone conversations between Deputy Director Marlaina Johns and Specialist Adam Toering on July 10, 2020 indicated that a purchase agreement had been obtained for this property with a new party; a repair agreement between the current owner and the Department of Code Enforcement was entered into and the application was withdrawn. HPC Staff administratively approved repairs for the burnt roof at that time (AA 2020-0720), this work was not completed. On August 7, 2020, Code Enforcement Inspector Steve Szaday informed Specialist Toering that the condition of the chimney may be worse than anticipated and that the property owner may seek approval to remove the chimney to ensure the structure could be saved. In November of 2020, additional roof members collapsed into the structure, leading to the property owner being interested in changing the roof line and overall concern for the remaining exterior walls. Staff has received multiple inquiries about this property from concerned neighbors and community advocates.