HPC of South Bend and St. Joseph County - Standards Update Draft

Home Browse Search

City of South Bend and St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Guidelines 133 District Addendums: Lincoln Way East Local Historic District Way, are divided by concrete sidewalks to the front porches . A few of the properties have gravel driveways, while most are concrete, and some are shared driveways between two lots . All of the properties have trees, many have trimmed shrubbery and hedges . All of the houses conform to a uniform setback line; the buildings in the 1300 block angle to conform to the curve in the street. Lincoln Way East Historic District features mid-sized house types and styles. Types include American Foursquare, Bungalow, and variations of gabled designs. Styles include Queen Anne, Free Classic, and 20th century revivals including Colonial and Tudor. One neighborhood commercial building was also constructed in the district at 1414-1416 Leer Street. New Construction New construction includes any new building or structure constructed within the boundaries of the historic district, or any new addition to an existing building . New construction should be designed considering the appearance of the other buildings in the neighborhood . Massing and Scale. The majority of structures in the district are two stories in height and are square, rectangular or irregular in plan. There are a few story-and-a-half residences. The prevalent façade proportions are between a 1:1 and a 1:2 height-to-width ratio. • 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 of the tallest existing structure and no less than that of the lowest existing structure in the same block . • Façade proportion shall be established by permitting no structure with a façade wider or narrower than those existing in the same block . • Additions to existing buildings shall be related in height and proportion to the existing structure . • Contemporary designs should be compatible in character and mood to the building or neighborhood . Site Projects Garages, Landscaping, Parking Areas, Decks, Driveways, Sidewalks, and Paths. Accessory buildings are those structures that serve a specific subordinate function to the residence. These include garages and storage sheds and carriage houses . All of the accessory buildings are located in the rear yard . The carriage houses were designed in an architectural style related to the residence and were constructed at the same time as the residence . Accessory structures (gazebos, decks, playhouses, children’s play equipment, etc .) shall be located at the rear of the property and as unobtrusively as possible while preserving historic relationships between the buildings, landscape features and open spaces . Proportions and materials shall conform to those required for new construction . The following is prohibited and generally not approved by the Commission: • Removing old plants, trees, fencing, walkways, outbuildings and other site 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 blacktopped or fenced . Return to the Table of ContentsDRAFT