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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2. 508 S St Joseph_COA 2019-0211_PACKETSTAFF REPORT CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS Date: February 14th, 2019 Application Number: Property Location: 2019-0211 508 S St Joseph Architectural Style/Date/Architect or Builder: American Foursquare / 1894 Property Owner: The Entrust Group FBO Lisa H McKnight Landmark or District Designation: Taylor’s Field, Ordinance #8952-98 Rating: Contributing DESCRIPTION OF STRUCTURE/ SITE: Large irregular two story (plus attic) Free Classic Queen Anne stylistic cues on a brick foundation. Vinyl/aluminum siding is found throughout. The roof is cross-gabled with asphalt shingles, with smaller gables, inset gabled fronts, and gabled returns. The ground floor has a full front porch with doric columns on brick piers with stone caps supporting a hip roof and pediment over the entry stop. A plain frieze with dentil course and brackets are under the entabulature. Windows are wood, 1/1 double hung. Three slim fixed single pane windows are in the front gable. ALTERATIONS: RME #2016-1026B allowed for the replacement of the asphalt shingle roof. RME #2018- 0911B allowed for the repair of the front porch, including replacement of decking and underlying structure as needed. Replacement of railing, repair of columns as needed. APPLICATION ITEMS: “Replacement of Front Door. The front door was damaged beyond repair due to a breakin. A new door has been installed. We plan to pain the frame around the window to match the front door.” DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROJECT: Applicant seeks a Certificate of Appropriateness for improvements on the structure, including: 1.Retroactive replacement of the front door with Therma-Tru Benchmark Door (Lowe’s – item #15729), A previous contractor executed the work listed as retroactive following damage/vandalism to the property. Troy McKee of McKee Brothers LLC has been retained by the property owner to rectify the issues on the site. The Building Department ‘Red-Tagged’ this property on January 10th, 2019 because work was completed without permit. PRESERVATION INSPECTOR REPORT: STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES: Taylor’s Field Local Historic District Guidelines I.THE ENVIRNOMENT A.THE DISTRICT ENVIRONMENT […] B.BUILDING SITE, LANDSCAPING AND ACCESSORIES Individual properties in the district are characterized by a house located near the front of each lot with a small to medium lawn in front and little to no lawn at the rear of the property. Often the back yard is used as a parking lot for tenants. About half of the properties include a garage which is either located at the rear of the property and accessed from unpaved alleys running behind the property or located directly next to the structure and accessed by small drives. Nearly all of the garage structure and accessed by small drives. Nearly all of the garage structures are out of date, single-stall frame buildings. One larger carriage house still stands in the district. Most properties have trees, shrubbery and/or hedges. Most houses conform to the uniform set-back within each block. Required Plants, trees, fencing, walkways, private yard lights, signs (house numbers) and benches which reflect the property’s history and development shall be retained. Recommended New site work should be based upon actual knowledge of 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. Accessory structures such as decks, gazebos, fountains and/or small outbuildings should be appropriate to surrounding site elements in scale, type, and appearance. Plant materials and trees in close proximity to the building and causing deterioration to the building’s historic fabric should be removed and replaced by suitable flora as approved by the Historic Preservation Commission. Prohibited No changes may be made to the appearance of the site by removing trees, fencing, walkways, outbuildings or 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. Front yard areas shall not be fenced or fences shall not extend forward beyond the setback line of the house. The installation of unsightly devices such as television satellite dishes, solar panels and skylights shall not be premised in areas where they can be viewed from the public thoroughfare. II. EXISTING STRUCTURES A. BUILDING MATERIALS Original exterior wall materials in the district include limestone, flagstone, stucco, clapboard, wood shingles, sandstone and masonry block. In some instances, vinyl or aluminum siding has been applied over the original material. Required Original exterior building materials shall be retained. Deterioration of wood materials shall be prevented through repair, cleaning and painting. The existing or original architectural detail windows, porches, doors, and eaves should be retained or replaced by replicas of the same design and materials when deteriorated beyond repair. Masonry including brick, limestone, flagstone, sandstone, and stucco shall be cleaned only when necessary to halt deterioration or to remove stains, and shall be done with a method acceptable for the preservation of the surface: i.e. low pressure water and soft natural bristle bushes. No chemicals, sand blasting or other invasive methods may be used to clean historic buildings. When repairing stucco, stucco mixture compatible in composition, color, and texture shall be used. Recommended Whenever possible, the original building materials should be restored. Metal or vinyl siding may be used when it is the only alternative to maintaining or replacing the original surface material. When used over wood surfaces, this siding should be the same size and style as the original wood. Every effort should be made to retain the original trim around the windows, doors, cornices, gables, eaves, and other architectural features. Ample ventilation must be afforded the structure when metal or vinyl siding has been installed in order to prevent increased deterioration of the structure from moisture and/or insects. Mortar joints should be repointed only when there is evidence of moisture problems or when sufficient mortar is missing to allow water to stand in the mortar joint. Existing mortar shall be duplicated in composition, color, texture, joint size, method of application and joint profile. It is emphasized that, prior to initiating any restoration or rehabilitation effort, the property owner contact the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend & St. Joseph County at 125 Lafayette, South Bend. The Commission is an invaluable source of information about all facets of rehabilitation and restoration. Prohibited Wood siding shall not be resurfaced with new material which is inappropriate or was unavailable when the building was constructed, such as artificial stone, brick veneer, asbestos or asphalt shingles. Sandblasting or the use of harsh detergents shall not be used on masonry including brick, stucco, limestone, flagstone, and sandstone. This method of cleaning erodes the surface material and accelerates deterioration. Brick surfaces shall not be painted unless they had been painted originally. Not Recommended Waterproof or water repellant coatings or surface consolidation treatments should not be used on masonry surfaces unless required to solve a specific problem that has been studied and identified. Coatings are frequently unnecessary and expensive, and can accelerate deterioration of the masonry. Mortar joints which do not need repointing should not be repointed. Repointing shall not be done with a mortar of high Portland cement content which can often create a bond that is stronger than the building material. This can cause deterioration as a result of the differing coefficient of expansion and the differing porosity of the material and the mortar which can result in serious damage to adjacent brick. Paint shall not be removed from masonry surfaces indiscriminately B. ROOFS AND ROOFING […] C. WINDOWS AND DOORS Window and door frames are in most cases wood. Brick structures have stone sills and brick lintels. In some cases where additional siding has been applied window trim has been covered. Many structures in the district have aluminum storm windows. Some houses retain wood framed storm windows. Required Original windows and doors shall be retained including sashes, lintels, sills, shutters, decorative glass, pediments, hoods, and hardware. When deteriorated beyond repair, they shall be replaced with units and trim resembling the original. Recommended Wood frame storm windows and doors painted to match the original should be used but should not damage existing frames and should be removable. If new sashes or doors are installed, the existing or original materials, design, and hardware should be used. When metal storm doors and windows are used, they should be painted, anodized or coated to match the existing. When awnings are used they should be of canvas material. Prohibited Original doors, windows, and hardware shall not be discarded when they can be restored and re-used in place. New window and door openings which would alter the scale and proportion of the building shall not be introduced. Inappropriate new window and door features, such as aluminum insulating glass combinations that require the removal of the original windows and doors, shall not be installed. Not Recommended Awnings, hoods, and fake shutters made of metal, vinyl, or fiberglass should not be used if they would detract from the existing character or appearance of the building. […] III. SAFETY AND BUILDING CODE REQUIREMENTS A.BUILDING CODE REQUIREMENTS Required Building code requirements shall be compiled with in such a manner that the existing character of the building is preserved. Recommended Local code officials should be consulted to investigate alternative life safety measures that will preserve the architectural integrity of the structure. Variances for historic properties should be investigated. Prohibited Construction of new stairways and elevators that would alter important architectural features or existing exits and spaces is prohibited. Not Recommended Fire prevention equipment should not damage the appearance or fabric of the building. B.ACCESS FOR HANDICAPPED OR DISABLED PERSONS IV.GENERAL […] STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Regarding the retroactive replacement of the front door, staff would have preferred the original door and storm door would have been retained. The fiberglass replacement door is a departure from the original material and format; Staff would like to see a new wooden storm door installed to conceal the fiberglass door. Written by Adam Toering Historic Preservation Specialist Approved by Elicia Feasel Historic Preservation Administrator Sanborn Maps / Satellite Photos Figure 1 - Sanborn imagery (1899, 1917, 1960), and current satellite imagery. Site Visit – Photos Figure 1 - 508 S St. Joseph from the street, looking east. Figure 2 - Close-up of the entrance.