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CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS STAFF REPORT r • APPLICATION -- 1997-1104 PROPERTY -- 1602 East Wayne Street South Bend, IN OWNER -- James and Charlotte Davis DESIGNATION -- EW-LHD RATING -- Contributing C/9 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE/HISTORIC CONTEXT Whitcomb and Keller built this H.R.. Stapp designed Renaissance Revival house in 1926. It remained vacant until 1928 when T. Roy Moon, an agent with the Travelers Insurance Company, rented the house. The Moons rented the house. until 1933, then it subsequently was rented to several different families over the'next three years. In 1936 Whitcomb and Keller sold the house to Leroy Sellers, the legal advisor for the Associates Investment Company. The Sellers resided at 1602 E. Wayne until their deaths, Mr. Seller died in 1961 and Mrs. Seller passed away in 1973. The Valley Bank and Trust Company were left as the executers of Mrs. Sellers will, they sold the house to Bradford Brasel only a few months after her death. Mr. Brasel lived in the house until 1979 when he sold it to Bruce Gobdel, who eventually sold it to the current owner, James Davis, on September.l, 1982. PROPOSED CHANGE • Applicant proposes to replace a vinyl chain link fence with and Essex 72" high cedar privacy fence to follow code for fence heights in regard to pools. The fence to be replaced only encloses the back yard as will the new fence. STANDARDS The Preservation Guidelines for East Wayne Street state: b) .... The Guidelines for the East Wayne Street District follow the Rehabilitation Model.... I.A.1 Required Major landscaping items, fencing, walkways.... shall be compatible with the character of the neighborhood in size, scale, material and color. I.A.3 Prohibited Signs.... fencing... which are out of scale or inappropriate to the neighborhood may not be used. RECOMMENDATION As noted in the discussion above, the height of fencing surrounding swimming pools id prescribed by law. Such a fence is therefore a necessity in this context. Staff is uncertain as to why the application does not indicate the fence returning from the west property -line to the house nor the closing of the space between the house and garage as the requirement for security at pools would indicate complete enclosure. Regardless of this safety concern about which the commission does not have authority, the location of the proposed fence is entirely obscured from the public view by the location of buildings on the property and by extensive landscaping planting between the • house and its west property lines as may be seen in the photo -documentation. Staff recommends approval. DBD 11/4/97