Historic Landmark CommissionFeb. 28, 2022

B.3.0 - 3908 Avenue H — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FEBRUARY 28, 2022 HR-2022-002112 HYDE PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT 3908 AVENUE H B.3 – 1 PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS Add front porch, construct two-story addition, replace siding, replace roof, replace all windows, and add chimney to ca. 1953 contributing house. Replace siding and install new door at garage. 1) Demolish front of residence and construct a full-width front porch. The proposed porch includes a gabled roof supported by tapered columns atop brick veneer piers. 2) Replace asbestos shingle siding with fiber-cement siding. 3) Replace composition shingle roof with new composition shingles. 4) Replace all original windows with 4:1 double-hung composite windows. 5) Add a brick veneer chimney to north elevation 6) Demolish rear screened porch and construct a two-story addition directly above the existing ridgeline. The proposed addition features a compound cross-gabled roof, 4:1 and 2:1 single-hung windows, and a covered back porch. 7) Remodel garage, replacing existing asbestos shingle siding with fiber cement, replacing the roof with new composition shingles, and adding a door to south elevation. ARCHITECTURE One-story house with Minimal Traditional stylistic influences, clad in asbestos shingle siding. Its cross-gabled roof shelters a partial-width inset porch with decorative metal supports and handrails. Fenestration includes 2:2 screened aluminum windows and a multi-light aluminum picture window, as well as an original partially glazed and louvered screen door. DESIGN STANDARDS The Hyde Park Design Standards are used to evaluate projects within the historic district. The following standards apply to the proposed project: 1. General Standards 1.2: Retention of Historic Style. Respect the historic style of existing structures and retain their historic features, including character-defining elements and building scale. The proposed project removes character-defining elements of the house, including but not limited to porch form and fenestration. 1.3: Avoidance of False Historicism. Respect each contributing structure as an example of the architecture of its time. Do not make alterations that have no historic basis, such as the addition of gingerbread trim to a 1920s bungalow. Do not give an existing contributing structure a “historic” appearance it never had. The proposed project removes original material and adds Craftsman-style elements to a house displaying Minimal Traditional stylistic influences. The project also adds a masonry chimney, which is not appropriate to the style of the existing house. 1.4: Appropriate Treatment Options for Contributing or Potentially Contributing Structures. 1. Preserve the historic fabric: Repair deteriorated historic features and architectural elements. 2. Reconstruct missing or un-repairable architectural features with the following: a) Recycled historic materials that approximate the size and match the scale, profile, and appearance of the deteriorated or missing feature, if available. b) New material that that approximates the size and matches the scale, profile, and appearance of the historic material. Reconstruct or rebuild missing architectural features using photographic or physical indications as a guide. The proposed project removes and replaces historic siding, windows, trim, and porch elements with new materials that do not approximate the appearance or profile of existing historic materials. 3. Residential Standards: Single Family and Contributing Multifamily - Preservation and Restoration 3.1: Front of Houses. Retain the historic facade of a house in terms of door and window placement and exterior wall B.3 – 2 materials. Repair damaged or deteriorated exterior wall materials where reasonably possible. If replacement of exterior wall materials is necessary, choose a material identical in size, profile, and appearance as the historic material. The proposed project appears to modify existing window openings to accommodate new windows. The proposed horizontal siding does not approximate the size, profile, or appearance of the original asbestos shingle siding. 3.2: Doors and Doorways 1. Do not enlarge, alter, or relocate single doorways on the façade of the house. 2. Retain and repair an original entry door. In cases where replacement of an original entry door is required, or where the house does not have the original door, choose a replacement door that is compatible in terms of design and appearance with the historic character of the house. 3. Retain the glazing (window or glass) in its original configuration on doors that contain glass. The proposed project removes the existing screened door. The replacement door is partially glazed, but does not appear to approximate the glazing pattern of the existing front door. The doorway does not appear to be enlarged or altered. 3.3: Windows 1. Repair or rehabilitate the original windows and screens. 2. The energy efficiency of original windows can be improved by using methods that do not damage historic sashes, glass, or frames, such as weatherstripping, insulating weight pockets, adding insulated glass and the necessary additional balancing weights, or adding a clear interior film, or a combination of these methods. 3. Do not use tinted glass or tinted film on original windows. 4. If replacing windows, use windows that approximate the size and match the scale, profile, appearance, and configuration of existing historic windows. The proposed project replaces original 2:2 aluminum windows and removes the matching screens. While the replacement windows somewhat match the scale of the original windows, they do not match in profile or configuration. 3.4: Porches. Front porches are an integral part of the character of homes in Hyde Park. Consider the architectural style of the house if making decisions about changes to the front porch. Preserve the original front and street-side porches. Do not enclose open front and street-side ground-floor porches with screening, glass, or other enclosure materials. Screens are appropriate for rear porches or other porches, including second-floor front porches. The proposed project modifies the existing inset partial-width porch, extending the roof to create a full-width porch with Craftsman detailing that does not reflect the house’s architectural style. 3.5: Roofs 1. Retain the original roof pitches and profiles on the building. Avoid changes to roofs on the front of the building. Avoid adding to the eave height of original roofs, especially at the front of the structure. Retain historic dormers. 2. In replacing roof materials, consider first the use of the original material, then the use a product that resembles the original material, such as a fiberglass or other energy-efficient shingle. Metal roofs are also acceptable. Do not use shaped, scalloped or diamond shingles unless they were original to the building. Preserve original gable/attic vents and roof brackets. The proposed project modifies the roofline to create a new porch with gabled and shed elements. The proposed replacement shingles are appropriate. 3.7: Garages. 1. When rebuilding an original garage or adding a second story to it, preserve the roof pitch and style of siding. 2. When installing new garage doors, make them complementary in design to the original structure. The proposed garage modifications are minimal and do not affect its integrity, though siding that more closely approximates the original shingle profile would be a more appropriate replacement. 4. Residential Standards: Additions to Contributing Single Family and Multi-Family Structures 4.1: Preservation of Historic Character. Construct additions so as to require the removal or modification of a minimum of historic fabric. Do not construct additions which will require the removal of any portion of the front façade. Design additions to existing residential buildings to reflect the form and style of the existing house. 4.2: Location Locate new additions and alterations to the rear or rear side of the building so that they will be less visible from the street. The proposed two-story addition is located to the rear of the house, except for the portion that extends over the ridgeline. Its gabled roof somewhat reflects the form and style of the existing house. 4.3: Roof, Fenestration, and Siding 1. Make the pitch and height of the roof of the addition compatible to that of the existing house. 2. Make windows visible from the street on any addition compatible with those on the existing house in terms of sash configuration, proportion, spacing and placement. 3. Use exterior siding materials on the addition which match or are compatible with that of the existing house. The proposed rear addition’s roof pitch and height appear compatible, as well as the street-visible fenestration. The use of horizontal fiber cement siding at the addition would be mostly compatible with the historic-age shingle siding, differentiating old from new; however, the proposed project reskins the historic portion of the house to match the addition. 4.4 Size and Scale of Additions. 1. Design additions to have the same floor-to-ceiling height as the existing house. 2. Locate second story additions at least 15’ back from the front house wall. The front house wall is the exterior wall closest to the street. Houses on corner lots have only one front wall. 3. Design additions so that they do not overwhelm the original building. 4. Do not raise a first story to become a second story. The proposed addition is located approximately 20’ from the front wall of the house closest to the street. The proposed addition’s position over the roof ridgeline may make the addition appear more top-heavy than it is. The proposed addition has the same approximate floor-to-ceiling height as the existing house. B.3 – 3 Summary The project does not meet most of the applicable standards. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Postpone to March 28, 2022 and invite the applicant to the March 14th Architectural Review Committee meeting. LOCATION MAP B.3 – 4 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos B.3 – 5 B.3 – 6 B.3 – 7 B.3 – 8 Permits Source: Application, 2022 1953 building permit for house and garage