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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLandmark Preservation Commission - Minutes - 08/13/2003LANDMARK PRESERVATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting August 13, 2003 Minutes Council Liaison: David Roy (407-7393) Staff Liaison: Joe Frank (221-6376) Commission Chairperson: Bud Frick, Jr. (484-1467) SUMMARY OF MEETING: LPC heard an update on the Downtown Strategic Plan; approved an addition to 810 W. Mountain Ave.; and designated the Empire Grange Hall at 2306 W. Mulberry St. a Fort Collins Landmark. Commission accepted final colors, awnings, rear staircase and brick vents for Armstrong Hotel, 259 S. College Ave., and asked for more details on proposed sign; flagpole to be approved administratively. LPC suggested revisions to conceptual proposed addition at 725 Mathews St. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: Commission called to order by Chairman Bud Frick, Jr., at 5:30 p.m. at 281 N. College Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado., Agnes Dix, Per Hogestad, Carole Stansfield and Myme Watrous were present. Angie Aguilera and Janet Ore were excused. Clark Mapes, Karen McWilliams, and Carol Tunner represented staff. GUESTS: Stephanie Malsack, owner, for John and Edna Squires House, 810 W. Mountain Ave.; Grange Master Erich Stroheim, Rebecca Mann, Deryl Keney and Lorraine Dunn for Empire Grange Hall, 2306 W. Mulberry.St.; Steve Levinger, owner, and Mark Thorburn, University Designers and Builders, for Armstrong Hotel, 259 S. College Ave.; Jeff Moore, contractor, for Littler -Baker House, 725 Mathews St.; Ian Shuff of Aller-Lingle Architects PC, nominated but not yet approved to replace Carole Stansfield on the Commission. AGENDA REVIEW: Carol Tunner added installation of a swamp -cooler system Remington St. under Other Business. a request for administrative approval of the Historic First Baptist Church, 328 MINUTES: The minutes of July 9 and July 23, 2003, were accepted as presented. STAFF REPORTS: Carol Tunner reported that she had administratively approved re- roofing the middle of a flat roof section of 426 W. Oak, the Hottel/Hoffman House that was leaking. It is not visible from the street. She passed around pictures of the work. Ms. Tunner introduced Ian Shuff of Aller-Lingle Architects PC as the applicant, if approved, who will be taking over Carole Stansfield's seat in September. She also invited LPC members to an open house/workshop about the City's Land Conservation Plan, part of the Natural Resources Departments updated Natural Areas Master Plan, to be held on Sept. 30, 4-7:30 p.m. in the Columbine Room of Lincoln Center. Agnes Dix volunteered to attend and report back to the Commission. Landmark Preservation Commission August 13, 2003, Meeting Minutes Page 2 COMMISSION MEMBER REPORTS: Bud Frick reported on the August 7th Downtown Development Authority meeting. Much of the discussion concerned the Downtown Strategic Plan, and the importance of allowing the market to dictate the height of buildings in the downtown area. CONSENT AGENDA: 810 W. Mountain Ave., John and Edna Squires House, Rear Addition Final Review -- Stephanie Malsack, owner. Ms. Tunner presented changed plans presented are for an addition supported by the Commission at its April 9, 2003, meeting. The plans no longer call for a small bumped - out mudroom, making the addition more appropriate to the historic character of the house. Public input: none Per Hogestad moved the LPC accept the final plans for the proposed addition to the John and Edna Squires House at 810 W. Mountain Ave. as presented. Myrne Watrous seconded, and the motion carried unanimously, 5-0. DESIGNATION: 2306 W. Mulberry, Empire Grange Hall -- presented by Erich Stroheim, Grange Master, introduced by Karen McWilliams. Empire Grange #148 was established in 1904 with a charter membership of 13. The Empire Grange Hall was built -- and most likely designed -- by Grange members with materials and funding donated by members and local businessmen. The building was dedicated on July 19, 1912. Land was donated by Grange member Robert G. Maxwell, with the stipulation that should the Grange cease to exist, the land and building would become the property of the school district to be used for educational purposes. The Order of the Patrons of Husbandry or Grange organization was a driving force in post -Civil War politics and was instrumental in the establishment of land-grant colleges. The first Grange Master of Empire Grange #148, Eben S. Merrifield, had previously served as a secretary to President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet. The Empire Grange Hall is notable for its brick construction, as most Grange halls in Colorado are wood -framed structures. It is remarkably unaltered from its original construction. The Grange Hall is still in use today, not only for Grange meetings but also rehearsals and performances by the Storm Mountain Folk Dancers and other community events. Staff recommends designation for significance under Standards (A) and (C). Landmark Preservation Commissio. August 13, 2003, Meeting Minutes Page 3 Carole Stansfield complemented the application as very well written. Lorraine Dunn explained that the bricks on the north side of the building are different because they were donated and most likely from a torn -down farmhouse. It was common to put the recycled bricks in the least obvious place, in this case the north face. Ms. McWilliams pointed out that the building could be facing ADA accessibility issues that could come before the LPC in the future. Erich Stroheim explained that the front door is no longer a functional entrance, but there are two doors on the east side, one with stairs and a ground -level one that enters onto a landing. Public input: None Agnes Dix moved that the LPC accept for Fort Collins Landmark designation the Empire Grange Hall at 2306 West Mulberry Street, for its historical significance as a tangible reminder of the presence in Fort Collins of the Grange as well as its architectural significance and integrity. Carole Stansfield seconded, and the motion carried unanimously, 5-0. Ms. McWilliams will send the applicant a letter summarizing the action taken DISCUSSION ITEM: Downtown Strategic Plan Update -- presented by Clark Mapes. Mr. Mapes provided an update on the progress of recommendations pertaining to height and mass issues of new buildings in downtown. Meetings have been held with the Downtown Development Authority, developers, architects and residents in adjoining neighborhoods. Input ranged from residents of historic homes who would like to see no change to the DDA who would like to see no restrictions on building heights. Mr. Mapes presented a map showing block -by -block height recommendations based on these discussions. The map includes six blocks -- all with one face on Howes St. from Mountain Ave. to Mulberry St. -- where a height of 150 feet, approximately 12 stories, would be acceptable. Mr. Mapes added that these are maximum heights and all existing design parameters remain in place. While some blocks are currently City -owned and unlikely to be developed, the goal is to keep options as open as possible to allow developers and architects to exercise design creativity in the future. This would be the only place in the city where such tall buildings would be allowed, so that downtown becomes a real Central Business District. Per Hogestad expressed concern that the impact on the old downtown area from extremely tall buildings in this area would be severe, and should the entire block be developed to the maximum, the visual result would be a wall, separating downtown from Landmark Preservation Commission August 13, 2003, Meeting Minutes Page 4 the rest of the city. All citizen complaints about previously proposed projects centered on height -- buildings being too tall for the existing character of the city. If the original purpose of setting height parameters was to keep architects from designing projects that ultimately will not be acceptable, Carole Stansfield and Bud Frick asked, why hold out the possibility? Allowing more height doesn't mean good design, Mr. Hogestad said, but a five -story building won't destroy what already exists. Low-rise buildings can make economic sense, he added. Myme Watrous observed that the city's three existing towers were built in the 1960s, and no one has been able to make the economics work for another one since. Ian Shuff pointed out that the discussion about height addresses the issue of growth and how to deal with it. Some height is required to reach the densities desired, but he suggested there should be transitional buildings to keep from forming a drastic edge to downtown. Mr. Mapes said the idea was that more people moving downtown would have an impact on the vitality of the area. Mr. Frick and Hogestad countered that ruining the character of downtown could have the opposite effect, and vacant spaces have an impact on vitality, too. Mr. Mapes reported that the recommendations are now scheduled to go before the Planning and Zoning Board in October. He is in the process of drafting language for the recommendations and will keep Carol Tunner apprised of his progress. CONCEPTUAL/FINAL REVIEW: 1. 259 S. College Ave., Armstrong Hotel, Final Review of Colors, Awnings, Rear Staircase, Brick Vents, Flagpole and Sign -- presented by Steve Levinger, owner, and Mark Thorbum, University Designers and Builders; introduced by Carol Tunner. Drawings of the staircase and vents and final color and awning fabric samples were included in the information packets distributed to Commission members for this meeting. There were no questions about them. Steve Levinger confirmed that the bricks replaced by the vents would be saved and stored. Public input: None Myrne Watrous moved that the LPC accept as presented final colors, awnings, rear staircase and brick vents for the Armstrong Hotel, 259 S. College Ave. Agnes Dix seconded, and the motion carried unanimously, 5-0. There were also no concerns about the proposal to reinstall an approximately 11-foot flagpole on the roof, mounted to the back of the center comice as on the historic building. Landmark Preservation Commissic August 13, 2003, Meeting Minutes Page 5 There was discussion of the proposed reconstruction of the historic circa 1940s sign. The applicant would like the LPC to find that the sign has "been an integral part of a building designated as a historic landmark, and is a contributing feature of the historic character of the building." If the Commission so finds, Section 14 of Article 5 of the City's Land Use Code exempts it from the City's sign code. Because of this request, the Commission would like to see more research done on historic materials. The current proposal is for the sign to be made of aluminum, painted black with white vinyl lettering illuminated by neon in an as -yet -undetermined color. It will be attached to the building with brackets similar to those used on the Northern Hotel -- historically the two buildings were owned by the same person -- and a guywire. Some Commissioners felt sheet metal would be a more authentic material for this use. Commission authorized Carol Tunner to approve the flagpole administratively, but asked applicants to bring results of further research on historic materials for the sign to a future meeting. 2. 725 Mathews St., Little -Baker House, Rear addition, Conceptual/Final Review -- presented by Jeff Moore, contractor, on behalf of owners Jeff and Vickie Bridges, presented by Carol Tunner. The applicants are proposing to replace an existing one-story rear addition of unknown age with a two-story extension with a one-story porch addition. The purpose of the change is to gain more kitchen and upstairs bedroom amenities to make the house more livable by today's standards. Staff recommended the planned addition, since it is on the rear of the house, materials have been selected to be compatible with the original house and there is a differentiation between old and new construction through side elevation cornerboards and new casement windows on the rear. Although the new use is still residential, this is a rehabilitation to allow modem uses. Jeff Moore, contractor for the project, distributed new drawings and color photos, as well as a position paper in support of casement windows over double -hung. The concern of the family is that with all the windows lined up on the back porch, the sash of using double -hung windows would interfere with the view of those sitting at the dining table. They also would like to use Pella casements where the screen will roll up out of the way for three seasons. Mr. Hogestad had a concern leaving the old one story porch roof exposed on the north elevation. Commission members also had a concern about the proposed casement windows that would be out of historic character for the home. Ms. Watrous questioned double French doors, but Mr. Frick indicated that they had been allowed in the rear on other projects. Landmark Preservation commission August 13, 2003, Meeting Minutes Page 6 Bud Frick suggested raising the porch six inches which would align the window head heights with other windows on the house, and allow an unobstructed view through the bottom sash of double -hung windows. Mr. Moore said he then would have to use taller custom made expensive French doors. Mr. Frick suggested adding a transom over the French doors to keep the alignment rather than invest in more expensive taller doors. Mr. Frick said that the horizontally oriented kitchen window on the rear elevation was also out of character with the vertical orientation of the rest of the windows on the house. He suggested using two small but narrow windows there. Mr. Frick also asked to see a section drawing of the addition. Mr. Moore said he was told no additional drawings were required to pull a building permit; Commission members suggested he double-check that information. Since this was major redesign, Mr. Moore said he would discuss the changes with the homeowners and come back to the Commission in the near future, because he needed to keep working and this project was scheduled to start immediately. Mr. Hogestad said he like the detailing of the addition and that it responded well to the historic structure. OTHER BUSINESS: Historic First Baptist Church, 328 Remington St. -- Carol Tunner presented a letter from Brian J. Sky, senior pastor at North Pointe Community Church, and photos outlining the location and specifications for a swamp cooler to be installed on the sanctuary roof on the east side of the building. The Commission decided that since the location cannot be seen from the street, and the installation will not affect stonework and would be easily reversible, Ms. Tunner should handle the details administratively. Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Kate Jeracki, Recorder August 19, 2003