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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 02/19/2008 - SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 014, 2008, DESIGNA ITEM NUMBER: 14 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE: February 19, 2008 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Karen McWilliams SUBJECT Second Reading of Ordinance No. 014, 2008, Designating the Saint Joseph Catholic Church and Church Parish Center,300 West Mountain Avenue,as a Fort Collins Landmark Pursuant to Chapter 14 of the City Code. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of this Ordinance on Second Reading. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Ordinance No. 014, 2008, unanimously adopted on First Reading on February 5, 2008, designates the Saint Joseph Catholic Church and Church Parish Center,300 West Mountain Avenue, as a Fort Collins Landmark. The owner of St. Joseph Catholic Church, the St. Joseph Parish, Archdiocese of Denver, is initiating this request. ATTACHMENTS 1. Copy of First Reading Agenda Item Summary- February 5, 2008. (w/o original attachments) ATTACHMENT 1 ITEM NUMBER: 20 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE: February 5, 2008 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL VA7 Karen McWilliams SUBJECT Vi First Reading of Ordinance No. 014, 2008, Designating the Saint Joseph Catholic Church and Church Parish Center,300 West Mountain Avenue,as a Fort Collins Landmark Pursuant to Chapter 14 of the City Code. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. At a public hearing held on January 9, 2008, the Landmark Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend designat' thi d si tion Standards 1, 2, and 3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The owner of St.Joseph Catholic Church,the St.Joseph Parish,Archdiocese of Denver,is initiating this request for Fort Collins Landmark designation for the property, located at 300 West Mountain Avenue. BACKGROUND St. Joseph Catholic Church and Church Parish Center are clearly associated with events that have contributed to the broad patterns of Colorado,and more specifically,Fort Collins history,and serves as a monument to the development of the Catholic demographic in the northern Front Range. Furthermore, St. Joseph Catholic Church is associated with the lives of several prominent individuals, whose significance tCtheevelo o of th state of Colorado cannot be denied. Joseph P. Machebeuf, as h D r from 1868-1889, Father J. LaJeunesse, pastor of St Joseph's an d DesJ ins,prominent local architect, each played a significant role in pment o t e churc and of the greater community. Finally, the church buildings are clearly architecturally unique in Fort Collins and serve as some of the City's more widely recognized and prominent landmarks. In recognition of this importance,the historic St. Joseph School building and associated structures have previously been designated as a Fort Collins Landmark, by Ordinance No. 076, 1996. February 5, 2008 -2- Item No. 20 The church property contains two non-historic buildings,the residence located at 314 West Mountain Avenue, constructed in 1979-1980, and the two story school addition, constructed in 1999-2000. These buildings are not sufficiently old enough to contribute to the significance of the church property, and are considered non-co in n y HISTORY AND ARCHITECT E , Church Building St. Joseph Church, built in 1901, is an excellent example of Late Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. The exterior of the church is of buff and gray colored sandstone from the local Stout, Noney Frye and Lamb quarries located just west of Fort Collins. The building is three stories with a steeply pitched, cross-gabled roof. The south facade is accented by a turret on the southwest corner that contains a series of small,open arches capped by a conical roof. A stained glass window with a floral motif is located on the lower portion of the south side of the turret. Two small lancet windows are located on the southwest and northwest sides of the turret. A prominent bell tower supported by er bu esses anchors the southeast comer. The tower is accented with small lancet and rect lar ow d ne g tai ed glass window on the south elevation. Oculus windows adorn a tow just o ste on the north, south and east elevations. The tower is capped w a ado s I The primary entrance, located on the southern facade, is through three pointed arches that extend approximately three feet from the actual building and form a covered, areaded porch. This porch was added in a 1960 renovation. Three large wooden doors, also in an arched design, with stained glass and wooden tracery over them, open into the interior of the church. Directly above this entrance in the center of the front gable, is a large, arched, stained glass window with a religious motif. Another oculus window is located near the peak of the center gable. There are two gables on the eastern elevation. Two wooden doors with colored glass and wooden tracery above them are located in the northern portion of this elevation. Each of the gables has an arched stained glass window with a religious motif. The southern gable window is approximately fifteen feet high and the northern gable window is approximately seven feet high. Five additional stained glass windows line the original wall of the eastern elevation. The west elevation has two extenCgables I b ey n feet from the exterior wall of the church. A canopy extends fo om tand provides a covered side entrance for visitors. Two doubleo a c a single wooden door leads into a small hall with an elevator which was added in 1986.The southern gable has an arched stained glass window approximately fifteen feet high with a religious motif. Four smaller stained glass windows line the original wall of the western elevation. Each is approximately six feet high. The north elevation is the rear of the church. An addition in 1960 extends approximately fifteen feet east and fifteen to twenty feet west of the original portion of the church. It is approximately one to one and a half stories and extends close to fifteen feet from the original structure. This addition has February 5, 2008 -3- Item No. 20 a flat roof and a row of square windows three feet from the roofline consisting of one light over one light. Basement windows at ground level are of a similar size and in the same configuration as the top windows. After its completion, St. Joseph urch s pre c o b her LaJeunesse. Under his supervision two large building pro is wou take a on the c ch property. In 1908 a rectory was constructed on the lot directly bf th re . vente ars later, in 1925, St. Joseph School was constructed to serve the children of the growing Catholic community in Fort Collins. The Sisters of Loretto arrived in 1926 to staff the new school and would live in that building until 1955. The church underwent extensive renovation in 1960 in order to expand its seating capacity and serve its growing members. On the south facade, the main entrances originally located in the turret and bell tower were closed off and three new center doorways were added. Three gothic arches form an arcaded porch and frame this entrance. Two rear entrances were also added. All of the original stained glass was replaced in the 1960 renovation except in the tower,where the glass is estimated to be 90 years old. Sandstone used for these additions did not quite match the original stone, as the quarries are now buried under Horsetooth Reservoir. o s u tly, sandblastin was used to attain a uniform appearance. The church was enl an rox at y 0 s are feet were added to more than double its seating capacity om 30 to 70 o ts. basement was excavated to accommodate an auditorium, kite ac o Along th these alterations the church removed the cupola from the north gable end. Parish Center This two and a half story Mediterranean style Convent was built in 1955 for the Sisters of Loretto. Constructed to match the adjacent school administered by the sisters,this building has a low-pitched, red Spanish tile roof with a tan brick veneer. The east facade contains the primary entrance to the building. It is through a recessed door surrounded by white stone quoining and a white stone hood molding above. The southern end of the convent is a small two-story chapel. The style and roof form mimics the rest of the structure; however, along the south facade the flat roof is interrupted by a parapet. It is encased with white stone work and embedded with a stone cross. The chapel also contains arched stained glass windows on all threCidenc While originally used as a chapel, , d o e ace by th isters,the building is currently the Parish Center for the Church. di co cted t school via an addition on the rear or west side of the building. The new construction is obviously modern yet compatible with the 1925 school and the 1955 convent. In 1979, following the departure of the Sisters of Loretto, the convent was converted into office space. Furthermore,the 1908 rectory was razed and a new rectory was built on the same site. February 5, 2008 -4- Item No. 20 ATTACHMENTS 1. Historic Landmark Designati eks F 2. Landmark Preservation Co issi 3. Pictures of St. Joseph Ch 4. Resolution 1, 2008, ofthe L at' Commi 'on Recommending Landmark Designation of Saint Joseph Catholic Church and the Church Parrish Center. ORDINANCE NO. 014, 2008 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS DESIGNATING SAINT JOSEPH CATHOLIC CHURCH AND CHURCH PARISH CENTER, 300 WEST MOUNTAIN AVENUE, FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, AS A FORT COLLINS LANDMARK PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 14 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 14-2 of the City Code, the City Council has established a public policy encouraging the protection, enhancement and perpetuation of landmarks within the City; and WHEREAS,by Resolution dated January 9, 2008, the Landmark Preservation Commission (the "Commission") has determined that St. Joseph Catholic Church and the Church Parish Center have significance to Fort Collins under Landmark Designation Standards (1), (2), and (3) for the following reasons: under Standard 1 for their association with events that have contributed to the historical influence of the Catholic Church in Colorado, and more specifically, in Fort Collins,and because they serve as monuments to the development of the Catholic demographic in the northern Front Range; under Standard 2 for their association with the lives of several prominent individuals who made significant contributions to Fort Collins and the state of Colorado; and under Standard 3 for their significance as architecturally unique buildings in Fort Collins serving as some of the City's more widely recognized and prominent landmarks; and WHEREAS, the Commission has further determined that said property meets the criteria of a landmark as set forth in Section 14-5 of the Code and is eligible for designation as a landmark,and has recommended to the City Council that said property be designated by the City Council as a landmark; and WHEREAS, the owner of the property has consented to such landmark designation; and WHEREAS, such landmark designation will preserve the property's significance to the community; and WHEREAS, the City Council has reviewed the recommendation of the Commission and desires to approve such recommendation and designate said property as a landmark. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That the property known as Saint Joseph Catholic Church, including the Church and the Parish Center,and the adjacent lands upon which the historical resources are located, in the City of Fort Collins, Larimer County, Colorado, described as follows, to wit: LOTS 1 THROUGH 22, AND LOTS 30 THROUGH 36, BLOCK 41 is hereby designated as a Fort Collins Landmark in accordance with Chapter 14 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins. In addition to the historic church and parish center, the property contains the historic St. Joseph School building and associated structures, which was previously designated as a Fort Collins Landmark by Ordinance No. 76, 1996. The church property also contains two non- historic buildings, the residence located at 314 West Mountain Avenue, constructed in 1979-1980, and the two story school addition, constructed in 1999-2000. These buildings are not sufficiently old enough to contribute to the significance of the church property, and shall be considered non- contributing elements of the property. Section 2. That the criteria in Section 14-48 of the Municipal Code will serve as the standards by which alterations, additions and other changes to the buildings and structures located upon the above described property will be reviewed for compliance with Chapter 14, Article III,of the Code of the City of Fort Collins Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 5th day of February, A.D. 2008, and to be presented for final passage on the th day of February, A.D. 2008. Mayor A7 fEST: 4AIAL 40,42ki. E City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 19th day of February, A.D. 2008. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk