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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 12/06/2011 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 176, 2011, DESIGNATDATE: December 6, 2011 STAFF: Karen McWilliams AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL 24 SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 176, 2011, Designating the Chestnut/ Wombacher Residence, Attached Three-Car Garage, and Historic Freestanding Fireplace, 331 South Shields Street/1200 West Magnolia Street, as Fort Collins Landmarks Pursuant to Chapter 14 of the City Code. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Chestnut/Wombacher Property, at 331 South Shields Street, is eligible for designation as a Fort Collins Landmark under Standard 3, for its architectural significance to Fort Collins. The house and attached three-car garage embody distinctive characteristics of the Tudor Revival style, prevalent in the 1920s and 1930s. Notable features include the stucco exterior, with randomly placed decorative large rock; the large chimney; steep, multi-gabled roof lines; a classic sloped gable or “cat-slide” entryway; and two and three light casement windows. The house contains two separate apartments in the basement. The property also contains a freestanding historic brick and stone fireplace, dating to the period of construction. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The Chestnut/Wombacher House has additional architectural and historical significance for its construction originally as a “basement house.” Basement houses were a low-cost approach to housing in pre-World War II America. Generally rectangular in shape, basement houses had masonry walls extending two to three feet above grade level, and low to moderately pitched roofs. Access to the underground living area was gained through a gabled vestibule entrance containing a flight of stairs leading down. The owners expected to use the structure of the basement house as the foundation for a standard residence at a later time. Four families have made this residence at 331 South Shields Street their home since its construction. The original owners were Donald and Marjorie Chestnut, who built the basement house and enlarged it to the existing 1 1/2 story Tudor Revival. Mr. Chestnut had a plumbing business, and one of the garage bays was used as his workshop. Doctors George and Olga Brown practiced in Fort Collins, and occupied the house from 1948 until 1972. The home was owned for a brief period by Frank and Connie Marthinsen, before Margaret and Karl Wombacher purchased the house in 1978. The Wombachers met in 1953 in Cameroon, West Africa when both were in the Peace Corps. The couple married in 1964 and had three children. They both taught in Saudi Arabia, and after Mr. Wombacher’s death in 1984, Margaret continued to teach in Korea, Kuwait, and Thailand. Now retired, Margaret Wombacher continues to substitute teach in the Poudre School District. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION At a public hearing held on November 9, 2011, the Landmark Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend designation of this property under Designation Standard (3), Architecture. ATTACHMENTS 1. Historic Landmark Designation Nomination Form 2. Staff Report 3. Resolution 5, 2011, Landmark Preservation Commission, Recommending Landmark Designation of the Chestnut/Wombacher House, 331 South Shields. 4. Photos Revised 09-2004 Page 1 Fort Collins Landmark Designation LOCATION INFORMATION: Address: 331 South Shields Street/1200 West Magnolia Street, Fort Collins, Colorado Legal Description: Lot One (1) and vacated portion of West Magnolia Street adjoining Lot One (1) described as follows: Beginning at the Southeast corner of Block Eight (8) of Scott- Sherwood Addition to the City of Fort Collins, thence South 30 feet; thence West 190 feet; thence North 30 feet; thence East 190 feet to the point of beginning; of Block Eight (8) of Plat of Block Eight (8) and Eleven (11), Scott-Sherwood Addition to the City of Fort Collins, according to the recorded Plat thereof, County of Larimer, State of Colorado. Property Name (historic and/or common): Chestnut/ Wombacher Residence, Attached Three-Car Garage, and Historic Freestanding Fireplace OWNER INFORMATION: Name: Margaret Wombacher Phone: 970-493-5497 Email: maggiew666@comcast.net Mailing Address: 331 South Shields Street, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80524 CLASSIFICATION Category Ownership Status Present Use Existing Designation Building Public Occupied Commercial Nat’l Register Structure Private Unoccupied Educational State Register Site Religious Object Residential District Entertainment Government Other FORM PREPARED BY: Name and Title: Lisa Steiner, Historic Preservation Intern Address: City of Fort Collins, Community Development & Neighborhood Services Department, P.O. Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522 Phone: 970-224-6078 Email: lsteiner@fcgov.com Relationship to Owner: None Date Prepared: February, 2011 Planning, Development & Transportation Services Community Development & Neighborhood Services 281 North College Avenue P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580 ATTACHMENT 1 Revised 09-2004 Page 2 TYPE OF DESIGNATION and BOUNDARIES Individual Landmark Property Landmark District Explanation of Boundaries: The boundaries of the property being designated as a Fort Collins Landmark correspond to the legal description of the property, above. The property consists of a historic one-and-one half-story home with two basement apartments and attached three-car garage, a historic freestanding brick and stone fireplace, and a non-historic wood gazebo. SIGNIFICANCE Properties that possess exterior integrity are eligible for designation as Fort Collins Landmarks or Fort Collins Landmark Districts if they meet one (1) or more of the following standards for designation: Standard 1: The property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of history; Standard 2: The property is associated with the lives of persons significant in history; Standard 3: The property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; Standard 4: The property has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Chestnut/Wombacher Property, at 331 South Shields Street/1200 West Magnolia Street, is eligible for designation as a Fort Collins Landmark under Standard 3, for its architectural significance to Fort Collins. Constructed in 1938, the historic resources exhibit a high level of physical integrity relative to the seven aspects of integrity: location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, association, and feeling. The house and attached three-car garage embody distinctive characteristics of the Tudor Revival style, which reached its highest level of popularity in the 1920s and 1930s. Notable stylistic features include the stucco exterior, with randomly placed decorative large rock; the large chimney; steep, multi-gabled roof lines; a classic sloped gable or “cat-slide” entryway; and two and three light casement windows. The house contains two apartments in the basement, configured in the 1940s. The property also contains a historic freestanding brick and stone fireplace located in the back yard, dating to the period of construction. The Chestnut/Wombacher House has additional architectural interest for its construction originally as a “basement house.” Basement houses were a low-cost approach to housing in pre- World War II America. Generally rectangular in shape, basement houses had masonry walls extending two to three feet above grade level, and low to moderately pitched roofs. Access to the underground living area was gained through a gabled vestibule entrance containing a flight of stairs leading down. The owners expected to use the structure of the basement house as the foundation for a standard residence at a later time. Revised 09-2004 Page 3 ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION Construction Date: 1934/1938 Architect/Builder: Unknown Building Materials: Brick, Stucco and Concrete, with Rock Architectural Style: Tudor Revival The Chestnut/Wombacher house has the Tudor Revival characteristics of masonry exterior; very large chimney; steep, multi-gabled roof lines; a notable sloped or cat-slide entryway; and two and three light casement windows. The home dates to 1934, when Don and Margaret Chestnut began construction of their foundation as a “basement house.” Basement houses were a low-cost approach to housing in pre-World War II America. Generally rectangular in shape, basement houses had formed masonry or concrete walls extending two to three feet above grade level, and low to moderately pitched roofs. Access to the underground living area was gained through a gabled vestibule entrance containing a flight of stairs leading down. The Chestnut/Wombacher basement house was brick and concrete, with a raised basement configuration, rectangular plan, two at-grade stairway entrances and a slightly pitched gable roof. The basement measured 32 feet x 42 feet. The Chestnut family occupied this basement home for four years. In 1938, the family upgraded the basement house into a one and one-half story Tudor Revival, with the same footprint as before. The 1938 building permit called for a solid brick residence. The brick exterior was clad in beige stucco, with very large decorative field or moss rocks randomly placed from the basement windows to the top of the main floor windows. The home’s façade, or east elevation, presents a moderately pitched, side-gabled roof of grey asphalt shingles. A front dormer, centered on the front façade, with a moderately pitched gabled roof, creates a half story above the main floor. The front door is approached by nine cement steps flanked by wrought iron railings. The steps lead to an enclosed vestibule with a swept gable roof. It is slightly off-center, and, for symmetry, is flanked by a three-over-three light window to the north. The natural colored wood door, with dark brown painted wood surround, is rounded at the top, another typical Tudor Revival feature. A single rectangular light replaces a panel in the upper portion of the door, and the door’s handle and lock are brass. Also, the entrance is trimmed with dark brick, in a rowlock pattern, and the adjacent window has a sill of brick headers. There is a bronze plaque between the window and doorway with the address. The house has a variety of casement windows with different patterns of lights, most commonly two or three light. The main floor windows have sills of dark brick in a header pattern. The stucco and rock chimney on the south side of the house juts out from the house proper. It is rectangular in shape, with shoulders that angle in just above the main floor windows. From there it rises to a tall stack with metal end-cap. On the south side, off of Magnolia Street, are three wooden doors with aluminum storm doors. One door, accessed by way of four concrete steps with a wrought iron railing, provides entry to the main floor of the house via the kitchen. During the 1940s, the former basement house portion of the home was converted into two separate apartments, with individual entrances off of Magnolia Street, and the other two entrances lead to these basement level apartments. These are currently addressed as 1200 West Magnolia Street, Apartments A and B. Also entered from West Magnolia is the three-car attached garage. This garage is constructed of stucco with rocks above the doors, matching the house. The garage has two external garage doors, a single car door located on the east, and the double car door to the west. The parapet of the front wall of the garage has a slight pitch in the middle. The parapet is formed with decorative, slightly raised castellations in the center and at the outside edge. The tops of the south and west walls are outlined with a course of dark brick headers. The garage roof slopes from front to back and the west wall parapet steps down as it follows this slope. An unadorned stucco chimney is located on the north side of the attached garage. It was used, presumably, as part of the plumbing workshop. Revised 09-2004 Page 4 The rear yard contains a historic freestanding fireplace and a non-historic gazebo. The fireplace, on the north side of the back yard, is built of rough fieldstone with a slab mantel and a short stone and brick chimney. A decorative tile is centrally located on the chimney, and matching tiles are found at the front side of each of two arms extending forward from the fireplace. These two arms are of dressed stone, with slab tops. Two slab seats on concrete block supports are placed perpendicular to the fireplace. While these seats do not appear to be original, the fireplace reputedly was constructed at, or shortly after, the date of the home’s construction. A hexagonal wood gazebo is located in the south side of the back yard. It sits slightly above ground level on narrow feet resting on concrete supports, and surrounded by a crushed-rock pad. Eight posts support the hexagonal asphalt-clad roof, and the half walls are comprised of decorative cut-out panels. The gazebo was added in 1997 by Margaret Wombacher. HISTORICAL INFORMATION Four families have made this Tudor Revival residence at 331 South Shields Street their home since its construction. The original owners were Donald and Marjorie Chestnut. Prior to their residence in this home, from 1928 until 1935 Marjorie and Donald Chestnut lived at 1124 West Magnolia, directly across the street from the lot at 331 South Shields Street. Donald Chestnut was a plumber and the couple had two children, Barbara and Gene. In April 1934, the Chestnuts obtained a building permit for the construction of a $2500 residence at 331 South Shields Street. The house was originally constructed as a basement house, a low-cost approach to housing pre World War II. The concept was to ease the cost of building a new house by constructing it in two or more phases, often several years apart. On September 22, 1938, four years after the Chestnuts’ Basement House was constructed, a permit was issued for a $1500 addition to complete the construction, creating the one and one-half story home as it now stands. A three-car attached garage, unusual for the time, and the backyard fireplace were believed to have been added at the same time. One of the garage bays served as Mr. Chestnut’s plumbing workshop. In 1948, the Chestnuts sold the house to Drs. George and Olga Brown. Dr. Olga Nitra was born in Nitra Hungary, on June 13, 1901. She graduated from Prague medical School in 1927, and later received a degree in dentistry. She and Dr. George Brown met and married in Prague in 1928. The couple practiced in Hungary until 1939, when they immigrated to the United States, briefly settling first in New York, before moving to Pueblo and then to Fort Collins. Olga Brown worked with George in his eye-ear-nose-throat practice from 1942 to 1947. The 1968 Fort Collins City Directory describes Dr. George Brown as an ophthalmologist, with offices at 125 South College Avenue. George Brown died in 1972, in Fort Collins. Following his death, Olga Brown moved to Walla Walla, Washington to be near their only daughter, Ruth. According to Margaret Wombacher, the house was then sold to Frank and Connie Marthinsen, about whom little is known. They lived there until the Wombachers purchased it in 1978. Margaret and Karl Wombacher met in 1962 in Cameroon, West Africa, when both were in the Peace Corps. They married in 1964, and shortly thereafter returned home to Minnesota, where their first two children, Julie and Teresa, were born. In 1967, Karl Wombacher, an English teacher and teacher of English as a Second Language, was offered a position in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with TWA (Trans World Airlines). In Jeddah, Margaret Wombacher taught at the Parents’ Cooperative School, where the students were from 40 – 50 different countries. The Wombachers lived in Jeddah for seventeen years, during which time their third child, Leila, was born. Needing a home base, they settled on Fort Collins, purchasing this home in 1978 on one of their trips back to the United States, before returning to Jeddah. When overseas, the Wombachers rented the home out. Karl Wombacher died in December, 1985. Margaret continued to travel and teach overseas, in Korea, Kuwait, and Thailand. During this time, she rented out the house and two basement apartments. In addition to her considerable travels, Margaret Wombacher has been a long distance runner of note. Since her retirement, she continues to work as a substitute teacher for the Poudre R-1 School District. Revised 09-2004 Page 5 REFERENCES City of Fort Collins Public Record Database Fort Collins City Directories (1934-2010) Fort Collins History Connection, Building Inspector Job Record Larimer County Assessor Property Information for 331 South Shields Street Obituary for Olga Brown, 6-10-84 A Guide to Colorado’s Historic Architecture and Engineering, Second Edition, (Colorado Historical Society, 2008) McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984) Interview with Margaret Wombacher, April, 2010. Advance Planning 281 North College Avenue PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6376 970.224.6111 - fax fcgov.com/advanceplanning LANDMARK PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 2011 STAFF REPORT REQUEST: Fort Collins Landmark Designation of the Chestnut/Wombacher Residence, Attached Three-Car Garage, and Historic Freestanding Fireplace, 331 South Shields Street/1200 West Magnolia Street STAFF CONTACT: Karen McWilliams, Historic Preservation Planner APPLICANT: Margaret Wombacher, Owner BACKGROUND: Staff is pleased to present for your consideration the Landmark designation of the Chestnut/Wombacher Residence, Attached Three-Car Garage, and Historic Freestanding Fireplace, 331 South Shields Street/1200 West Magnolia Street. This property is eligible for designation as a Fort Collins Landmark under Designation Standard 3, for its architectural significance to Fort Collins. Constructed in 1938, the historic resources exhibit a high level of physical integrity relative to the seven aspects of integrity: location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, association, and feeling. The house and attached three-car garage embody distinctive characteristics of the Tudor Revival style, including its masonry exterior; very large chimney; steep, multi-gabled roof lines; a notable sloped or cat-slide entryway; and two and three light casement windows. The Chestnut/Wombacher House has additional architectural interest for its construction originally as a “basement house.” In 1934, Don and Margaret Chestnut began construction of the foundation as a “basement house.” Basement houses were a low-cost approach to housing in pre-World War II America. Generally rectangular in shape, basement houses had formed masonry or concrete walls extending two to three feet above grade level, and low to moderately pitched roofs. Access to the underground living area was gained through a gabled vestibule entrance containing a flight of stairs leading down. The Chestnut/Wombacher basement house was brick and concrete, with a raised basement configuration, rectangular plan, two at-grade stairway entrances, and a slightly pitched gable roof. The basement measured 32 feet x 42 feet. The Chestnut family occupied this basement home for four years. In 1938, the family upgraded the basement house into a one and one-half story Tudor Revival, with the same footprint as before. The 1938 building permit called for a solid brick residence. The brick exterior was clad in beige stucco, with very large decorative field or moss rocks randomly placed from the basement windows to the top of the main floor windows. The house contains two apartments in the basement, configured in the 1940s. These are addressed as 1200 West Magnolia Street. The property also contains a historic freestanding brick and stone fireplace located in the back yard, dating to the period of construction. ATTACHMENT 2 The home is owned by Margaret Wombacher, who purchased the property with her husband, Karl, in 1978 to use as a home-base while they worked overseas. Margaret and Karl Wombacher met in 1962 in Cameroon, West Africa, when both were in the Peace Corps. They married in 1964, and shortly thereafter returned to Minnesota, where their first two children, Julie and Teresa, were born. In 1967, Karl Wombacher, an English teacher and teacher of English as a Second Language, was offered a position in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with TWA (Trans World Airlines). In Jeddah, Margaret Wombacher taught at the international Parents’ Cooperative School. The Wombachers lived in Jeddah for seventeen years, during which time their third child, Leila, was born. When overseas, the Wombachers rented the home out. Karl Wombacher passed away in December, 1985. Margaret continued to travel and teach overseas, in Korea, Kuwait, and Thailand. In addition to her considerable travels, Margaret Wombacher has been a long distance runner of note. Since her retirement, she continues to work as a substitute teacher for the Poudre R-1 School District. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Commission find that the Chestnut/Wombacher Residence, Attached Three-Car Garage, and Historic Freestanding Fireplace, 331 South Shields Street/1200 West Magnolia Street, meets Standard 3 of Section 14- 5 of the Municipal Code, and approve a resolution of the Landmark Preservation Commission recommending to City Council the designation of the Chestnut/Wombacher Residence, Attached Three-Car Garage, and Historic Freestanding Fireplace as a Fort Collins Landmark in accordance with Chapter 14 of the Fort Collins Municipal Code. ATTACHMENT 3 ATTACHMENT 4 ORDINANCE NO. 176, 2011 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS DESIGNATING THE CHESTNUT/WOMBACHER RESIDENCE, ATTACHED THREE-CAR GARAGE, AND HISTORIC FREESTANDING FIREPLACE, 331 SOUTH SHIELDS STREET/1200 WEST MAGNOLIA STREET, FORT COLLINS, COLORADO AS FORT COLLINS LANDMARKS 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 November 9, 2011, the Landmark Preservation Commission (the "Commission") has determined that the Chestnut/Wombacher property has significance to Fort Collins under Landmark Designation Standard (3), as an excellent example of a Tudor Revival residence and attached garage, with historic freestanding outdoor fireplace; 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 City 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 the Chestnut/Wombacher Residence, Attached Three-Car Garage, and Historic Freestanding Fireplace, 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: Lot One (1) and vacated portion of West Magnolia Street adjoining Lot One (1) described as follows: Beginning at the Southeast corner of Block Eight (8) of Scott- Sherwood Addition to the City of Fort Collins, thence South 30 feet; thence West 190 feet; thence North 30 feet; thence East 190 feet to the point of beginning; of Block Eight (8) of Plat of Block Eight (8) and Eleven (11), Scott-Sherwood Addition to the City of Fort Collins, according to the recorded Plat thereof, County of Larimer, State of Colorado be designated as a Fort Collins Landmark in accordance with Chapter l4 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins. Section 2. That the criteria in Section 14-48 of the City 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 6th day of December, A.D. 2011, and to be presented for final passage on the 20th day of December, A.D. 2011. _________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 20th day of December, A.D. 2011. _________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk