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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 09/04/2012 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 094, 2012, DESIGNATDATE: September 4, 2012 STAFF: Josh Weinberg AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL 20 SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 094, 2012, Designating the Schroeder House/Laurel Apartments, 121 East Laurel, Street, as a Fort Collins Landmark Pursuant to Chapter 14 of the City Code. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The owner of the property, Brian Beeghly, is initiating this request for Fort Collins Landmark designation for the Schroeder Residence/Laurel Apartments at 121 East Laurel Street. The property is eligible for designation as a Landmark under Designation Standards 2 and 3, for its association with significant persons and also for its architectural significance to Fort Collins. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The residence was the home of Frederick J. Schroeder. One of the best known sheep dealers and feeders in the Western U.S., Schroeder was a well-respected early Fort Collins citizen in both business and politics. Furthermore, as an early 1900s Foursquare Style residence, the building is an unusually detailed example of this housing type within Fort Collins. Constructed in 1902, this Foursquare Style residence exhibits many character-defining features, including its two-story, square plan, full-width front porch, hipped roof with hipped dormers, Tuscan columns on porches, boxed and dentil cornice with brackets, and overhanging eaves. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION At a public hearing held on July 11, 2012, the Landmark Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend landmark designation of this property. ATTACHMENTS 1. Location map 2. Historic Landmark Designation Nomination Form and Agreement 3. Staff Report 4. Resolution 2, 2012, Landmark Preservation Commission, Recommending Landmark Designation of the Schroeder Residence/Laurel Apartments at 121 East Laurel Street. 5. Photos 6. Landmark Preservation Commission minutes, July 11, 2012 ATTACHMENT 1 Revised 09-2004 Page 1 Fort Collins Landmark Designation LOCATION INFORMATION: Address: 121 East Laurel Street (historically addressed as 701 Remington Street) Legal Description: PART OF LOT 2, BLOCK 127, IN THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, CONTAINED WITHIN BOUNDARY LINES BEGINNING AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF SAID LOT 2, AND RUNNING THENCE WEST 84 FEET ALONG THE NORTH LINE OF SAID LOT, THENCE SOUTH 58 FEET PARALLEL TO THE EAST LINE OF SAID LOT, THENCE EAST 84 FEET PARALLEL TO THE NORTH LINE OF SAID LOT, AND THENCE NORTH 58 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, COUNTY OF LARIMER, STATE OF COLORADO. Property Name (historic and/or common): Schroeder House/Laurel Apartments OWNER INFORMATION: Name: Beeghly Historic Properties LLC Phone: (720) 771-9005 Email: Mailing Address: 2221 Bluff Street, Boulder, CO 80304 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: Josh Weinberg, Historic Preservation Planner and Hanna Eckroth, Preservation Planning Intern Address: City of Fort Collins Historic Preservation Office Community Development & Neighborhood Services Department P.O. Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522 Phone: 970-221-6206 Email: jweinberg@fcgov.com Relationship to Owner: None Date: July 2, 2012 Planning, Development & Transportation Services Community Development & Neighborhood Services 281 North College Avenue P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580 ATTACHMENT 2 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 contains the historic multi-unit dwelling. 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 Schroeder House at 121 East Laurel Street is eligible for individual designation as a Fort Collins Landmark under Designation Standards 2 and 3, for its association with a significant person in Fort Collins history and for its architectural significance to Fort Collins. An early 1900s Foursquare Style residence, the building is an unusually detailed example of this housing type within Fort Collins. It also exhibits a high level of architectural integrity relative to the seven aspects of integrity: location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, association, and feeling. Constructed in 1902, this Foursquare Style residence exhibits many character-defining features, including its two- story, square plan, full-width front porch, hipped roof with hipped dormers, Tuscan columns on porches, boxed and dentillated cornice with brackets, and overhanging eaves. This housing type became popular in Colorado at the outset of the 20th Century. The residence was the home of Frederick J. Schroeder. One of the best known sheep dealers and feeders in the Western US, Schroeder was a well-respected early Fort Collins citizen in both business and politics. HISTORICAL INFORMATION Frederick J. Schroeder was born and educated in Ohio, where he trained as a butcher and a harness maker. Prior to relocating his wife and seven children to Fort Collins in 1884, Schroeder operated a grocery in Cincinnati. In 1902, he commissioned the construction of the house at 701 Remington, along with a barn, for $6,000. Until 1904, Schroeder bought and sold various butcher and grocery stores, when he became successful buying and selling livestock, feeding cattle and sheep for market, growing wool, and buying and selling other types of property. He was one of the best known sheep dealers and feeders in the Western US. He was also a member of the legal firm “Schroeder, Reinholtz, and Yule,” according to his obituary in the Fort Collins Courier on October 23, 1922. Schroeder was also the First Ward Representative in Fort Collins City Council for many years and a prominent and respected member of the community. He sold 701 Remington to a Mr. Breniman in Revised 09-2004 Page 3 August of 1920 and built a new residence near the intersection Mathews and Laurel Streets. Frederick passed away in 1922, followed by his wife Emma in 1937. The couple is buried at Grandview Cemetery in Fort Collins. Breniman never lived at 701 Remington but used it as an income property. This trend continued in the following years. Breniman is listed on two building permits for the residence: a 1932 porch remodeling and a 1945 reshingling, indicating that he may have stayed on as a contractor for the property or a silent partner. From 1922 to 1925 it served as the Alpha Psi fraternity house. Mrs. Gertrude Denver rented furnished rooms in the house from 1925 to 1929. In 1929, it became the Beta Phi Alpha House, and one of the residents listed was Dorothy Greiner, a student at CAC. Anna K. Perkins was a resident in 1931. In 1933, Ernest H. Warner, wife Esther, and daughter Jane lived at the property. He was the secretary, treasurer, and eventually manager of Harris Warner Furniture at 2645 College Avenue. In 1938, a student named Wallace Q. Anderson was listed as an occupant. In 1940, Mrs. Ernest H. Rucker, and daughter Claudine, rented rooms to college students in the building. An R. E. Atkinson filed a permit to remodel the building in 1947. Elwood and Edith Sheppard lived there from 1948 to 1949. In 1950, Russel H. Jourdan, Assistant Professor of Veterinary Medicine at Colorado A&M, and his wife Robin lived at the house. Mrs. Helen H. Rigden, widow of John R. Ridgen, occupied the house from at least 1952 until 1959. The house was listed as vacant in 1960 until Harry R. and Minnie Collman began living there in 1963. Various students lived there from 1966 until 1977. In 1980, the address was changed to 121 E Laurel Street and the building renamed the Laurel Apartments. The building continues to serve as a rental property. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION Construction Date: 1902 (Larimer County Assessor’s Records) Architect/Builder: Unknown Building Materials: Wood frame, lapped board siding Architectural Style: Foursquare Description: This elaborately detailed Foursquare Style residence is a square plan, two story, wood frame building with a composition shingle, hipped roof. Roof features include medium pitch, overhanging eaves with brackets, dentil boxed cornice, and hipped dormers exhibiting fifteen-light sash windows on all four elevations. The building is constructed on a rough cut sandstone foundation and is clad in a lapped board siding exterior. The primary elevation is broken into three bays and contains a central entrance. This entrance is accessed by three steps leading to a concrete stoop, with a gabled portico supported by Tuscan columns. The single story, full-width porch on the east elevation has Tuscan columns and a dentillated entablature. The similar, but smaller, porch on the south elevation has a balustrade railing. An enclosed porch is located on the west elevation. Windows on the first level are pairs of twenty-one-over-one sash and have transom, mullions, and surrounds with a dentillated strip in the lintel. Windows on the second level are twelve-over-one sash with transom. A curved, full height window bay is located on the south side and Palladian windows are centered on the second level of the east and north facades. Two interior slope brick chimneys are located left of center on the east and south slopes. There are no associated outbuildings. The residence was built in 1902, at the height of the Foursquare’s popularity in Colorado. Typical Foursquare elements this building exhibits are its square plan, full-width front porch, multiple stories, hipped roof, Tuscan columns, brackets, dentils, and overhanging roof. The integrity of the structure is good. A main entry on the east side was replaced with a small double hung window and the main entrance was moved to the north side, but otherwise the original building is largely intact. Revised 09-2004 Page 4 REFERENCE LIST or SOURCES of INFORMATION Fort Collins Midtown Historic District Survey Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection: Fort Collins Courier, Fort Collins Weekly Courier. Fort Collins Standards, and Fort Collins Express Larimer County Public Records: Property Information Fort Collins History Connection: Building Permits, Building Records, City Directories City of Fort Collins: City Docs: Building Permits Find a Grave: Grandview Cemetery Ancestry.com City of Fort Collins Architectural Property Reconnaissance Survey Form; Eastside Neighborhood Survey Project. Recorded by Jason Marmor, 11/13/97. Survey of 701-729 Remington Street; Fort Collins, Colorado. Professor Albright, HY 500 C, Fall, 1982. Holly Wilson, Tami Canaday, Larry and Baume. McAlester, Virginia and LEE. 2006. A Field Guide to American Houses. Alfred A. Knopf, NY. 525 pages. Watrous, Ansel. 1911. History of Larimer County, Colorado. Courier Printing and Publishing Co., CO. 510 pages. Community Development & Neighborhood Services 281 North College Avenue P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580 970.416.2740 970.224.6134- fax fcgov.com Planning, Development & Transportation Services LANDMARK PRESERVATION COMMISSION July 11, 2012 STAFF REPORT PROPERTY: The Schroeder House/Laurel Apartments, 121 East Laurel Street (historically addressed as 701 Remington Street) CONTACT: Karen McWilliams, Preservation Planner and Hanna Eckroth, Preservation Planning Intern APPLICANT: Brian Beeghly, Beeghly Historic Properties, LLC, Owner REQUEST: Historic Landmark Designation BACKGROUND: Brian Beeghly, the owner of the property at 121 East Laurel Street, has requested Fort Collins Landmark designation for this property. Currently known as the Laurel Apartments and known historically as the Schroeder House (and historically addressed as 701 Remington Street), this property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties, as a contributing resource in the Laurel School National Register District. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The historic Schroeder House/Laurel Apartments at 121 East Laurel Street is eligible for individual designation as a Fort Collins Landmark under Designation Standards 2 and 3, for its association with a significant person in Fort Collins history and for its architectural significance to Fort Collins. An early 1900s Foursquare Style residence, the building is an unusually detailed example of this housing type within Fort Collins. It also exhibits a high level of architectural integrity relative to the seven aspects of integrity: location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, association, and feeling. Constructed in 1902, this Foursquare Style residence exhibits many character-defining features, including its two-story, square plan, full-width front porch, hipped roof with hipped dormers, Tuscan columns on porches, boxed and dentillated cornice with brackets, and overhanging eaves. This housing type became popular in Colorado at the outset of the 20th Century. The residence was the home of Frederick J. Schroeder. One of the best known sheep dealers and feeders in the Western US, Schroeder was a well-respected early Fort Collins citizen in both business and politics. RELEVANT CODE PROVISIONS: Chapter 14, Article II of the Code of the City of Fort Collins provides the policies and procedures for the designation of Landmark properties in Fort Collins. Section 14-5, Standards for determining the eligibility for designation of sites, structures, objects, and districts for preservation, states, “Properties that possess exterior integrity are ATTACHMENT 3 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: (1) The property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of history; or (2) The property is associated with the lives of persons significant in history; or (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; or (4) The property has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.” Section 14-1 of the Municipal Code, Definitions, states: “Eligibility shall mean a resource’s ability to meet one (1) or more of the standards for designation as a Fort Collins landmark, or the criteria for designation on the National and/or State Register of Historic Places. There are three (3) levels of eligibility for designation: individual, contributing to a district, and noncontributing/not eligible.” “Exterior integrity shall mean the ability of a property to convey its significance. To be designated as a landmark, a property must not only be shown to be significant, but also must have exterior integrity. The degree of integrity required for landmark status is relative to a property’s significance. Exterior integrity is the composite of seven (7) aspects or qualities, which in various combinations define integrity: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The more qualities present in a property, the higher its integrity. Ultimately the question of exterior integrity is answered by whether or not the property retains the identity for which it is significant. Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred. Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan space, structure, and style of a property. Setting is the physical environment of a historic property. Whereas location refers to the specific place where a property was built or an event occurred, setting refers to the character of the place. It involves how, not just where, the property is situated and its relationship to the surrounding features and open space. Materials are the physical elements that form a historic property. Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory. It is the evidence of artisans’ labor and skill in constructing or altering a building, structure, or site. Feeling is a property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period or time. It results from the presence of physical features that, taken together, convey the property’s historic character. Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property. A property retains association if it is the place where the event or activity occurred and is sufficiently intact to convey that relationship to an observer. Like feeling, association requires the presence of physical features that convey a property’s historic character.” STAFF ANALYSIS: Upon reviewing the application for Landmark designation, staff believes that the historic Schroeder House/Laurel Apartments, at 121 East Laurel Street, is eligible for individual designation as a Fort Collins Landmark, under both Designation Standard 2, for its association with Frederick J. Schroeder, a significant person in Fort Collins history; and under Designation Standard 3, for its architecture. Furthermore, the property retains a high preponderance of historic integrity to convey its significance. COMMISSION ACTION: If the Commission finds that the application for Landmark designation for the Schroeder House/Laurel Apartments, 121 East Laurel Street, meets the standards for Landmark Designation, then the Commission shall make a recommendation to Council to this effect in accordance with Section 14-26 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Application for Individual Landmark Designation of 121 East Laurel Street, the Schroeder House/Laurel Apartments 2. Signed consent form 3. Photographs of the property ATTACHMENT 4 North Elevation East Elevation ATTACHMENT 5 North and West Elevations West Elevation South Elevation Landmark Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes – July 11, 2012: LANDMARK DESIGNATION – HEARING AND RECOMMENDATION: 121 EAST LAUREL STREET/701 REMINGTON STREET, THE SCHROEDER HOUSE/LAUREL APARTMENTS – BEEGHLY HISTORIC PROPERTIES, LLC STAFF REPORT: The 1902 property was historically addressed as 701 Remington Street and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties as a contributing resource of the Laurel School National Registered District. Staff believes the property is eligible for individual designation as a Fort Collins Landmark for its association with a significant person in Fort Collins history and for its architecture. The property has significant historic integrity and Staff welcomes the designation as a historic project. Staff offered assistance with financial incentives to encourage further good work on the property. APPLICANT COMMENTS: Brian Beeghly purchased the property in December 2010 because it was in a deteriorated condition and he wanted to restore it. In 2011, he rehabilitated the exterior with paint and a new roof. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None DISCUSSION: Mr. Albright wanted clarification of the Land Use Code for preservation for National and State registers. Ms. McWilliams said while some communities allow for automatic local landmark status if they have National and sometimes even State landmark status already; Fort Collins does not. This may be an item to revisit during code revisions. Mr. Frick noticed the west and north elevation photograph shows there was a door over the porch. Both the main and side entries have always been there per Staff. Motion: Mr. Ernest moved the Landmark Preservation Commission find that application for Landmark Designation for the Schroeder House/Laurel Apartments, 121 East Laurel Street, meets the standards for Landmark designation and recommends to the Council to that effect in accordance with Section 14-26 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins. Mr. Albright seconded. All approved, motion passed: (5-0). Motion: Mr. Ernest moved to amend the address to 121 East Laurel Street, historically addressed as 701 Remington Street. Mr. Albright seconded. All approved, motion passed: (5-0). ATTACHMENT 6 ORDINANCE NO. 094, 2012 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS DESIGNATING THE SCHROEDER HOUSE/LAUREL APARTMENTS, 121 EAST LAUREL STREET, FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, AS A FORT COLLINS LANDMARK PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 14 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS WHEREAS, pursuant to City Code Section 14-2, the City Council has established a public policy encouraging the protection, enhancement and perpetuation of landmarks within the City; and WHEREAS, by Resolution dated July 11, 2012, the Landmark Preservation Commission (the "Commission") has determined that the Schroeder House/Laurel Apartments has significance to Fort Collins under Landmark Designation Standard (2) for its association with Frederick J. Schroeder; and Designation Standard (3), as excellent examples of the Foursquare Style residential architecture in Fort Collins, with a high level of physical integrity; and WHEREAS, the Commission has further determined that said property meets the criteria of a landmark as set forth in City Code Section 14-5 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, Brian Beeghly, 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 Schroeder House/Laurel Apartments, 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: PART OF LOT 2, BLOCK 127, IN THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, CONTAINED WITHIN BOUNDARY LINES BEGINNING AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF SAID LOT 2, AND RUNNING THENCE WEST 84 FEET ALONG THE NORTH LINE OF SAID LOT, THENCE SOUTH 58 FEET PARALLEL TO THE EAST LINE OF SAID LOT, THENCE EAST 84 FEET PARALLEL TO THE NORTH LINE OF SAID LOT, AND THENCE NORTH 58 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, COUNTY OF LARIMER, STATE OF COLORADO. be designated as a Fort Collins Landmark in accordance with City Code Chapter l4. Section 2. That the criteria in City Code Section 14-48 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 City Code Chapter 14, Article III. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 4th day of September, A.D. 2012, and to be presented for final passage on the 18th day of September, A.D. 2012. _________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 18th day of September, A.D. 2012. _________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk