Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 09/18/2018 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 119, 2018, DESIGNATAgenda Item 6 Item # 6 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY September 18, 2018 City Council STAFF Karen McWilliams, Historic Preservation Planner Brad Yatabe, Legal SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 119, 2018, Designating the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property, 817 West Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado, as a Fort Collins Landmark Pursuant to Chapter 14 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This item is a quasi-judicial matter and if considered on the discussion agenda, it will be considered in accordance with the procedures described in Section 1(e) of the Council’s Rules of Meeting Procedures adopted in Resolution 2018-034. The purpose of this item is to consider the request for landmark designation of the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property, 817 West Mountain Avenue, for its Classic Cottage architecture. This is a voluntary designation at the property owner’s request. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property at 817 West Mountain Avenue is significant under Standard C for its architectural significance to Fort Collins. The property contains a historic residence, contributing wood frame single car garage, and a non-contributing metal utility shed. The one-story brick residence is a good example of a Classic Cottage, the most prevalent house form in the Loomis Addition in which this property is located. The Trimble/Taylor/Dixon house, like many Classic Cottages, has late Victorian features such as arched window and door hoods, brick belt courses and decorative wood shingles, as well as classical features such as porch columns and cornice returns. These houses were the mainstay of the middle class and were frequently mentioned in early twentieth century building reports in Fort Collins. CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS Recognition of this property as a Fort Collins Landmark enables its owners to qualify for local financial incentive programs available only to Landmark designated properties. BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION At its August 15, 2018, regular hearing, the Landmark Preservation Commission unanimously (7-0, Dunn recused, Bello absent) adopted a resolution recommending adoption of an ordinance by Council for landmark designation. Agenda Item 6 Item # 6 Page 2 PUBLIC OUTREACH The Landmark Preservation Commission held a public hearing on this item at its August 15, 2018, meeting. ATTACHMENTS 1. Location Map (PDF) 2. Landmark Preservation Commission Resolution (PDF) 3. Landmark Designation Application (PDF) 4. Staff Report (PDF) 5. PowerPoint Presentation to Landmark Preservation Commission (PDF) Fullana Elementary W Oak St S Grant Ave W Olive St Akin Ave S Mack St S Washington Ave N Grant Ave N Mack St Gordon St N Loomis Ave Bungalow Ct Woodford Ave N Washington Ave Park St West St Wood St S Loomis Ave Laporte Ave W Mountain Ave 817 W Mountain © SITE 1 inch = 250 feet ATTACHMENT 1 ATTACHMENT 2 Revised 08-2014 Page 1 Fort Collins Landmark Designation LOCATION INFORMATION: Address: 817 West Mountain Avenue Legal Description: West 35 feet of Lot 6, Block 290, Loomis Addition, Fort Collins, Colorado Property Name (historic and/or common): Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property Other Names (historic and/or common): N/A OWNER INFORMATION: Name: Shelly Terry Address: 817 West Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521 Contact: Shelly Terry, Owner, shelly.terry@mygait.com, 970-484-0892 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: Kylee Cole, Historic Preservation Intern Address: City of Fort Collins, Historic Preservation Department, P.O. Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522 Contact: Maren Bzdek, Senior Historic Preservation Planner, mbzdek@fcgov.com Relationship to Owner: None. DATE: July 2018 Planning, Development & Transportation Services Community Development & Neighborhood Services 281 North College Avenue P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580 ATTACHMENT 3 Revised 08-2014 Page 2 TYPE OF DESIGNATION and BOUNDARIES Individual Landmark Property Landmark District Explanation of Boundaries: The boundaries of the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property correspond to the legal description of the parcel noted above. The property consists of the individually eligible residence, a contributing 1954 wood frame single car garage, and a non-contributing metal utility shed. SIGNIFICANCE: Significance is the importance of a site, structure, object or district to the history, architecture, archeology, engineering or culture of our community, state or nation. For designation as Fort Collins Landmarks or Fort Collins Landmark Districts properties must meet one (1) or more of the following standards: Standard A: Events. This property is associated with events that have made a recognizable contribution to the broad patterns of the history of the community, State or Nation. It is associated with either (or both) of these two (2) types of events: 1. A specific event marking an important moment in Fort Collins prehistory or history; and/or 2. A pattern of events or a historic trend that made a recognizable contribution to the development of the community, State or Nation. Standard B: Persons/Groups. This property is associated with the lives of persons or groups of persons recognizable in the history of the community, State or Nation whose specific contributions to that history can be identified and documented. Standard C: Design/Construction. This property embodies the identifiable characteristics of a type, period or method of construction; represents the work of a craftsman or architect whose work is distinguishable from others by its characteristic style and quality; possesses high artistic values or design concepts; or is part of a recognizable and distinguishable group of properties. Standard D: Information potential. This property has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. EXTERIOR INTEGRITY: Exterior integrity is the ability of a site, structure, object or district to be able to convey its significance. The exterior integrity of a resource is based on the degree to which it retains all or some of seven (7) aspects or qualities: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. All seven qualities do not need to be present for a site, structure, object or district to be eligible as long as the overall sense of past time and place is evident. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE and EXTERIOR INTEGRITY: The residence at 817 West Mountain Avenue is significant under Standard C for its architecture, as a good example of a Classic Cottage, the most prevalent house form in the Loomis Addition in which this property is located. The typical Classic Cottage is a one-story house with a square or rectangular floor plan, hipped roof, a front dormer or gable and usually a full or three-quarter- width front porch. The Trimble/Taylor/Dixon house, like many Classic Cottages, has late Victorian features such as arched window and door hoods, brick belt courses and decorative wood shingles, as well as classical features such as porch columns and cornice returns. These houses were the mainstay of the middle class, and were frequently mentioned in early twentieth century building reports in Fort Collins. Revised 08-2014 Page 3 The property retains a preponderance of exterior integrity, as follows: Standard A: Location. Integrity of location is defined as "the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred." The building retains integrity of location as it occupies its original location in the Loomis Addition of Fort Collins. Standard B: Design. Integrity of design is defined as "the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property." Overall, the design of the original red brick portion of the home is representative of the Classic Cottage style. The original decorative brick work, fishscale shingling, and retention of all original fenestration indicate a high level of integrity of design. The addition on the south elevation is unobtrusive but easily visible from the public right-of- way, particularly on the eastern elevation. However, the rear addition is subordinate to the original brick structure and does not compromise the original roofline. Standard C: Setting. The property which is part of a block of residential homes substantially retains its integrity of setting. The construction of the large two-story home on the lot to the west of the residence impacts the setting somewhat, however the integrity of setting is still strong due to the property’s location in a neighborhood of single-family homes. Standard D: Materials. This property retains much of the historic physical elements that originally formed the property. Much of the original construction materials remain intact and highly visible. In the original brick portion of the residence, four of nine original wooden windows are still present. All windows in the original brick portion retain original sandstone sills. All of the original brickwork is still present with the exception of some near the rear addition that has been obscured by the addition of modern siding. This modern siding also covers the original wooden siding that is still present and likely in good condition, according to the owner. In the front gable, original decorative fishscale shingling and a six light window remain. Despite the obscuring of some of the original brick near the addition, the interior of the addition retains the original southern brick elevation and original openings (fig. 16). Standard E: Workmanship. This property possesses evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory. This consists of evidence of artisans' labor and skill in constructing or altering the building, structure or site. The structure retains a high level of workmanship, seen in the brickwork details and fish-scale shingled gable. Standard F: Feeling. Integrity of feeling is defined as "a property's expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time." This property evokes the feeling of a turn of the century single-family home, one of many such homes in the historic Loomis Addition during a time of intense residential growth in Fort Collins. Standard G: Association. Integrity of association is defined as "the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property." The property sustains a strong association with its past as one of several homes constructed in Fort Collins by “community builder” Roy Portner in the Loomis Addition. HISTORICAL INFORMATION In 1887, Abner Loomis platted the Loomis Addition to make room for Fort Collins’ growing population in the western part of town. The fifteen blocks that make up the Loomis Addition are bounded by Whitcomb Street to the east, Washington Avenue to the west, Laporte Avenue to the north, and Mulberry Street to the south. Mountain Avenue, where this home is situated, formed the heart of the Loomis Addition, with mature deciduous trees, stylish homes, and wide median with Revised 08-2014 Page 4 the trolley line. Loomis designed Mountain Avenue to be one of two main east-west avenues (the other being Laporte). 0F 1 In the mid-1880s, improvements to the area made the Loomis Addition a desirable place to live. In 1886, the town constructed a sewer along Mountain Avenue which helped control issues with standing water that had plagued the area with “miasma and mosquitos.”1F 2 After this reclamation, citizens and investors began purchasing parcels in the Loomis Addition to build homes. According to a July, 1887 Fort Collins Courier article, eighty lots in the Loomis Addition sold in the first month. 2F 3 A nationwide financial disaster in the 1890s slowed development in Fort Collins and throughout Colorado and the American West. The Panic of 1893 resulted in the failure of more than 15,000 companies, 500 banks, and left 19% of Americans unemployed throughout the U.S.3F 4 As banks failed, many Americans lost their life savings and were unable to pay their mortgages. Although Colorado was further impacted by the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, Fort Collins was not hit as hard as other parts of the state. Fort Collins’ two banks remained in operation and new businesses established in the city. A January 1894 Fort Collins Courier article noted that in 1893, citizens invested over $60,000 in new buildings (although none of these were in the Loomis Addition). In the years following the Panic of 1893, development of Fort Collins continued. In 1905, builders Roy Porter and Roys and Hampton constructed the home at 817 West Mountain Avenue. According a Weekly Courier report on December 27, 1905, the construction cost the builder $1,600. This Classic Cottage style home with brick exterior fit well with other homes in the Loomis Addition, many of which were of a similar style. Roy Portner was a prominent citizen and builder in Fort Collins. Portner came to Colorado in 1902 at the age of seventeen and began building houses in 1904. The building records of three Loomis Addition homes list Portner as owner: a 5-room frame cottage at 800 West Mountain Avenue (1904), and in 1905, 5-room brick cottages at 815 (now 813) and 817 West Mountain Avenue. The three Loomis Addition houses associated with Portner were originally identical Classic Cottage style homes: two with brick exteriors and one with a frame exterior. The home at 813 W. Mountain has been severely altered, but the residences at 800 and 817 West Mountain retain their integrity. Porter involved himself in diverse businesses and took an active role in the community. In addition to building houses, Portner also pursued business in real estate, owning numerous residential, ranching, and business properties. Portner also had a national reputation as an expert on irrigation systems. In 1906 he started building reservoirs, and in 1920, he organized the Mountain and Plains Irrigation Company. He also served as the City Commissioner of Finance, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, on the Regional Planning Committee, and on the board of Home Federal Savings and Loan Association. In 1976, Portner passed away but his legacy lived on in Fort Collins through the many homes he helped construct.4F 5 The first resident of the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon house in 1906 was Laura Trimble, a member of the prominent pioneer William and Kate Trimble family. The current Trimble Court Alley in Old Town Fort Collins was named after this family. According to City Directories, Trimble was the first in a long list of residents who occupied the house for only a short time. The next residents to occupy the property for more than a few years were Jeff and Myra Taylor. The Taylors occupied the property for almost twenty years. In the 1950s, the home was occupied by Thomas Story and his wife June. 1 Mary Humstone, et al, Loomis Addition Historic Context (Fort Collins, CO: Humstone Consulting, 2015), 18. Loomis Context, 18. 2 Ansel Watrous in Mary Humstone, et al, Loomis Addition Historic Context (Fort Collins, CO: Humstone Consulting, 2015), 16. 3Humstone, 19. 4 Ibid., 22. 5 Rheba Massey, Loomis Addition Historic Resource Survey: Architectural Inventory Form 817 W. Mountain, 2016. Revised 08-2014 Page 5 Story was a bookkeeper for Ideal Cement in Fort Collins. After the Storys left the home in 1956, a few other short term residents occupied the property until the Dixons moved in in 1962. The Dixons, who lived in the house for twenty-six years were the longest residents until the current owner. The Dixons descended from of a pioneering Fort Collins family. Ralph Lee and Velma Dixon lived here while he worked for the Fort Collins Parks and Recreation Department, where he worked until his retirement in 1974. Velma died in 1985 and Ralph in 1988. The current owner, Shelly Terry, purchased the house in 1989 from their estate. As of 2018, Shelly Terry occupied the property for 29 years, making her the longest resident to occupy the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon house. After completing her graduate work and receiving a teaching certificate from UNC, Shelly Terry moved to Fort Collins in 1972. She taught kindergarten and music in the Poudre School District until her retirement in 1995. After her retirement, Terry “missed teaching, but wanted to work with 1 or 2 children at a time.” She turned to privately teaching piano. This change was a “natural fit” for Terry who played piano since age three, and studied seriously for thirteen years. With the switch to piano education, Terry studied piano pedagogy at CSU, and has now taught students from the ages of 5 to 85 over her 18 years of teaching.5F 6 Terry continues to offer lessons privately out of her home at 817 W. Mountain Ave. sharing her love of music and her historic home with her students. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION Construction Date: 1905 Architect/Builder: Roy Portner and Roys and Hampton Building Materials: Brick, sandstone Architectural Style: Classic Cottage Much of the following architectural information is from Massey’s 2016 Architectural Inventory Form. Additional information and clarification by Kylee Cole. The residence at 817 West Mountain Avenue is a one-story, hipped-roof house in the Classic Cottage style constructed in 1905 with a later rear addition constructed before 1948. The original rectangular-plan residence is brick laid in running bond with a sandstone foundation. The low- pitched, hipped-roof porch has six Tuscan-style columns and a wood balustrade. The porch deck is concrete covered with modern brick-style tiles, and the ceiling is beadboard. The front door is oak with four panels and has a wood screen door set in a bricked arched opening. The door is flanked by large, 1-over-1 double-hung windows. Like the rest of the windows in the brick portion of the house, these windows are set in bricked arched openings and have sandstone lug sills. This elevation features vinyl-frame windows. A decorative brick course located just below the window arches extends all around the brick portion of the house. The medium-pitched, hipped roof is sheathed with asphalt shingles and has boxed eaves. According to building permits, the roof was reshingled in 1947 and again in 2010. A brick chimney with a corbelled collar is centered at the peak of the roof. A gable centered on the front slope of the roof is sheathed with fish-scale shingles, and has a square, 6-light stationary window, and cornice returns. The original portion of the east elevation has one double-hung window on the northern end and one pair of double-hung windows on the southern end, which match those of the façade. These windows are wooden windows, two of which are covered by aluminum storm windows on the exterior. 6 Shelly Terry, e-mail message to Kylee Cole, July 5, 2018. Revised 08-2014 Page 6 The west elevation has four individual 1-over-1 double-hung windows in the brick portion. The southern-most window is an original wood-framed window with a chain at the top allowing the window to open and function like a transom, the next a 1-over-1 double-hung wooden storm window over a single pane window, the third a vinyl-frame 1-over-1 storm window. The northern- most window on the west elevation is also a vinyl frame storm window matching the windows of the façade. At the rear of the house, an original 6’ x 12’ back porch was enclosed, and an addition built onto the south elevation at an unknown date prior to 1948. The addition has a shed roof and concrete foundation, and the walls are sheathed with lap siding. The current owner covered the original wooden siding on the addition in 1993 with the current white, vinyl-coated aluminum alloy siding. This siding matches the original horizontal wood siding in dimension and design (lapped), but is composed of a more durable, weather-proof material to protect the original wood.6F 7 From the interior of the home, it is clear that the addition did not take away from the original brick structure. The addition retained the original brick on the interior wall, now painted white. The doorway remains in its original location. The east elevation of the enclosed porch has two 6-over-1 double- hung windows and a three-paneled wood door with one upper light that accesses the basement. The east elevation of the rear addition has a small, flat-roofed, open porch supported by two wood posts with a concrete deck and a wood balustrade. The porch roof extends to the north to shelter the basement door. The side door (accessed by the porch) is wood paneled with three horizontal lights and has a wood screen door. There are two 1-over-1 double-hung windows to the south of the door. The south elevation (addition) has a pair of picture windows flanked by narrow 1-over-1 double hung windows. The front yard is grass lawn with foundation plantings. A chain-link fence extends across the rear of the yard (approximately 2/3 down the lot) and a cedar wood fence is along the west property line of the house. A wire fence is along the east property line. In addition to the residence, there are two associated, buildings on the property. The first, a contributing 14’ x 22’ single car garage faces the alley at the rear of the property. The low-pitched, gable-roofed garage has composition roof shingles and white, vinyl-coated aluminum alloy siding siding. The original wooden lap siding was replaced in 1993 when the siding on the home’s addition was changed.7F 8 There is a wood overhead garage door on the south elevation and a wood-paneled entry door with one upper light on the east elevation. According to the 1954 Annual Assessment on the 1948 Tax Assessor record, the garage was built in 1954 and is typical of garages of the era. The garage is similar in style to other detached single car garages in the neighborhood, and contributes to the feeling of a historic residence, despite a loss of historic materials. The second, a non- contributing 8’ x 10’ metal modern utility building is set adjacent to the garage. REFERENCE LIST or SOURCES of INFORMATION (attach a separate sheet if needed) “A Season of Great Prosperity for Fort Collins Home Builders,” Weekly Courier, December 27, 1905. Accessed June 7, 2018. https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/cgi- bin/colorado?a=d&d=TWC19051227.2.11&srpos=6&e=-------en-20--1-byDA-txt-txIN- %22Roy+Portner%22-------2-. Allbrandt, Barbara. “A Fort Collins Resident since ’02, Portner is 88 and Still Going Strong,” 7 Shelly Terry, e-mail message to Kylee Cole, June 12, 2018. 8 Shelly Terry, e-mail message to Kylee Cole, June 18, 2018. Revised 08-2014 Page 7 Coloradoan, Mar. 3, 1974. Ahlbrandt, Arlene and Kate Stieben. “Dixon Family.” In Larimer County History: 1860s-1987, Vol. II, edited by Andrew J. Morris, 654. Dallas, TX: Curtis Media Corp., ca. 1985-1987. City of Fort Collins Building Permit, 1936. Fort Collins History Connection. Accessed June 7, 2018. http://database.history.fcgov.com/cdm/singleitem/collection/bp/id/5338/rec/6. City of Fort Collins Building Permit, 1947. Fort Collins History Connection. Accessed June 7, 2018. http://database.history.fcgov.com/cdm/singleitem/collection/bp/id/11036/rec/5. City of Fort Collins Building Records, 1905. Fort Collins History Connection. Accessed June 7, 2018. http://database.history.fcgov.com/cdm/singleitem/collection/br/id/3055/rec/25. City of Fort Collins City Directories, 1910-11, 1929, 1931. Accessed from Fort Collins History Connection. Find a Grave Website, “Grandview Cemetery Memorials.” Find a Grave. Accessed June 6, 2018. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GSln=Dixon&GSiman=1&GScid=57312&. Historic Tax Assessor Photos, 1948, 1968. Accessed from Fort Collins History Connection. Humstone, et al. Loomis Addition Historic Context. Fort Collins, CO: Humstone Consulting, 2015. Larimer County Assessor Records. Massey, Rheba. Loomis Addition Historic Resource Survey: Architectural Inventory Form 817 W. Mountain, 2016. Obituary, Roy A. Portner. The Denver Post, Dec. 19, 1976. “Roy A. Portner.” Historical Encyclopedia of Colorado, Vol. I, revised Ed. 1964, p. 429. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1906, 1909, 1918. Accessed from University of Colorado Boulder: Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Collection. Accessed June 7, 2018. https://cudl.colorado.edu/luna/servlet/view/all/where/Fort%2BCollins/?&sort=city,date,sheet. Revised 08-2014 Page 8 __________________________________________________________________________________ Photographs Figure 1: East elevation and north façade. Photo by Humstone Consulting. Figure 2: North and west elevations. Photo by Humstone Consulting. Revised 08-2014 Page 9 Figure 3: Detail of arched window opening with radiating brick voussoirs. Photo by Kylee Cole Figure 4: West elevation. Photo by Kylee Cole. Revised 08-2014 Page 10 Figure 5: Details of the front gable featuring fish scale shingles and the original square, 6-light stationary window. Photo by Kylee Cole. Figure 6: Vinyl window and sandstone lug sill on façade. Photo by Cassandra Bumgarner. Revised 08-2014 Page 11 Figure 7: Detail of brick coursing on the façade. This continues around the brick portion of the residence. Photo by Cassandra Bumgarner. Figure 8: Façade with front porch. Photo by Cassandra Bumgarner. Revised 08-2014 Page 12 Figure 9: East elevation windows in the original brick portion of the home. Note the original wooden windows underneath the exterior aluminum storm windows. Photo by Cassandra Bumgarner. Revised 08-2014 Page 13 Figure 10: Vinyl-frame window on the west elevation. Photo by Cassandra Bumgarner. Revised 08-2014 Page 14 Figure 11: Vinyl frame window on the eastern elevation. Photo by Cassandra Bumgarner. Revised 08-2014 Page 15 Figure 12: Southern-most windows on the west elevation. Both original. Photo by Cassandra Bumgarner. Figure 13: Southern-most window on the west elevation. Original wooden window which opens at the top like a transom. Covered with original exterior storm window. Photo by Cassandra Bumgarner. Revised 08-2014 Page 16 Figure 14: West elevation original 1-over-1 window. Photo by Cassandra Bumgarner. Revised 08-2014 Page 17 Figure 15: Interior of the addition facing the original brick structure. The original doorway and brickwork remain. Photo by Cassandra Bumgarner. Figure 16: East elevation, enclosed porch. Photo by Humstone Consulting. Revised 08-2014 Page 18 Figure 17: East and south elevations, addition. Photo by Kylee Cole. Figure 18: South elevation addition with shed roof. The original roofline is not compromised by the addition. Photo by Cassandra Bumgarner. Revised 08-2014 Page 19 Figure 19: South elevation, addition. Photo by Kylee Cole. Figure 20: East and north elevations of garage and utility shed. Photo by Humstone Consulting. Revised 08-2014 Page 20 Figure 21: South and east elevations, garage. Photo by Humstone Consulting. Figure 22: Northwest view, 1968 tax assessor photograph. Figure 23: Northeast view, 1948 tax assessor photograph. Agenda Item 4 Item # 4 Page 1 STAFF REPORT August 15, 2018 Landmark Preservation Commission PROJECT NAME TRIMBLE/TAYLOR/DIXON PROPERTY 817 WEST MOUNTAIN AVENUE - APPLICATION FOR FORT COLLINS LANDMARK DESIGNATION STAFF Cassandra Bumgarner, Historic Preservation Planner PROJECT INFORMATION PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This item is to consider the request for a recommendation to City Council regarding landmark designation for the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property, an excellent example of a Classic Cottage from 1905. APPLICANT: Shelly Terry, Owner RECOMMENDATION: Approval EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BACKGROUND The Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property is significant under Fort Collins Landmark Designation Standard C, for its embodiment of the Classic Cottage style, a popular house style in the Loomis Addition in which this residence is located. The property also has a contributing 1954 wood frame, single car garage. The Trimble/Taylor/Dixon house, like many Classic Cottages, has late Victorian features such as arched window and door hoods, brick belt courses and decorative wood shingles, as well as classical features such as porch columns and cornice returns. The current owner of this property, Shelly Terry, has submitted an application requesting consideration for Fort Collins local landmark designation. COMMISSION ACTION Chapter 14, Article II of the Municipal Code, “Designation Procedures,” provides the process and standards for designation of a property as a Fort Collins Landmark. The Commission shall adopt a motion providing a recommendation on eligibility to City Council. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE and EXTERIOR INTEGRITY The residence at 817 West Mountain Avenue is significant under Standard C for its architecture, as a good example of a Classic Cottage, the most prevalent house form in the Loomis Addition in which this property is located. The typical Classic Cottage is a one-story house with a square or rectangular floor plan, hipped roof, a front dormer or gable and usually a full or three-quarter- width front porch. The Trimble/Taylor/Dixon house, like many Classic Cottages, has late Victorian features such as arched window and door hoods, brick belt courses and decorative wood shingles, as well as classical features such as porch columns and cornice returns. These houses were the mainstay of the middle class, and were frequently mentioned in early twentieth century building reports in Fort Collins. ATTACHMENT 4 Agenda Item 4 Item # 4 Page 2 The property retains a preponderance of exterior integrity, as follows: Standard A: Location. Integrity of location is present, as the residence is still in its original location in the Loomis Addition. Standard B: Design. Integrity of design is defined as "the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property." The building retains integrity of design overall as the design of the original red brick portion of the home is representative of the Classic Cottage style. The original decorative brick work, fishscale shingling, and retention of all original fenestration indicate a high level of integrity of design. The addition on the south elevation is unobtrusive but easily visible from the public right-of-way, particularly on the eastern elevation. However, the rear addition is subordinate to the original brick structure and does not compromise the original roofline. Standard C: Setting. The property which is part of a block of residential homes substantially retains its integrity of setting. The construction of the large two-story home on the lot to the west of the residence impacts the setting somewhat, however the integrity of setting is still strong due to the property’s location in a neighborhood of single- family homes. Standard D: Materials. This property retains much of the historic physical elements that originally formed the property. Much of the original construction materials remain intact and highly visible. In the original brick portion of the residence, four of nine original wooden windows are still present. All windows in the original brick portion retain original sandstone sills. All of the original brickwork is still present with the exception of some near the rear addition that has been obscured by the addition of modern siding. This modern siding also covers the original wooden siding that is still present and likely in good condition, according to the owner. In the front gable, original decorative fishscale shingling and a six light window remain. Despite the obscuring of some of the original brick near the addition, the interior of the addition retains the original southern brick elevation and original openings. Standard E: Workmanship. This property possesses evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory. This consists of evidence of artisans' labor and skill in constructing or altering the building, structure or site. The structure retains a high level of workmanship, seen in the brickwork details and fish-scale shingled gable. Standard F: Feeling. Integrity of feeling is defined as "a property's expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time." This property evokes the feeling of a turn of the century single-family home, one of many such homes in the historic Loomis Addition during a time of intense residential growth in Fort Collins. Standard G: Association. Integrity of association is defined as "the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property." The property sustains a strong association with its past as one of several homes constructed in Fort Collins by “community builder” Roy Portner in the Loomis Addition. HISTORICAL INFORMATION In 1887, Abner Loomis platted the Loomis Addition to make room for Fort Collins’ growing population in the western part of town. The fifteen blocks that make up the Loomis Addition are bounded by Whitcomb Street to the east, Washington Avenue to the west, Laporte Avenue to the north, and Mulberry Street to the south. Mountain Avenue, where this home is situated, formed the heart of the Loomis Addition, with mature deciduous trees, stylish homes, and wide median with the trolley line. Loomis designed Mountain Avenue to be one of two main east-west avenues (the other being Laporte). In the mid-1880s, improvements to the area made the Loomis Addition a desirable place to live. In 1886, the town constructed a sewer along Mountain Avenue which helped control issues with standing water that had plagued the area with “miasma and mosquitos.” After this reclamation, citizens and investors began purchasing parcels in the Loomis Addition to build homes. According to a July, 1887 Fort Collins Courier article, eighty lots in the Loomis Addition sold in the first month. Agenda Item 4 Item # 4 Page 3 A nationwide financial disaster in the 1890s slowed development in Fort Collins and throughout Colorado and the American West. The Panic of 1893 resulted in the failure of more than 15,000 companies, 500 banks, and left 19% of Americans unemployed throughout the U.S. As banks failed, many Americans lost their life savings and were unable to pay their mortgages. Although Colorado was further impacted by the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, Fort Collins was not hit as hard as other parts of the state. Fort Collins’ two banks remained in operation and new businesses established in the city. A January 1894 Fort Collins Courier article noted that in 1893, citizens invested over $60,000 in new buildings (although none of these were in the Loomis Addition). In the years following the Panic of 1893, development of Fort Collins continued. In 1905, builders Roy Porter and Roys and Hampton constructed the home at 817 West Mountain Avenue. According a Weekly Courier report on December 27, 1905, the construction cost the builder $1,600. This Classic Cottage style home with brick exterior fit well with other homes in the Loomis Addition, many of which were of a similar style. Roy Portner was a prominent citizen and builder in Fort Collins. Portner came to Colorado in 1902 at the age of seventeen and began building houses in 1904. The building records of three Loomis Addition homes list Portner as owner: a 5-room frame cottage at 800 West Mountain Avenue (1904), and in 1905, 5-room brick cottages at 815 (now 813) and 817 West Mountain Avenue. The three Loomis Addition houses associated with Portner were originally identical Classic Cottage style homes: two with brick exteriors and one with a frame exterior. The home at 813 W. Mountain has been severely altered, but the residences at 800 and 817 West Mountain retain their integrity. Porter involved himself in diverse businesses and took an active role in the community. In addition to building houses, Portner also pursued business in real estate, owning numerous residential, ranching, and business properties. Portner also had a national reputation as an expert on irrigation systems. In 1906 he started building reservoirs, and in 1920, he organized the Mountain and Plains Irrigation Company. He also served as the City Commissioner of Finance, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, on the Regional Planning Committee, and on the board of Home Federal Savings and Loan Association. In 1976, Portner passed away but his legacy lived on in Fort Collins through the many homes he helped construct. The first resident of the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon house in 1906 was Laura Trimble, a member of the prominent pioneer William and Kate Trimble family. The current Trimble Court Alley in Old Town Fort Collins was named after this family. According to City Directories, Trimble was the first in a long list of residents who occupied the house for only a short time. The next residents to occupy the property for more than a few years were Jeff and Myra Taylor. The Taylors occupied the property for almost twenty years. In the 1950s, the home was occupied by Thomas Story and his wife June. Story was a bookkeeper for Ideal Cement in Fort Collins. After the Storys left the home in 1956, a few other short term residents occupied the property until the Dixons moved in in 1962. The Dixons, who lived in the house for twenty-six years were the longest residents until the current owner. The Dixons descended from of a pioneering Fort Collins family. Ralph Lee and Velma Dixon lived here while he worked for the Fort Collins Parks and Recreation Department, where he worked until his retirement in 1974. Velma died in 1985 and Ralph in 1988. The current owner, Shelly Terry, purchased the house in 1989 from their estate. As of 2018, Shelly Terry occupied the property for 29 years, making her the longest resident to occupy the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon house. After completing her graduate work and receiving a teaching certificate from UNC, Shelly Terry moved to Fort Collins in 1972. She taught kindergarten and music in the Poudre School District until her retirement in 1995. After her retirement, Terry “missed teaching, but wanted to work with 1 or 2 children at a time.” She turned to privately teaching piano. This change was a “natural fit” for Terry who played piano since age three, and studied seriously for thirteen years. With the switch to piano education, Terry studied piano pedagogy at CSU, and has now taught students from the ages of 5 to 85 over her 18 years of teaching. Terry continues to offer lessons privately out of her home at 817 W. Mountain Ave. sharing her love of music and her historic home with her students Agenda Item 4 Item # 4 Page 4 ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION Construction Date: 1905 Architect/Builder: Roy Portner and Roys and Hampton Building Materials: Brick, sandstone Architectural Style: Classic Cottage Much of the following architectural information is from Massey’s 2016 Architectural Inventory Form. Additional information and clarification by Kylee Cole. The residence at 817 West Mountain Avenue is a one-story, hipped-roof house in the Classic Cottage style constructed in 1905 with a later rear addition constructed before 1948. The original rectangular-plan residence is brick laid in running bond with a sandstone foundation. The low-pitched, hipped-roof porch has six Tuscan-style columns and a wood balustrade. The porch deck is concrete covered with modern brick-style tiles, and the ceiling is beadboard. The front door is oak with four panels and has a wood screen door set in a bricked arched opening. The door is flanked by large, 1-over-1 double-hung windows. Like the rest of the windows in the brick portion of the house, these windows are set in bricked arched openings and have sandstone lug sills. This elevation features vinyl-frame windows. A decorative brick course located just below the window arches extends all around the brick portion of the house. The medium-pitched, hipped roof is sheathed with asphalt shingles and has boxed eaves. According to building permits, the roof was reshingled in 1947 and again in 2010. A brick chimney with a corbelled collar is centered at the peak of the roof. A gable centered on the front slope of the roof is sheathed with fish-scale shingles, and has a square, 6-light stationary window, and cornice returns. The original portion of the east elevation has one double-hung window on the northern end and one pair of double- hung windows on the southern end, which match those of the façade. These windows are wooden windows, two of which are covered by aluminum storm windows on the exterior. The west elevation has four individual 1-over-1 double-hung windows in the brick portion. The southern-most window is an original wood-framed window with a chain at the top allowing the window to open and function like a transom, the next a 1-over-1 double-hung wooden storm window over a single pane window, the third a vinyl-frame 1-over-1 storm window. The northern-most window on the west elevation is also a vinyl frame storm window matching the windows of the façade. At the rear of the house, an original 6’ x 12’ back porch was enclosed, and an addition built onto the south elevation at an unknown date prior to 1948. The addition has a shed roof and concrete foundation, and the walls are sheathed with lap siding. The current owner covered the original wooden siding on the addition in 1993 with the current white, vinyl-coated aluminum alloy siding. This siding matches the original horizontal wood siding in dimension and design (lapped), but is composed of a more durable, weather-proof material to protect the original wood. From the interior of the home, it is clear that the addition did not take away from the original brick structure. The addition retained the original brick on the interior wall, now painted white. The doorway remains in its original location. The east elevation of the enclosed porch has two 6-over-1 double-hung windows and a three-paneled wood door with one upper light that accesses the basement. The east elevation of the rear addition has a small, flat-roofed, open porch supported by two wood posts with a concrete deck and a wood balustrade. The porch roof extends to the north to shelter the basement door. The side door (accessed by the porch) is wood paneled with three horizontal lights and has a wood screen door. There are two 1-over-1 double-hung windows to the south of the door. The south elevation (addition) has a pair of picture windows flanked by narrow 1-over-1 double hung windows. The front yard is grass lawn with foundation plantings. A chain-link fence extends across the rear of the yard (approximately 2/3 down the lot) and a cedar wood fence is along the west property line of the house. A wire fence is along the east property line. Agenda Item 4 Item # 4 Page 5 In addition to the residence, there are two associated, buildings on the property. The first, a contributing 14’ x 22’ single car garage faces the alley at the rear of the property. The low-pitched, gable-roofed garage has composition roof shingles and white, vinyl-coated aluminum alloy siding siding. The original wooden lap siding was replaced in 1993 when the siding on the home’s addition was changed. There is a wood overhead garage door on the south elevation and a wood-paneled entry door with one upper light on the east elevation. According to the 1954 Annual Assessment on the 1948 Tax Assessor record, the garage was built in 1954 and is typical of garages of the era. The garage is similar in style to other detached single car garages in the neighborhood, and contributes to the feeling of a historic residence, despite a loss of historic materials. The second, a non-contributing 8’ x 10’ metal modern utility building is set adjacent to the garage. STAFF EVALUATION Staff finds that the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property qualifies for Fort Collins Landmark designation under Designation Standard C as an excellent example of a Classic Cottage residence associated with the development of the Loomis Addition with a preponderance of exterior integrity. The dwelling continues to uphold all seven aspects of integrity. SAMPLE MOTIONS If the Commission finds that the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property meets one or more of the criteria for Fort Collins landmark designation, the Commission shall adopt the following motion: That the Landmark Preservation Commission pass a resolution recommending that City Council designate the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property as a Fort Collins Landmark in accordance with Municipal Code Chapter 14, based on the property’s significance under Standard C for its history as a Classic Cottage residence, and its preponderance of exterior integrity. If the Commission finds that the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property does not meet the criteria for landmark designation, it shall adopt a motion to this effect, and state its reasoning. ATTACHMENTS 1. Landmark Designation Application (PDF) 2. Location Map (PDF) 3. Staff Presentation (PDF) 1 Application for Fort Collins Landmark Designation – Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property Kylee Cole, Historic Preservation Intern Landmark Preservation Commission 08.15.2018 ATTACHMENT 5 817 W. Mountain– Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property 2 Façade, North Elevation 817 W. Mountain– Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property Façade, North and west Elevation 3 2016 1968, tax assessor photograph 817 W. Mountain– Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property Façade, North elevation details 4 817 W. Mountain– Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property Façade, North and East elevations 5 2016 1948, tax assessor photograph 817 W. Mountain– Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property East Elevation 6 817 W. Mountain– Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property West Elevation 7 817 W. Mountain– Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property South Elevation 8 817 W. Mountain– Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property Historic Alterations 9 1948 Tax Assessor 1968 Tax Assessor 1990 Tax Assessor Record Record Record 10 817 W. Mountain– Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property 11 Garage (1954), contributing (left); utility shed, non-contributing (right) Garage, south elevation Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property • Constructed in 1905, historic alterations to mudroom and side porch • Standard C: Design/Construction – Classic Cottage, the most prevalent house form in the Loomis Addition • Exterior Integrity: Location, Setting, Design, Materials, Workmanship, Feeling, and Association 12 Location and Context 13 Role of the Landmark Preservation Commission Chapter 14, Article II of the Municipal Code, “Designation Procedures:” • Determine if property meets the criteria of a Fort Collins landmark • Must possess both significance and exterior integrity • Context of the area surrounding the property shall be considered Sec. 14-22(a): If all owners consent in writing, and a majority of Commission approves: • Commission may adopt a resolution recommending to the City Council the designation 14 -1- ORDINANCE NO. 119, 2018 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS DESIGNATING THE TRIMBLE/TAYLOR/DIXON PROPERTY, 817 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 City Code Section 14-2, the City Council has established a public policy encouraging the protection, enhancement and perpetuation of historic landmarks within the City; and WHEREAS, by resolution adopted on August 15, 2018, the Landmark Preservation Commission (the “Commission”) determined that the Trimble/Taylor/Dixon Property at 817 West Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins, as more specifically described in the legal description below (the “Property”), is eligible for landmark designation pursuant to City Code Section 14-5 for its high degree of exterior integrity, and for its significance to Fort Collins under Landmark Standard C (Design/Construction) as a good example of a Classic Cottage, historically the most prevalent house form in the Loomis Addition where the Property is located; and WHEREAS, the Commission further determined that the Property meets the landmark criteria set forth in City Code Section 14-5, is eligible for designation as a landmark, and has recommended to the City Council that the Property be designated as a landmark; and WHEREAS, the owner of the Property has consented to such landmark designation and desires to protect the Property; 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 follow such recommendation and designate the Property as a landmark; and WHEREAS, designation of the Property as a landmark is necessary for the prosperity, civic pride, and welfare of the public. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings contained in the recitals set forth above. Section 2. That the Property located in the City of Fort Collins, Larimer County, Colorado, described as follows, to wit: -2- WEST 35 FEET OF LOT 6, BLOCK 290, LOOMIS ADDITION CITY OF FORT COLLINS, COUNTY OF LARIMER, STATE OF COLORADO be designated as a Fort Collins Landmark in accordance with City Code Chapter 14. Section 3. That alterations, additions and other changes to the buildings and structures located upon the Property will be reviewed for compliance with City Code Chapter 14, Article III, as currently enacted or hereafter amended. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 18th day of September, A.D. 2018, and to be presented for final passage on the 2nd day of October, A.D. 2018. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 2nd day of October, A.D. 2018. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk