COA 2016-77
1 MEMORANDUM
TO: ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD FROM: Kate Schwartz, Historic Resources Planner DATE: December 12, 2016
SUBJECT: Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior alterations at 209 Hanover Street ISSUE
Jaime Ibarra requests to replace the slate roof with synthetic slate. RECOMMENDATION
Table the application to the January 9, 2017 meeting to allow the applicant to provide additional information requested by the Board.
APPLICABLE HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGN STANDARDS & GUIDELINES Roofs (Historic District Handbook, pg.80)
8. Avoid replacing roofs with a substitute material that does not convey the same visual appearance of the historic roof. Replacing a metal shingle roof with standing seam metal, for example, alters a defining architectural characteristic. If replacement of a roof is not technically or economically feasible, the substitute material should convey the same visual appearance of the original roof as much as possible.
BACKGROUND
This application was first considered at the November 14, 2016 hearing of the Architectural Review Board. At that time, two components of the application were approved and a Certificate of
Appropriateness was issued for the installation of window guards and painting of the masonry wall in the alley. The Board continued their consideration of the roof replacement to allow the applicant time to provide additional information on the cost of replacement with true slate. No additional information has been submitted by the applicant at this time. Continuation of the application to the January meeting is recommended.
Findings from the November 14, 2016 meeting:
The building at 209 Hanover Street was constructed c.1830 in the Federal style. The two-and-one-half story American bond brick dwelling is topped by a side-gabled roof clad in slate shingles. The central entry door framed by engaged Tuscan columns and rectangular pediment is topped by a transom featuring curvilinear leaded-glass tracery. Nine-over-nine and nine-over-six double-hung wood sash windows framed by wood sills and splayed brick lintels line the first and second stories. A corbelled brick cornice lines the eaves and four interior end brick chimneys are located at the east and west ends of the building on either side of the gable. Sanborn maps show that the building was divided into two dwellings c.1886,
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2 and then used as a boarding house in the early 20th century. Additionally, the building may have been
used in connection with the charity school previously located at 211 Hanover Street. The property then became an annex to the Athens Hotel at the corner of Hanover and Caroline Streets. A three-story brick addition, topped by a front-gabled roof clad in standing seam metal, is attached to the rear of the building and was constructed between 1919 and 1927. This is a contributing structure in the Historic District.
The applicant is requesting to replace the existing slate shingle roof with a new synthetic slate shingle roof. The applicant is seeking replacement due to the deteriorated condition. In the National Park
Service’s Preservation Brief 29:The Repair, Replacement, and Maintenance of Historic Slate Roofs, the author states, “If 20% or more of the slates on a roof or roof slope are broken, cracked, missing, or sliding out of position, it is usually less expensive to replace the roof than to execute individual repairs. This is especially true of older roofs nearing the end of their serviceable lives.” It is likely that the current roof dates to the original construction of the building and has been in place for approximately 185 years. The applicant has submitted an evaluation of the roof that estimates 50% of the existing slates are damaged beyond use.
Replacement with DaVinci synthetic slate is requested due to the high cost of true slate. The Historic District Handbook specifies that “if replacement of a roof is not technically or economically feasible, the substitute material should convey the same visual appearance of the original roof as much as possible. The material chosen is composed of a mix of high and low density polymers with UV inhibitors and fire retardants incorporated that provides a visual appearance similar to real slate. The applicant should consider removing slate from the rear roof surface in order to repair the highly visible front roof surface, using the substitute material only on the rear elevation. If the level of deterioration is such that overall replacement is necessary, approval of the proposed synthetic slate is recommended on condition that the material matches the color of the historic slate as closely as possible.
APPROVAL CRITERIA
Criteria for evaluating proposed changes are found in City Code § 72-23.1(D)2 and are based on the United States Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
S
D
NA S – satisfies D – does not satisfy NA – not applicable
X
(1) Every reasonable effort shall be made to provide a compatible use for a property by requiring minimal alteration of the building, structure, or site and its environment, or by using a property for its originally intended purposes.
X
(2) The distinguishing original qualities or character of a building, structure, or site and its environment shall not be destroyed. The removal or alteration of any historical material or distinctive architectural features should be avoided when possible.
X
(3) All buildings, structures, and sites shall be recognized as products of their own time. Alterations that have no basis and which seek to create an earlier appearance shall be discouraged.
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3
X
(4) Changes which may have taken place in the course of time are evidence of the history and development of a building, structure, or site and its environment. These changes may have acquired significance in their own right, and this significance shall be recognized and respected.
X
(5) Distinctive stylistic features or examples of skilled craftsmanship which characterize a building, structure, or site shall be treated with sensitivity.
X
(6) Deteriorated architectural features shall be repaired rather than replaced, wherever possible. If replacement is necessary, the new material should match the material being replaced in composition, design, color, texture, and other visual qualities. Replacement of missing architectural features should be based on historic, physical, or pictorial evidence rather than on conjectural designs or the availability of different architectural elements from other buildings or structures.
X
(7) The surface cleaning of structures shall be undertaken with the gentlest means possible. Sandblasting and other cleaning methods that will damage the historic building materials shall not be undertaken.
X
(8) Every reasonable effort shall be made to protect and preserve archaeological resources affected by or adjacent to any project.
X
(9) Contemporary design for alterations and additions to existing properties shall not be discouraged when such alterations and additions do not destroy significant historical, architectural, or cultural material, and such design is compatible with the size, scale, color, material, and character of the property, neighborhood, or environment.
X
(10)Wherever possible, new additions or alterations to structures shall be done in such a manner that, if such additions or alterations were to be removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the structure would be unimpaired.
Attachments:
1. Aerial photograph and front elevation view 2. Historic photograph
3. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: c.1886, c.1891, c.1902, c.1927 4. Roofing condition assessment
5. Roofing specifications
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4 AERIAL
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5 Class photo at the Hanover Street School, c.1900
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6 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, c.1886
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7 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, c.1902
