HUNTSVILLE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMISSION



HUNTSVILLE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMISSIONMINUTESSeptember 10, 2018The Huntsville Historic Preservation Commission met in the Conference Room on the 1st Floor of the Public Service Building located at 320 Fountain Circle on September 10, 2018. The members present were:Mr. Randy CunninghamMr. Mike HolbrookMs. Drenda KingMr. John KvachMs. Sheree HollandAlso present at the meeting was Ms. Katie Stamps, Historic Preservation Consultant, and Ms. Sharon Mize, Recording Secretary. Ms. Stamps invited everyone to attend the Black Heritage Council in two weeks at the Alabama A&M campus. The meeting was called to order at 4:30 p.m. by Mr. Mike Holbrook. Chairman. Mr. Holbrook introduced the Commission members and read the preamble of the HHPC. 811 McCullough Avenue – Mr. Robert Key of Key Land Holdings, LLCA security light has been added to the front porch without approval from the Commission. The person who is renting the house requested the light be installed because their car was broken into. Mr. Key said he sent an electrician to put the light up and requested it be put on an eave. The electrician said it would be difficult and costly to put the light on the far eave so he replaced the porch light with the security light. Mr. Holbrook recommended they move the security light to one of the eaves and replace the front porch light. Mr. Key said that is what he wanted to do. Mr. Key said he does not have the fixture which was on the front porch and said it was not an original fixture but was an inexpensive light fixture. Mr. Kvach made the motion to allow Mr. Key to relocate the security light to a proper place under the eave and replace the front porch light. Mr. Kvach asked if the Commission needed to approve the new light fixture for the porch. Mr. Kvach modified his motion to include the porch light fixture can be approved by Ms. Stamps. Ms. King seconded the motion and the Commission voted to unanimously approve the motion.1217 Beirne Avenue – Mrs. Rachael SamplesMrs. Samples came before the Commission requesting to paint her house in the colors of Behr light gray for the body, Benjamin Moore Glacier White for the trim and Benjamin Moore Cromwell Gray for the secondary trim. Mr. Cunningham made the motion to approve the paint colors as submitted and Ms. Holland seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve.1009 Pratt Avenue – Mr. Kirk GilesThis request is to replace a vent with a window on the front of the house. Mr. Giles said they first thought about using the upstairs for storage but have decided to use it as living space. The proposed window is a wood casement window with one pane of glass. Mr. Holbrook said it does not look like there is enough room for trim around the window based on the configuration of the vent. He said the window needs to closely mimic the vent, particularly in size. The struggle is an original historic element is being changed and is a significant change. Mr. Holbrook said they need to keep the trim around the glass very close to that of the vent. The opening size of the vent will need to be maintained. Ms. King made the motion to approve replacing the vent with a casement window, using one piece of glass. Mr. Kvach seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.507 Franklin Street – Mr. Tim McElyea and Mr. Tom BrodyMr. McElyea began repairing his front porch and found it was in such bad shape it could not be repaired. The supports were not holding up any more and were causing the porch to fall in and slope on one side and had to be removed. Mr. McElyea said the front porch has turned into a very expensive repair. It was not their intention to remove the porch and replace it but there wasn’t anything right about the porch and it was a safety hazard. He said they were not trying to pull “a fast one.” They have rebuilt it as close to the way it was constructed as possible. Mr. McElyea said the original columns had six splices due to rot and could not be saved. They replaced them with fypon columns because it is difficult to find wood columns. Since that time, he has found a company who will custom make wood columns and said he would replace them if that is what the Commission desired. Mr. Holbrook said the Commission thought it would just be a repair of the front porch but then he received a text from the neighbor and the porch was gone it was not what he expected. This is a major change to the front and all the historic porch elements and now the proposal is to go back with artificial materials. This Commission does not typically allow artificial or synthetic materials, especially on a primary elevation of a residence. Mr. Brody said there was nothing left of the porch to work with and they did not have a choice. Mr. Holbrook said these changes can add up to a non-contributing structure, and when we lose all our contributing structures there will no longer be a historic district designation.Mr. McElyea said he would replace the fypon columns with wood columns which look more like the original columns. Mr. McElyea said the two columns on the south elevation are square and the columns on the front of the porch are round. He asked if the Commission would approve using round columns on the south elevation to match the front. Mr. McElyea said the widow’s walk needs repair and he would like to reuse most of the material. There are a few spindles which need to be replaced and instead of being round or square are oval shaped. He said he would like to use square spindles which will not be visible from the street. Mr. Kvach made the motion to approve the replacement of the front porch using round wood columns, set forward on the porch, with bead board ceilings, and reuse of the widow’s walk and replace the missing parts with new parts. Ms. King seconded the motion. Mr. McElyea said they are really trying hard to keep the historical significance by ripping the cypress boards to repair the siding so they match the existing wood. Mr. Brody said it is difficult to find materials to match the existing materials. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.The McElyea’s have received approval from a previous meeting to remove the porch from the rear of the house. Once the porch was removed they found there were several different types of siding and they are requesting to change it all to be the same type of siding; whatever the preference of the Commission is. He did say he did not want to have to rip the wood to be used. Mr. Kvach said they would not have to rip the Hardy boards. Mr. Kvach made the motion to approve using Hardy board on the rear of the house to match the wood lap siding on the rest of the house. Mr. Cunningham seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion. The third part of Mr. McElyea’s application was approval for the materials on the proposed new garage. They would like to use Hardy board for the siding on the garage. He originally proposed to have fish scale on the garage because he thought it was made by Hardy board but he could not find it. Instead he will use Hardy board wrap. He will use a Victorian gingerbread trim similar to the trim on the house. The windows will be Pella windows which are two over two, double hung windows. The roofing and paint colors will match the house. They will reuse two of the columns from the front porch on the garage. Mr. Holbrook said synthetic materials are allowed in new construction. The garage door will be a fiberglass door in a farmhouse Victorian style. Mr. Cunningham made the motion to approve the materials for the new garage as submitted and Ms. King seconded the motion. Mr. David Johnston of 501 Franklin Street said he thought they were doing a great job on this house and the whole street is excited. He said they are making much needed repairs instead of doing cosmetic repairs. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.702 Randolph Avenue – Ms. Jamie StocktonMs. Stockton came before the Commission to get permission to paint her house at the February meeting. She was granted approval to paint her house, except for painting the brick. However, the painters painted the trim at the top of the columns so she made the decision to paint the rest of the brick on the porch to make it look better. Mr. Holbrook said any changes need to come back before the Commission before proceeding. Mr. Holbrook said the Commission has a real issue with this because they made it very clear on how important this particular house is. It is one of the few bungalows left in the district with unpainted brick. Now the district has lost another original unpainted brick bungalow. It is important that the historic fabric be maintained and it is unfortunate that so many changes have happened over the years. Many of these changes have happened “below the radar”, which is very unfortunate. Ms. Stockton said they tried to remove the paint but it looked worse. Mr. Holbrook said there are means of getting the paint off. There is a company in town which can remove the paint without destroying the brick or mortar. Ms. Stockton said at the end of the day it is her property and the feedback she has gotten from the neighbors has been really good. Mr. Holbrook said it is in the guidelines the brick should not be painted and it was specifically discussed at the meeting. As a homeowner it is your responsibility to make sure the items are followed through. This affects everyone in the district. This application was denied.515 Clinton Avenue – Jeff & Michelle StanfieldThe Stanfield’s are remodeling their kitchen and would like to replace an existing window with a door on the north side of the house, add a deck and pergola accessible from the door, build an outdoor kitchen with a roof cover, replace the concrete walkway and patio with brick pavers and install a trellis. Mr. Holbrook asked if the trellis would go to the left side and will be located close to the property line. Mr. Stanfield said there are two trellises and they are designed to help conceal the HVAC unit and as a privacy fence. Mr. Holbrook asked what type of material they would like to use for the outdoor kitchen. Mr. Stanfield said they would use a cypress wood and have metal standing seam roof. The proposed deck will be a composite material with metal spindles. The pergola will be made of cedar wood.Mr. Cunningham said because there is a cover over the outdoor kitchen, it will need to be located ten feet from the primary structure and five feet from the side yard property line. A variance can be requested from the Board of Zoning Adjustment to allow the outdoor kitchen with it’s cover. Mr. Cunningham said if the kitchen was not covered a variance would not be required. He also said a pergola does not constitute a roof cover and that might be an option. Mr. Holbrook asked they come back concerning the outdoor kitchen with more details about the roofing material. The proposed pavers are an antiqued paver in the color of brownish red which will replace the concrete sidewalk and patio. The balustrade around the deck will be wood and will have black iron pickets. The under pending will be some sort of solid material so under the deck will not be visible. Mr. Holbrook recommended they use lattice work attached to a wood panel painted black. The posts for the porch will be treated 4 x 4 and 2 x 4 for the top and bottom rails with metal pickets, which cannot exceed four inches apart, and will be 36 inches in height. Ms. Holland made the motion to approve changing the window to a door and it was recommended they store the window for future use. Mr. Kvach seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve.Mr. Kvach made the motion for preliminary approval for the addition of the deck and pergola and Mr. Cunningham seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.Ms. King made the motion to approve the outdoor kitchen without a cover and was seconded by Mr. Kvach. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.Mr. Kvach made the motion to replace the concrete sidewalks and patio with brick pavers as presented and Ms. Holland seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.Mr. Kvach made the motion to install a trellis and Ms. King seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve.408 Newman Avenue – Mr. Mike Taylor for Mr. Doug SmithMr. Smith would like to erect a detached garage and a carport. The paint colors of the garage will match the paint colors on the house. The garage will be located 5’5” from the property line. The siding will be 7” smooth Hardy board siding and the roof shingles will be Weathered wood to match the house. There will be a 12” over hang and a 1 x 6 fascia board. Mr. Holbrook said he would prefer there be no overhang. Mr. Kvach made the motion to approve the garage and carport. Ms. King seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.115 England St. – Mr. Willard TurnerMr. Turner requested to erect a six feet privacy fence with a black aluminum gate in the rear yard. Mr. Turner said the black aluminum gate will be located near the detached garage and a wood gate will be located toward the front. The overgrowth and shrubs next to the alley will be removed as well as a chicken wire fence. Mr. Holbrook said this is the first fence of this style in the districts. He said the pretty side needs to face out. He asked Mr. Turner what color they want to stain the fence and Mr. Turner said since it will be a cedar wood fence they would like to not stain it. It can be painted to match the trim on the house as an option. Mr. Kvach made the motion to approve the fence with the pretty side out; staining preferred but not necessary. Mr. Cunningham seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.811 Wells Avenue – Ms. Kristen PepperMs. Pepper would like to paint her house in the colors of Sherwin Williams Black Fox for the siding and Nebulous White for the trim. Ms. King made the motion to approve and Mr. Cunningham seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.Old Business:Mr. Cunningham made the motion to approve the minutes from the August 13th meeting and Mr. Kvach seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.New Business:Mr. Holbrook said they need to schedule an extra meeting each month to discuss business since the meetings run late. They will be advertised and will be used as a work session.Ms. Stamps reminded everyone training hours are coming due and the Black Heritage Council meeting would be a great opportunity to get the training hours in and it is free of charge.The meeting was adjourned at 6:35 p.m.Respectfully submitted,Dennis MadsenManager of Urban and Long Range Planning ................
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