HDC_02 20 1997LITTLE ROCK HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION
MINUTES
20 February 1997
Commissioners Present:
John Bush John Greer Tommy Jameson
Charles Marratt Julie Wiedower
Staff Present:
V.Anne Guthrie Anthony Black Tim Polk
The roll for the Little Rock Historic District Commission (LRHDC) was called, and there
was a quorum; the minutes from the January meeting were approved as submitted.
There were two Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) applications on the agenda for a
public hearing. The first was:
Applicant: Wallace & Delbra Caradine
Address: 1001 Cumberland Street
Request: Construct a two-storied garage, perimeter fencing, concrete
sidewalk and install landscaping.
As Commissioners Jameson and Greer were involved with the applicant on outside
projects, they recused themselves from the meeting during the discussion and decision
of the application. Mr. Caradine introduced himself and the proposed project to the
LRHDC and stated that this was phase two of the project. The two-storied garage is to
be constructed on the northeast corner of the property, with garage entry from the alley.
There will be a new curb cut on 10th Street to accommodate a driveway from the
garage onto the street. The garage is approximately 32' x 24' and its exterior is of
wooden board & batten construction with a hipped shingled roof to match the main
house. The east elevation has two (one double & one single) electric-operated metal
doors; there is a single garage door on the structure's west elevation. As the property
is located on a corner, it is possible to enter the single garage door from the east and
exit on the west to the driveway, which enters 10th Street. The north elevation has two
windows on both levels; the south has two windows on both levels and a door on the
first. A new concrete driveway will be constructed on the east and west sides.
The iron fence with brick piers starts on the garage's north side, goes north to the
property line (10th Street) and then west to the alignment of the front porch steps. The
fence essentially recesses from the property's corner, goes south, southwest and west
back to the property line along Cumberland. The fence height is ca. 6'-6" (brick piers)
with iron pickets ca. 1" apart; the piers are approximately 8' apart. This pattern
Little Rock Historic District Commission
Minutes of 20 February 1997, Page 2
continues along the property's perimeter. Two iron gates on 10th Street are for the
driveway; two sidewalks will be built from the front porch to Cumberland and 10th
streets. New landscaping is proposed in the property's north, south and west yards.
There was discussion regarding the fencing material and height and staying within the
design guidelines for fencing in the historic district. There was no opposition to the
application request. A motion was made by Commissioner Marratt that the COA be
approved with the condition that final plans for fence detailing be submitted for
approval. The vote was unanimous and in favor of the application.
The next COA application was:
Applicant: Marsha L. Taul
Address: 1305 Cumberland Street
Request: Install vinyl siding on the structure's three facades
Ms. Taul described the project and passed around additional photographs of the
structure. The two-storied apartment building has existing vinyl siding on the north
elevation; a stop order was issued by code enforcement due to the fact that no building
permit or COA was obtained for the work. Ms. Taul explained that the siding job was
dependent upon available funding; she also constructed new stoops on the back (east)
and made repairs to the front porch. The front (west) facade is to be painted.
Commissioner Marratt stated that the applicant had done an excellent rehabilitation job
at 1503 South Scott Street; however, the applicant had not followed city regulations in
obtaining a building permit and a COA for the subject property. Questions were asked
about the application of vinyl siding to the structure and the process that was followed;
also there were questions about the structure's trim and whether any had been
removed or replaced during the installation of the siding on the north elevation.
There was discussion about the installation of artificial siding on three facades but not
the front facade of a structure. It was mentioned that Poe Travel was the first formal
request to install siding in such a fashion. Cheryl Nichols stated that the Poe request
was intended to be the "test case" for the historic district; however, a policy was never
developed.
There are structures within the local historic district that have artificial siding on three
facades but not on the front; while most were not approved by the LRHDC, they had
been installed several years, or decades, ago. The house located to the subject
property's south side had siding on three facades but not the front, and Ms. Taul
stated that she followed that example for her property.
Little Rock Historic District Commission
Minutes of 20 February 1997, Page 3
Of those contacted about the application, there were two phone calls and one letter
supporting the applicant's request; and there was one letter and one person present
who spoke against the vinyl siding application. Patrick Zollner, a resident of the local
historic district and a preservation professional, spoke against the application. He
stated that artificial siding lessens a structure's architectural significance and integrity
and hence effects the district's architectural integrity.
Due to the recent court ruling regarding artificial siding on a historic structure (l..e, the
Johnston's house, which is not located within a historic district) and upcoming COA
requests, there was discussion regarding the need to establish an artificial siding policy
for the local historic district. Staff had researched the LRHDC minutes regarding
applications for artificial siding and presented the information.
Commissioner Jameson made a motion that the application be deferred until the 3 April
meeting. A vote was taken, and it was unanimous for the application to be deferred
until the April meeting.
It was noted that the next scheduled LRHDC meeting is 6 March. While there are no
COA applications, a public meeting could be held to discuss the issue and develop a
policy for artificial siding in the MacArthur Park historic district. In the meantime, staff
will research ar tificial siding policies and distribute the information and documentation to
members prior to the March meeting.
There was one visitor, Steve Adams, who discussed a structure at 904 Rock Street. He
stated that he had recently purchased the house, and it was his intentions to
rehabilitate it into a private residence; he wanted to get a building permit so that work
could begin immediately, but he wanted to confirm whether a COA was required. Plans
were shown to the LRHDC and questions were asked. It was decided that most of the
work at the onset was repair; a COA would be required for subsequent work, and
application could be made at a later date.
As there was no further business, the LRHDC adjourned at 6:30 p.m.