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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApplication for COA 5-7-19981.0 r' LITTLE ROCK I�ISTORIC JrD IS TRI C T • r:��s1 APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS Application Date: 4/3/ 98 1. Date of Public Hearing: 7th day of May 1998 at 5 : 00 P.M. 2- Address of Property- Arkansas Arts Center, 501 E'. Ninth Street Li tt I e ROCK, ArKansas 3. Legal Description of Property: See attached- property plat. 4. Property Owner (Name,address,Phone, Fa:): Little Rock Parks and Recreation Dept., City Hall, 500 West Markham, Suite 100, Little..RQck,-AR 72201 Contact: Brian Day, Phone: 371-4770; Fax: 371-6832 5. Owner's Representative: Mark Wellborn, Cromwell Architects Engineers 6. Project Description (additions] pages may be added): 31,500 s q . f t . addition to the existing Arts Center complex. See attached project description narrative. 7. ' Estimated Cost of Improvements: $9, 200, 000 8. Category of Work: I II III X IV 9. Notification Requirements: —X Yes (properties within 150 feet) No 10. Signature of Owner or Representative: Historic District Commission Action (to be completed by s — A Denied _ Deferred _ Approved Aproved with Conditions Staff Signature: - (Q `r"D NOTE: Approval by the Little Kock Historic District Commission does not excuse the applicant, own representative from compliance with any other applicable codes, ordnance — or policies of the City of Little Rock unless expressly stated by the Commission or smfE Responsibility for identifying such codes, ordinances or policies rests with the applicant, owner or representative. Little Rock Historic District Commission + Department of Housing and Neighborhood Programs 615 W. Markham Street, Suite 100 + Little Rock, AR 72201 + Phone: 501-7A4.5420 + Fax: 501.3993461 CROMWELL AR(7ifrECIS ENGINEERS April 3, 1998 Mr. Tim Polk, Director Dept- of Housing & Neighborhood Programs 615 W. Markham, Suite 100 Little Rock, AR 72201 Re: Arkansas Arts Center Addition A/E Project No. 96-002 Historic District Commission COA Application Dear Mr. Polk: Thank you for your assistance in counseling us on submission requirements relative to the proposed expansion planned by the Arkansas Arts Center. We appreciate you working with us during Anne Guthrie's brief absence. As discussed this expansion will include a new entrance lobby and gallery addition of approximately 28,000 square feet and a 2,800 square foot collections vault addition. The entrance lobby component will also house a Vineyard Restaurant and additional administrative office space. Both of these additions are to connect to the north side of the existing facility which faces 9`s Street. The main building entrance is to be reoriented from its present location to the northwest side of the structure. Access to this entry will be by 10'b and Commerce Streets, which connect to a new entrance court circular drive located in front of the new entry. We have enclosed 8 copies each of drawings (11 x 17 format) of the site plan along with elevations and wall section sheets to convey the overall design aspect of the project to the Commission. Enlarged drawings of the site demolition plan, landscaping plan and wall sections have been included for you to keep on file, as these drawings are more legible for the staffs review. Letters of recommendation for your application file will be forwarded to you once the owner receives documentation from interested parties. - CROMWELL TRUEMPER LEVY THOMPSON WOODSMALL. INC. 101 S. SPRING STREET LITTLE ROCK- ARKANSAS 72201-2490 (501) 372-2900 FAX (301) 372-0382 PRE�AST CAP - SET RAKE BUTT JOINTS WI /4" X 10" LONG & INSTALL SEALANT 1, _6�� STAINLESS STL. OR & BACKER ROD AT BRASS PINS IN EPDXY TOP AND SIDES I PIECE) SEAL PER FLASHING • o PENETRATION POINTS a P • S • d 7 P �� RAKE BED JOINTS HORIZ. JOINT P & INSTALL SEAL -ANT REINF.AT 16" O.C. & BACKER ROD TYP. VERTICALLY EA. SIDE P P P 10" C.M.U. " -H a� P 0 5 AT 32" O.C. - FILL CELLS WI BRICK FACING -- > CONCRETE P _ EXP. JT. FILLER W/ P 2-05 CONT. C 48" O.C. SEALANT, TYP. GROUT CAVITY SOLID BELOWSIDE GRADE U.N.O. EACH4 - • 5 TOP & BOT. CONT. WI -4 CLOSED ° TIES AT 16" O.G. � I � T.o.F.-6'-0" B.F.F. rl IIH /'10'4"'\ MASONRY WALL A5.6 A5.6 STANLEY BALL BEARING NO. DOUBLE WEIGHT STEEL HINGES WELDED PIN - 3 PER GATE CANE BOLT ASSEMBLY - VERT. F I/4X1 (2 PER GATE) HORIZ. F 3/6X2 — 2X3X3/6 OP, BOT. & SIDE RAILS MOUNTING PLATE BELOW TS 8X6X'/a MASONRY WALL GATE A5.6 I A5.6 1%2"' 1'-0" EXP. JOINT BELOW FOOTING BELOW 5 A5.61 A5.6 NOTE: ALL GATE COMPONENTS TO BE HOT DIP GALVANIZED AND PAINTED TS 8X6X'/4 BEYOND - PROVIDE CLOSURE Q TOP 2X3X3/6TOP, BOT & SIDE RAILS - HORIZ. F 3/6X2 VERT. f� 1/4X1 J(2 PER GATE) -MASONRY WALL W/ PRECAST CAP BEYOND NOTE: ALL GATE COMPONENTS TO BE HOT DIP GALVANIZED GATE AND PAINTED A5.6 I A5.6 1i/2,�.1�-oil DONALD K. CAMPBELL 924 Commerce Street, Apt. 21 Uft Rock Arkansas 72202-3963 r May 6, 1998 Little Rock Historic District 615 W. Markham St., # 100 Little Rock, AR Dear Friends: The Board of Directors of Park Place Property Owners' Association, 916-924 Commerce Street, met yesterday and asked me to communicate to you our serious concerns about the proposed expansion of the Arkansas Arts Center. 1. According to the plat which I examined in your office, 26 trees are to be cut down including some large magnolias and oaks. They will be a major loss to the appearance of the Park. What commitments has the Arts Center made to replace that many trees --especially trees of comparable size? 2. The plans I saw show the proposed addition extending 100 feet north of the north curb of Tenth Street. This means the proposed addition will cover all the south wing and center sections of Park Place, plus half of the north wing --parts of it rising 39 feet in height. Parts of the new building will be taller than even our third floor apartments, cutting off the view of the Park which has been one of the features drawing people to Park Place, and therefore reducing the value of our property. 3. The proposal calls for 63 additional parking spaces. Assuming an average occupancy of 1.5 persons per car, these spaces would provide for 94.5 people. There is no indication I found on the drawings to show how many more people the Arts Center can accommodate with this extension, but the square footage --some of it on more than one floor --would suggest anticipated increase of considerably more than 100. Where does the Arts Center propose that the cars exceeding the 63 spaces should be parked? Will they be parking on the west side of Commerce Street? Will they be parking on Tenth Street? There are 21 units in Park Place. Some families have more than one car. There are crly 15 parking spaces behind the building (only 14 usable). Some occupants must park on either Commerce or Tenth Street. We hear that in some cities near museums and auditoriums curb space adjacent to multiple unit dwellings is designated "permit parking." Is the Arts Center prepared to ask the city government to make such provisions for the residents along Commerce, between Ninth and Eleventh Streets, and/or along Tenth Street? 4. The additional 63 spaces apparently are going to be created by paving what is now a grassy area on the east side of Commerce, just south of Tenth Street. The drawing indicates there will be plantings to screen off the "asphalt jungle." What is the nature of those plantings? How effective will they be? 5. The new main entrance is placed so that Tenth Street empties into it, with a large fountain making that a focal point. The logical deduction is that Tenth Street will become more heavily traveled. Due to the width of Tenth Street, when cars are parked on both sides of the street, it is impossible for cars to travel in both directions at the same time. .When one meets an on -coming vehicle, one driver or the other must find an empty spot, pull over, and let the other through. What plans has the Arts Center worked out with the city for accommodating a heavier flow of traffic? The Board of Park Place Property Owners' Association urges your Commission to give serious consideration to these problems and objections before giving approval of the proposed plans. Youro,truly, Donald K. Campbell, I President Park Place Property Owners' Association 7 May 1998 LRHDC Meeting Staff Report and Recommendations, page 2 ADDRESS: 501 East Ninth Street APPLICANT: Arkansas Arts Center Cromwell Architects Engineers Mark Wellborn, project architect REQUEST: Construct a 31,500 square foot addition to the existing facility for a new entrance, gallery and office spaces BACKGROUND: The Arkansas Arts Center operates as a regional art museum, offering exhibition galleries, theatre, library, classrooms, studios, restaurant and museum store. Contemporary arts and crafts are displayed at the Decorative Arts Museum on 7th and Rock. In 1966, the Arts Center's visitation was approximately 360,000 and there were 8,200 enrolled in its museum school classes; traveling and community outreach programs are offered. The Arts Center is the largest structure in the park and has been at this location since 1937. The present building was constructed in 1962 by Cromwell Architects; the same firm was employed for the facility's two gallery additions in 1981 and in 1990. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The information packet contains a project description, grasscrete and lighting info, plat map, site demolition and layout plans, three colored elevations and wall section details. An analysis of the expansion is presented in the staff concerns section. The Arts Center expansion is approximately 31,500 square feet, with an estimated cost of $9.5 million. The expansion is generally to the northwest, not going beyond the north loop, but eliminating the northwest connector between the loop and parking on the west. The addition alters primarily the facility's north and west elevations, but retains the general rhythm, massing and scale of the existing structure. The exterior materials reflect the existing, using brick and precast concrete. The north and west elevations step back from the street as the height of the building increases. The stepped height, starting at approximately 15', rises in increments until reaching approximately 39 feet. Horizontal planes on the north are complemented by window bays, which on the ground elevation open the dining areas up to 9th Street. On the west, there are no windows on major vertical surfaces (except for the entrance) due to the interior use as galleries. The entrance is approximately 39' in height and is constructed of precast concrete and window panels. STAFF CONCERNS: There are concerns about how the expansion will effect the site, neighboring land uses, existing and potential car and pedestrian traffic and visual perspective. This project has not been reviewed by the city, which is an in-depth review process of issues such as building codes, public safety, traffic, parking and landscaping. 7 May 1998 LRHDC Meeting Staff Report and Recommendations, page 3 0 Curb Cuts -- There are two l r�r�sed r >rI;'h r f its or the north Ice f or Se�,, in pp it c - the �A� tern r � ter..- a -iii j ,111 �UI pOJ�^S. the 44 G's _�... I ISJ�I !�1.. 10. �... 5�1110, J �'d..i id the vlT flvf to Tile east the i trr.v ..� a �.. �,uSt is ivr �! !c u�_+!i!�s�L! ! he dumpster's location is due I the pI NilliHLY of the Vineyard, the facility's restaurant, at its new location. The western -most curb cut is approximately 65' from 9th Street and is approximately 60' wide. This entry will be utilized on an infrequent basis for delivering a i , s III nt Of ex iiblits. thie co piu r!! > pavers ;See iN si�io ei _ e i!r i ieway it grasscre'e information packet). The dumpster curb, ahniit 6n, to the eact, is ah^ut IN v 4rIn The new curb cut on the east side of -Commerce, between 10th and 11th streets, provides an additional entrance to the site and parking lot. This curb cut, while not aligned with 11th, is aligned with the facility's existing driveway on the south side. The intersection at 10th and Commerce (east side) will he wirleneri fo nnnrn-Aran+ol„ nn f_-„+ 0 Parking -- The existing parking is located south of the facility and along the east side of Commerce. Due to an increase in the facility's square footage, the required addition of sixty-three (63) parking spaces will be sited in the same area (along Commerce) but taking in mnre land tn;n;ardg tho nnr In nnrl 1n+h StUe .a Thee a� 1_ V VI L. I u11%J I %JLI 1 .I , L. I I IGI C iS a seLUaLK of approximately twenty (20') feet between the new parking and the street. The required landscape plan has not been reviewed by the City; but additional landscaping would minimize the visual impact that increased parking will have on the residences across the street. 0 Car and pedestrian traffic -- The new curb cut on Commerce, by not being aligned with 11th, may be an advantage in terms of slowing traffic along both 11th and Commerce streets. On 11th, from Cumberland east there are no stop signs for two blocks. There are no north/south stop signs on Commerce for three blocks, from 1-630 north to 9th. With the new entrance orientated towards 10th and Commerce, traffic will increase along both streets. There are stop signs every block for the east -west traffic along 10th; however, the widened entrance at 10th may be for school bus entry. The use of this entrance for school buses is a traffic, pedestrian and neighborhood concern. From 1-30 west on 9th, there is only one stop light at Cumberland, and the intersection at 9th and Commerce is a difficult one due to traffic and placement of garbage cans. Access ramps for east and west 1-630 are located at Commerce, Cumberland, Main and Louisiana streets. Public bus routes are along 9th, 11th, Commerce, Cumberland and Scott streets. Along the east side of Commerce, a sidewalk will be constructed from the curb cut (north of 11th) to the 10th Street entry; this will replace an existing concrete walkway. While there is no existing sidewalk on the east side of Commerce from 10th north to 9th, a new sidewalk (approximately 240' in length) would improve the site. 7 May 1998 LRHDC Meeting Staff Report and Recommendations, page 4 0 Tree removal -- The facility expansion planning team and the city Parks and Recreation department have discussed the existing and proposed landscaping (the land is owned by the City and Parks & Recreation manages it). The city department takes no exception to the trees' removal and has approved the project's proposed landscape plan. Trees slated for removal are located on the north and northwest sides. The largest are 46" and 36" oaks; several magnolias will be removed along the north side (see site demolition plan). While this removal is a staff concern, it is not detrimental to the project. 0 Visual perspective -- While it is customary to have a structure's main elevation orientated towards a street, the Arts Center's main entrance is on the south, facing away from 9th Street. The expansion offers the visitor a focused main entrance towards the west. The northwest expansion retains the open areas along 9th by not extending beyond the loop. The expansion opens up more to the north through window placement, and its stepped facades de-emphasize the rising height away from the ground elevation. While the proposed expansion does not meet the general architectural character of the neighborhood nor the district's design guidelines, it is important to note that the expansion complements the structure and carries over similar architectural elements. The existing structure does not and never has had the detail or character of a historic district; it serves as a public facility and focus in the historic district. The addition reflects the character of an 1960s structure in a sympathetically and sensitively fashion. NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACT AND REACTION: The Arts Center is located on the eastern boundary of the MacArthur Park Historic District, which is a National Register Historic District and is the city's only local ordinance historic district. Consulting the city's land use map, the Arts Center is located due east of a predominantly residential area; single-family structures are small scaled and sited on 45 - 50' wide lots. There is a three -storied multiple family structure (condominiums) on the northwest corner of 10th and Commerce; the remaining 900 block of Commerce is multiple family, not exceeding two stories. The 1000 block of Commerce is single family and 1100 block is the site of the Parkview Apartments. Along 9th, there are two single family residences, three multiple family structures (two are vacant) and a fire station. Within the historic district, there are fifteen public institutions/facilities. While only three are vacant (Eastside, the Arsenal and Curran Hall), there are three facilities that have undergone recent rehabilitation and improvements (Kramer School, the fire station and the UALR Law School). Around the historic district's perimeter, there are additional public institutions: two churches; a nursing home; Rockefeller School; a post office (constructed in 1995); rehab apartments and a proposed public transit transfer station. The proposed use for the Arsenal is as a military museum. The Art Center's expansion was presented to the MacArthur Park Neighborhood Association in 1997. 7 May 1998 LRHDC Meeting Staff Report and Recommendations, gage 5 Letters of support for the Arts Center expansion were submitted by: St. Edward's CaTcHo School; U^>_!! •J Ia IUoI of Law; BvISGJ, ii%;Rockefeller incentive School Joi STAFF RECOMMENDATION: It is the recommendation of staff that the proposed expansion project be approved with the following conditions: n a ciria�eoaii� be tall - the de co Commerce _��:��-- . installed c..� � east si :�! � � � �erce from 1 Oth to Oth streets 0 that ca landscape plan be approved but with additional plantings to minimize th . plantings e.t.a �v 9 7 779 91i 1 iI�C the effect of parking on the east side of Commerce 0 the mitigation of the loss of trees in excess of 24" DBH are compensated by the planting of trees of sufficient size and number (following a specified formula; 0 landscaping be added on the west and northwest elevations to minimize the visual impact of stepped brick walls with no openings the new lighting along the VVCJS eIYVaYIllfl iyl L+ ? r-liro i+�r, i•1 L......... tow _--_'- - - :a:: �.v��.�.i bearin I IUiNQI U5 the ground as opposed to a reflective type 0 school bus entry be limited to the park's southwestern entries along Commerce and not at the 10th Street intersection.