Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC2008-015 Staff Report No. 2 Project Background And Description 06/09/2008DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND Y .% LITTLE ROCK DEVELOPMENT 'a � HISTORIC 723 West Markham Street Little Rock Arkansas 72201-1334 DISCommRSSION Phone: (501) 371-4790 Fax: (501) 399-3435 STAFF REPORT ITEM NO. Two. DATE: June 9, 2008 APPLICANT: Paul Privat and William "Greg" Fetzer ADDRESS: 618 Rock Street COA REQUEST: Retaining Wall and Iron Fence along street PROJECT BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION: The subject property is located at 618 Rock Street. The property's legal description is "Lot 3 MacArthur Place Neighborhood Addition to the City of Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas." This house is a non-contributing structure built in 2006. The proposal is to build a brick retaining wall with an iron fence and gate along the front property line. PREVIOUS ACTIONS ON THIS SITE• In July 10, 1998, a COA was denied to Second Location of Project Baptist Church for the installation of a parking lot. On July 14, 2005, a COA was approved and issued to Tina Boyd for the construction of a single-family home on this site along with two others on Rock and Cumberland Streets. Included in this application was an approval of an iron fence along Rock Street. PROPOSAL: The proposal is to build a 14 inch tall retaining wall from brick with a soldier course on top. This brick will match the house. The brick wall will be the same height as the stone retaining wall to the south at 620 and 624 Rock Street. An iron fence will be installed on the top of the retaining wall and be the same height as the fence to the south at 620 and 624 Rock Street. The gate will be set back onto the property as the ones are to the south. Existing front elevation Gate at 620 Rock Gate at 624 Rock Street M,�ri- Existing front walk and sidewalk View from 7th and Rock Street Post at 620 and 624 Rock 2 WRITTEN ANALYSIS OF THE APPLICATION BASED OFF OF INTENT AND GUIDELINES: The Guidelines state on page 66: Iron, wood, stone, or brick fences or walls that are original to the property (at least 50 years old) should be preserved. If missing, they may be reconstructed based on physical or pictorial evidence. Sometimes a low stone or brick wall supports an iron or wooden fence. Fencing material should be appropriate to the style and period of the house. Cast iron fences were common through the Victorian period and should be retained and maintained. Wrought iron and bent wire fences are also historic. Wood picket fences may be located in front, side, or rear yards, generally following property lines. They should be no taller than three feet (36') tall, pickets should be no wider than four inches (4') and set no farther apart than three inches (3`). The design shall be compatible with and proportionate to the house. Wood board privacy fences should be located in rear yards. They should be no taller than six feet (72'), of flat boards in a single row (not stockade or shadowbox), and of a design compatible with the structure. The privacy fence should be set back from the front fagade of the structure at least halfway between the front and back walls. Chain -link fences may be located only in rear yards, where not readily visible from the street, and should be coated dark green or black. Screening with plant material is recommended. Fences should not have brick, stone, or concrete piers or posts unless based on pictorial or physical evidence. Free-standing walls of brick, stone, or concrete are not appropriate. New retaining landscape walls are discouraged in front yards. Certain front yards that are in close proximity to the sidewalk may feature new walls that match the materials of the building and be consistent with historic walls in the neighborhood. Landscaping walls should match the materials of the building and be consistent with historic walls in the neighborhood. This application, being a new infill house, may need to be analyzed differently than a historic home in the same block. The last paragraph quoted above does state that retaining walls are discouraged in the front yard, but the exceptions listed thereafter do seem to pertain to this application. The front yard is small and the house is in close proximity to the street, as is 620 and 624 Rock Street. The retaining wall would be the same height and would continue the wall from the two houses to the south. The walls at 620 and 624 are of stone and in good condition. This new wall would be differentiated from the historic wall since it would be of brick that matches the house. The top surface of the wall will be brick unlike the mortar bed cap on the stone wall. It would be a modern addition to the neighborhood without necessarily evoking a false sense of history. The iron fence on 620 and 624 are rather plain with accents on the post only. The iron pickets have a ground point on them instead of finials with two horizontal rails. The posts, as shown on the right, are ornamented and are the same on both houses. The posts are more heavily ornamented. The fences are painted black. The photo to the right shows a portion of the gate. The gates at 620 and 624 are the same. The COA previously approved for this site in July 2005 contained an iron fence along Rock Street. It is shown on the right. It featured two to three inch square posts with ball finials, two rails and square pickets with fleur-de-lis finials on the pickets. Previously approved fence at 618 Rock Any additional fence on this block should be of the same size and scale as the older fences on the block. The applicant has fulfilled this requirement. However, the application calls for a much more elaborate fence than has been installed in the past. Any new iron fence should not to evoke a false sense of history or an implied earlier date of construction. The Secretary of Interior Standards state: Posts at 620 and 624 3. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken. 9. New additions, exterior alterations or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the 11 massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. The proposed fence features oversized posts with ample ornamentation and elaborate oversized finials. The sketch, shown on the last page of the write up, shows ten posts across the front of the property including six near the gate. The fence will feature three rails, pickets of two different alternating heights with finials both above with and below the top rail of the fence. The fence is illustrated below. rroposea t-ence snown w1mour rerammg wau The options on the gates are shown to the right. The applicant has proposed the gate shown above, but has asked to include the illustration of the alternate gates for the commission to review. Staff believes that a more simple fence and gate more in line with the previously approved fence and gate would be more in keeping with the historic character of the neighborhood, not invoke a false sense of history and be more in character Sample gates with the architecture of the house. If pictorial evidence was present to show an iron fence was present at some time in the past on this site, then there could be the argument to duplicate the fence. However, Staff is not aware of such documentation at the time of this writing, and barring such, recommends a simpler fence be approved. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS AND REACTION: At the time of distribution, there were no comments regarding this application. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Denial G LITTLE ROCK HISTORIC DISTRICT CONWISSION DEFARnAEW OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPtvIENr 723 Weal hdarkhata Street Iittle Rod; Ark mw 72201-1334 Phone: (501) 3714790 Fu (501) 399-3435 APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF ,1 PPROPRIATENESS Application Dale: 1. Date of Public Hearing: I day of n 2G0 g..at P.M. 2. Address of property: 3. LegalDcscription of Property: fi 4. Pro t7wn ame. A dres . plta ,Fax): ii a JA � 4 0.'1 l -ln • Pe fkr- [ - 10 5. Owner's Agent: (Pbone/Fa;d&rnad) �r 6. Project Description tmdklonal pages may be.ddtlr• ig. lkdf 1 'I U21 Too 501 er_Low -- — L � •, 7. Estimated Cost of Improvements: 05-00 &. Zoning Classification: the proposed change R permitt use? Yes No 9. SigaatureofO%1nerorAgent• fJt+rcwr,err7N:.re{ �qpr@raryl{rmlorpumnitprragangdrowrrrwtl4rps8rrhrmvq� NOTE: Should there he changes (design, materials, si2r, etc.) from the apptovedCOA, applicant shall notify Commissiou staff and take appropriate actions. Approval by the Commission does not excuse applicant or property from compliance with other applicable codes, ordinances or policies of the city unless stated by the Commission or stab. Responsibility for identifying such codes, ordi- nances or policies rests with the applicant, owner or agent. (This section to be completed by staff): Little Rock Historic District Commission Action []Denied ❑ Withdrawn ❑ Approved []Approved with Conditions [:]See Attached Conditions Little Rack Historic District Commission ♦ Department of planning and Development 723 West Markham Street ♦ Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 ♦ Phone: (501) 371.4790 ♦ Fax: (501) 399-3435 Application 90 7 Cover Letter May 9, 2008 Little Rock District Historic Commission Department of Planning and Development 723 West Markham Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334 RE: Proposed Retaining Wall and Iron Fence 618 Rock Street This is a fetter of application to request approval to build a 14"H Brick Retaining Wall wl top Soldier Course and a new Iron Fence Approximately 36" H with Gate to be added to the front of 618 Rock Street, Little Rock, Arkansas. Sincerely, Paul D. Privat and William G. Fetzer N. Fr- m:th ' w' rk' ertch of:: . ........ .:...:.......:...... ' - .. ' . T����..:..:...:.. .... . '�' . ..... Jc�.7 1 .1 .' . . , .. , - .. ....... Ell - :.. _ .- - •--...� . -- :..... t ... .. jz �... .. . .►-r-� .. i .. rllrrr �.01 IIIiiA �uiliiOf� �i �� 1rlliM ifyiiitl i} 1 � Sketch of Fence t