no.9 |
DON'T put on a new addition that changes
the building's historic character! |
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::issueFOCUS:: Constructing a large-scale rooftop addition |
::go to REHAB YES'S:: |
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The historic character... ...and how it was lost in the rehabilitation.
To further blend in with the historic district, the owner decided to use a cornice with brackets similar to the lost cornice--the spacing of the brackets was modified to include small modern windows. Dates were added to the facade to differentiate the historic construction from the new addition (see photo, right). As a result of the new work, the height of the building had now been increased by almost one-third, giving it a new vertical emphasis it never had historically. The historicizing of the addition's detailing (jack-arch windows, corbelled beltcourse, pilasters, brackets, and wrought iron cresting) eliminated any visual distinction between the new addition and the historic building. Adding dates (1890 and 1980) as a device did not, in and of itself, distinguish old from new. In brief, the addition had significantly altered the the building's mass, scale and proportional relationships and changed its character. In spite of the fact that work on the first two floors was considered appropriate, the overall rehabilitation did not meet Standards 2 and 9. What should you know?
| Standard 2: The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided. Standard 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 massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. |