HARB

Historic Architectural Review Board
Meeting Minutes

January 21, 2009

Chairman Gary Shaffer called the Historical Architectural Review Board to order at

7:33 p.m. on Wednesday, January 21, 2009. Those in attendance were: Board members Nancie Gudmestad, Peggy Gustafson, Elwood Christ, Norm Forness and Dale Gettel, Borough Code Enforcement Official; Michael Birkner, Borough Council Liaison; and Merry Bush, Borough Planner. A quorum was present. Others in attendance were Michael Lewis, Easy Living Investments for 128 W Middle Street; John and Pat Ziegler, 236 York Street; and Claire Lewis, new Borough Council member.

Reorganization

Peggy Gustafson nominated Gary Shaffer for the position of chairman. Nancie Gudmestad seconded. Norm Forness moved to close the nominations. Elwood Christ seconded.

Nancie Gudmestad nominated Elwood Christ as vice chairman. Peggy Gustafson seconded. There were no further nominations. Elwood Christ was elected as vice chairman. Gary Shaffer wil serve as chairman.

There were corrections made to the minutes by Michael Birkner and Norm Forness. Under Item B. S. Stratton Street, the sentence just before the Findings of Fact should have read "Norm Forness said that the balusters should be centered on the bottom of the top rail and the top of the bottom rail, between the rails." The last sentence of the second paragraph under Old Business should have read "Mr. Birkner said that there will be a special meeting in early January so Council can be briefed on the REDDI project."

Dale Gettel moved to accept the minutes of December 17, 2008 as corrected. Nancie Gudmestad seconded and the motion carried.

Mr. Shaffer introduced the members and noted that the Board serves as an advisory group to Borough Council, which makes the final decisions concerning Certificates of Appropriateness. Borough Council will meet next on Monday, February 9, 2009.

Applications for Certificates of Appropriateness

A. Demolition. Rear Garage. 128 W. Middle Street. Living Easy Investments, LLC, Michael Lewis, owner.

The applicant proposes to demolish a garage at the rear of 128 W. Middle Street.

Nancie Gudmestad asked Michael Lewis, the owner, if he planned to replace the building. The applicant replied no.

Norm Forness asked if the building was repairable. Mr. Lewis said that the garage was not worth repairing.

Dale Gettel asked if the floor of the garage consisted of dirt. The applicant said that it was mostly dirt with one small piece of concrete. Mr. Lewis said that he planned to remove the concrete along with the building. He plans to use the space for parking. Mr. Gettel asked about the closeness of the applicant’s building to the neighboring garage. Mr. Lewis said that they were separated by about two feet. Continuing, Mr. Lewis said that he has an extensive background in construction and owns excavation equipment and that he did not feel that the closeness of the two buildings would be an issue.

Findings of Fact: The property located at 128 W. Middle Street is located within the Gettysburg Borough Historic District as determined by ordinance. The building in the rear has no architecturally significant features. Dale Gettel, Borough Code Enforcement Officer, noted significant structural issues.

Nancie Gudmestad moved to recommend to Borough Council that a Certificate of Appropriateness be issued for this application as submitted. Elwood Christ seconded.

Norm Forness asked the Board if this wasn’t a case of Demolition by Neglect or were the required repairs unreasonable. Peggy Gustafson asked Mr. Forness if his concern wouldn’t be more applicable to an old building with architectural merit. Dale Gettel said that he did not see any architectural value; it is a "slap it up," sided building.

Merry Bush said that there is no official definition of demolition by neglect in our ordinance. Dale Gettel said that demolition is required when it is a safety or hazard issue but it [the building] isn’t there yet.

The motion carried, 6 to 0.

B. Alteration. Replacement windows. Second floor. 236 York Street. John & Patricia Zigler, owners.

Elwood Christ said that the lintels on the front of the building suggest that it was built between 1880 and 1910. The owner’s research found that the front of the building was constructed in 1840. Mr. Christ said that he thought that was too early.

Elwood Christ asked the owners to clarify their application. John Ziegler said that they wished to replace three windows, all on the second floor: Window #1 is located on the east side wall about 20 feet back from the front of the building; #2 is located on the rear or north-facing wall; and #3 on the west wall at the rear. The applicant proposes to replace the existing one-over-one windows.

The dimensions of the first (#1) double-hung window are 29 inches wide by 50 inches high. The applicants propose to replace the window with a casement window that is 64 inches wide by 27 inches high. The second (#2) window is 29 inches wide and 50 inches tall. The new casement window would be 48 inches wide and 47 inches high, the same size as the window below it. The new window would be centered over the existing window below it. The third (#3) window is 29 inches wide and 50 inches high. It would be replaced by a casement window, 33 inches wide and 35 inches tall, that would fit into the top of the existing window opening.

The applicant plans to use old brick as infill around the new windows. They would be painted to match the existing exterior.

The applicant asked which rooms were lighted by the windows. Window one (#1) is located in the homeowner’s weaving room. Windows two (#2) and three (#3) are located in the master bedroom. The windows at the rear of the house are visible from the alley.

The applicant said that they wished to install more energy-efficient windows and make the second floor windows more congruent with the ones on the first floor. The applicant noted that there are only two windows on the north and west elevations.

Nancie Gudmestad asked how the windows on the first floor opened. Patricia Ziegler said that the window below #2 is a casement window that opens to the center. The window below #1 is actually two double-hung windows side by side. The top sash in each is fixed while the lower sash opens as an awning window.

Findings of Fact: The building at 236 York Street is a contributing structure to the local historic district as determined by ordinance and is considered a sensitive building. The building is also located in the Gettysburg Battlefield National Register Historic District. The proposed work is considered a critical project. Altering the existing window openings is not consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Buildings. All the windows have some visibility from the pubic right of way—one from York Street and the others from the alley north of the property.

Peggy Gustafson, for the sake of discussion, moved to recommend that a Certificate of Appropriateness be issued for the replacement of windows two (2) and three (3) as described in the application. She commented on their limited visibility from the right of way. Norm Forness seconded. The vote was 3 to 3. The motion failed. Ms. Gustafson asked for further discussion.

Nancie Gudmestad said that she would not have approved the previous change to the first floor rear window in this "beautiful building."

Gary Shaffer said that in following the [Secretary’s] guidelines contemporary additions would allow for contemporary windows but the proposed changes, while giving a more consistent look, would modify the original building. Mr. Shaffer said that they do make casement windows with muntins that would fit into the existing openings. Altering the window openings makes a house that doesn’t know which timeframe it is in, said Mr. Shaffer.

Peggy Gustafson said that she would give more latitude to changes in the rear of the building. Elwood Christ said that we are to be advocates for the house—it might need new lenses [not plastic surgery].

Nancie Gudmestad moved to recommend Borough Council deny a Certificate of Appropriateness for the replacement of window #1. Dale Gettel seconded. John Ziegler said that window #1 is beyond the seam the separates the 1840 section of the house from the later portions. Mrs. Ziegler said that the original building had one room on the first floor with a staircase leading to the second floor. The second floor had one large and one small room. She said that the basement and the attic predate 1880. She noted that softer, larger bricks were used to construct the front section of the building.

Mr. Ziegler pointed out that the sills in the front of the house are made of granite while those in the rear portion are made of wood. There is a double brick wall and a threshold between the front room and the middle room of the house. Peggy Gustafson said that she would be willing to share information about where to get mahogany sills, sub-sills and framing that is milled to precise dimensions.

Mr. Ziegler said they were trying to make maintenance as easy as possible.

Nancie Gudmestad said that she wouldn’t mind the replacement of the windows as long as they were done like the ones in the front; she doesn’t like the proposed alterations to the window openings.

The motion carried 6 to 0.

Elwood Christ said that we [the Board] have allowed replacement windows on elevations other than the front to be other than wood windows but only in existing window openings.

The owners asked if they replaced the existing windows with new double-hung windows installed in the existing openings would they have to be two-over-twos.

Gary Shaffer said that the side window was visible for those walking and that we should maintain the pedestrian experience. He said that the two side-by-side windows on the first floor west elevation look like double-hung windows and maintain the same vertical appearance.

Gary Shaffer moved to recommend that Borough Council issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for replacement windows in the locations indicated in the application for 236 York Street. The windows must be one-over-one, wood or wood-clad that would maintain the masonry openings. The modification of the wood sills to angled brick sills would also be approved. Casement windows would be acceptable as long as they appear to be a double-hung window. Elwood Christ seconded. The motion carried 6 to 0.

The applicant will supply documentation to the Borough Planner regarding the type of windows to be installed.

Old Business

Continuing the discussion from December, the Board decided to continue meeting at 7:30 pm on the third Wednesday of the month.

Reports

Michael Birkner gave a brief report on the status of the REDDI project. There have been changes in the expectations for the project; plans remain fluid. The economy is having an affect on the project.

Mr. Birkner also told the Board about a sculptor who has offered to create one or two Lincoln statues and have them installed in the Borough. At some point he will visit to tour the Borough and select sites for the statue(s). At present the discussion centers around a nine-foot-tall monument of Lincoln reading the Gettysburg Address.

The meeting adjourned at 9:10 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Merry V. Bush

Borough Planner and recorder