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Commission offers guidance on façade and rooftop concepts for 283 East Clayton Street
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Summary
At a concept review for 283 East Clayton Street, commission members urged the applicant to retain or reinstate historic openings on the side and front, keep compatible storefront elements at street level, and to set back or visually distinguish any rooftop addition.
The Athens‑Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission on Oct. 15 provided design guidance to an applicant seeking to reopen upper‑floor windows, revise the storefront and explore a rooftop addition at 283 East Clayton Street (concept file A‑2025‑10‑1998). The presentation was a concept review only; no decision was made.
Architect Gene Dunwoody, representing applicant Jared Huckaby, described plans to reopen historic upper‑floor openings, revise ground‑floor storefronts to support ground‑floor retail, and add a set‑back fourth floor to enable loft apartments. Dunwoody said the building’s mid‑century facade has acquired significance and that the design team was exploring options that either embraced or worked behind the modern concrete facade.
Commissioners generally supported restoring or reinterpreting historic openings on the side elevation, keeping the existing mid‑century ground‑floor facade where appropriate, and setting any new rooftop addition back so it would read as a distinct, contemporary element. Several commissioners suggested retaining or revealing existing historic fabric rather than removing it; others encouraged a rooftop expression that included some brick or material references to the historic building rather than being entirely glass and steel.
Commissioners also raised practical questions about retail depth, egress, fenestration patterns and the visibility of a fourth floor from street level. One commissioner recommended repeating, in simplified form, the arched motif visible in historic photos so the new work relates to existing building rhythms without replicating historic details. Staff reminded the applicant that the review was conceptual and that a formal certificate of appropriateness application with detailed drawings, material samples and documentation of existing conditions would be required for a decision.
Dunwoody said the team would return with revised concept drawings; several commissioners encouraged the applicant to provide digital files and additional photographs of underlying materials before a formal COA application.
Because the item was a concept review, no vote or binding action was taken.
