The Historic Preservation Commission on Sept. 16 approved an application for a rear addition at 1123 Sixth Street South in the Erskine Historic Overlay District. Megan Elsaug of the Department of Planning and Development presented the application on behalf of staff.
Records show the house was built in 1915 and is described in city files as a national style building; staff said there were no records of the original exterior material. "This application is for a home addition at 1123 Sixth Street South. It's in the Erskine Historic overlay," Megan Elsaug said.
The proposed addition would add two bathrooms and an office and adjust the elevation to meet setback requirements; the applicant has revised exterior siding plans from lap siding to board-and-batten with shaker-style shingles above. Applicant Christine Johnson said the addition is set back about one foot from the existing stucco facade to avoid patching and to deliberately show a distinction between original and new work.
The commission asked detailed questions about the transition between stucco and new siding, foundation appearance and window types. Johnson confirmed the plan is to match window styles to existing openings and to use a flush concrete-look finish at the foundation line, then repaint the house to tie the colors together. She also said the contractor plans to adjust mini-split locations and use forced air for the new addition to address airflow in older rooms.
One commissioner referenced federal preservation guidance in support of distinguishing new work from original fabric, saying, "According to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, when every time there's an addition, you don't necessarily want it to match." After discussion and clarification, a commissioner moved to approve the application; a second was given and the commission approved the project.
The commission noted inspections-department review is required after approval and that exterior materials and final construction details will be subject to that review.