Webster Groves ARB approves several residential projects, tables two for revision; reviews BJC/KVC campus plan and church renovation

The Webster Groves Architecture Review Board (ARB) reviewed and acted on a string of residential permit applications and heard two informational presentations at its meeting, taking approvals for several smaller projects while tabling more complex work pending clearer drawings and code confirmations.

The board approved preapproval for a detached garage at 830 Providence Avenue and granted final approvals with conditions for a detached garage public hearing at 35 Glen Road and a front‑porch renovation at 337 Dobbin (Dobbin/Daven) Road. The board also approved a rear‑deck at 121 Summit Avenue with a condition to close the underside of the deck. Two applications were continued for revision and resubmittal: a partial second‑floor/roof project at 435 North Rock Hill Road and a window‑replacement submittal at 2 Renwood Court. The board reviewed two informational projects: a new BJC/KVC campus building at 330 Gore and a renovation of the chapel and streetscape at 45 Lockwood, providing detailed material and massing feedback.

Votes at a glance

- 35 Glen Road (detached garage, public hearing): Approved as submitted. Motion recorded; unanimous voice vote reported. (Approval entered on the record during the official agenda. Applicant: Catherine Duckworth, Hercules Design Build.)

- 830 Providence Avenue (detached garage, preapproval): Preapproval moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

- 337 Dobbin Road (front porch): Approved with explicit design conditions: remove decorative brackets on front‑facing gables; replace the shingle‑style siding proposed for the new gables with a textured Hardy‑type stucco board or similar trim system; eliminate round gable louvers and provide triangular louvers at the primary gable and the garage gable; and allow the porch railing to remain as submitted or to be revised to a more traditional picket style or a larger‑member version of the submitted railing. Motion and second were recorded; the board voted to approve with the conditions noted.

- 121 Summit Avenue (rear deck): Approved with the requirement that the deck underside be closed off (applicant agreed to provide either a lattice or solid enclosure as directed). Motion and voice vote approved.

- 435 North Rock Hill Road (partial second floor/roof replacement): Not approved. The board requested additional documentation and clearer drawings showing the left elevation/photos of the left elevation, clarification whether an existing front gable and chimney remain, updated plans showing the partial second‑floor plan, and consistent roofing material callouts (membrane vs. shingles). Applicant was told to resubmit for the next meeting.

- 2 Renwood Court (window replacements): Tabled for resubmittal. The board found the submitted drawings too light to read and lacking keyed elevations or photographs showing which windows are being changed; the applicant was asked to submit clearer drawings, callouts for window types, and a keyed photograph or schematic showing window locations.

- 439/447 Landscape Court (new single‑family home): Approved as noted, conditional on confirmation of FAR (floor area ratio) approval. Design changes recorded in the approval include removing the shutters above the entry door, moving remaining shutters inboard to align with trim if retained, matching mullion (muntin) patterns across all windows and removing grids from lower sashes on the front elevation; the board noted that the project’s approval is contingent on the separate FAR approval being confirmed.

Informational reviews

- 330 Gore (BJC/KVC campus building, informational): The ARB provided materiality, massing, and streetscape feedback. Reviewers praised the effort to match campus brick, stone and metal tones, asked for further massing views from the Rock Hill/Gore corner and from the main parking area, requested a clearer depiction of the proposed perimeter fence/courtyard screen and of rooftop mechanical screening, and recommended the team re‑consider EIFS/EFIS banding at upper elevations (board members suggested brick or other long‑life materials rather than EIFS to reduce long‑term maintenance). The design team (BJC representatives, Havener Welker, JE Dunn and Frontenac Engineering) noted they will provide supplemental views and details and planned to return to the ARB with materials before or shortly after plan commission review.

- 45 Lockwood (church/chapel renovation, informational): The ARB reviewed plans to increase natural light, add a small outdoor garden and trellis, slim exterior frames for improved visibility, and modify the chapel roofing to add rooflights. Board feedback requested circulation clearances at the new exterior garden/pergola, suggestions to ground the trellis visually (stone or more substantial bases), and a recommendation to use metal standing seam at chapel roof intersections rather than asphalt shingles adjacent to existing slate.

Why it matters

Design decisions made by the ARB shape the visual character and walkable street presence of Webster Groves. The board’s conditions focused on material cohesion, simplified gable detailing, and clearer, permit‑ready drawings for more complex alterations. For the larger institutional project at 330 Gore, the board’s material and massing feedback aims to ensure the new building integrates with the campus and the surrounding neighborhood fabric.

Next steps

Applicants for tabled items (435 North Rock Hill Road and 2 Renwood Court) were asked to resubmit revised drawings and clearer photographic documentation; the ARB indicated those submittals will be reviewed at a subsequent meeting once revisions are received. The 330 Gore team committed to supplying additional renderings and fence/courtyard details in advance of plan commission review; the church team will refine the trellis/landscape details based on the board’s comments.

Sources: Webster Groves ARB meeting transcript (applicants and staff remarks recorded during the open meeting).

Ending

The board concluded the meeting after completing the agenda and confirmed the next ARB review cycle for resubmitted items as needed.