Historic board denies request to paint brick gray at Florida Gateway College foundation building

The City of Lake City Historic Preservation Agency on May 13 denied a certificate of appropriateness (COA 25-09) for exterior brick painting at a Foundation for Florida Gateway College building at 443 East Duval Street.

City staff presented the applicant's proposal, which would have included exterior waterproofing and painting the masonry a gray color. The applicant was not present at the hearing. Members of the Historic Preservation Agency discussed local precedents and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, which generally advise against painting previously unpainted masonry because paint can trap moisture and damage historic materials.

Board members cited examples in the packet of both painted and unpainted masonry in the district; one photographed façade had previously been painted without an approved COA, which limited the agency's ability to respond. Several members said painting red brick gray would undermine the building's historic character and recommended refusal in the absence of the applicant's presence to justify the treatment or to present performance documentation for non-pigmented waterproofing products.

After discussion a motion to deny the COA passed by a non-unanimous vote. The board noted that non-pigmented masonry treatments exist that preserve the substrate and that the agency expects applicants to present alternatives and technical justification when proposing painted finishes for historic masonry.

The denial does not prohibit the property owner from returning with additional documentation or alternative treatments; it prevents the proposed paint treatment as submitted from proceeding under the COA process.