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Historic Preservation Board approves storefront and canopy changes for Palace Bar at Ocean Drive with staff review condition
Summary
The board approved modifications to ground‑floor storefronts and garage‑style doors for the Palace Bar/restaurant and accepted retention of a clear suspended canopy, subject to staff review of final canopy details.
The Historic Preservation Board on Feb. 14 approved exterior alterations to the Palace Bar restaurant and adjacent building at Ocean Drive, permitting replacement of three storefront openings with four‑panel sliding doors and installation of glass garage‑style doors in the 2005 addition’s ground level. The board also approved retention of a clear suspended canopy currently on site, and required that final design and attachment details for the canopy be reviewed and approved administratively by staff prior to permit issuance.
Staff told the board it had no objection to the storefront and garage‑style door replacements and characterized the clear vinyl canopy in the courtyard as reversible: "Staff has no objection to this modification as the proposed design will function in a similar manner to the existing configuration and will not have any adverse impact on the original design of the addition," staff said in the report, and noted the canopy could be removed in the future.
Applicant counsel James Rao and project architect Jennifer McConaughey presented the changes and confirmed the materials were intended to be durable and appropriate for the Ocean Drive corridor. The applicant said the clear covering was a heavy‑gauge vinyl used to keep rain out of the dining area and that the building’s air‑conditioning issue noted during a prior visit had been an isolated clog that was cleared.
Board members voiced support for keeping the Ocean Drive façade intact and for reversible changes that sustain active use of the building. Because the canopy as installed lacked technical attachment drawings in the packet, the board added an explicit condition requiring staff review of the suspended canopy system’s final design and details during the permit phase, in addition to the staff conditions already in the draft order.
Approval was unanimous. Staff will incorporate the staff review condition for the canopy into the project’s final order and verify details with building and fire officials during permitting.
