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Davenport commission approves demolition of deteriorated garage at 633 Ripley Street
Summary
The Historic Preservation Commission approved demolition of a 1920 detached garage at 633 Ripley Street after staff found code violations and the petitioner said the timber was beyond repair.
The Historic Preservation Commission of Davenport approved a demolition permit Tuesday for the detached garage at 633 Ripley Street, a contributing structure in the Hamburg Local Landmark Historic District.
The commission acted after city staff recommended demolition, saying the structure “violates the 2021 International Residential Code.” The petition was filed by William Rogers on behalf of the Christina E. Buxbaum Revocable Trust.
Staff described the two-car garage as built about 1920, roughly 360 square feet, with a concrete foundation, wood siding, an asphalt shingle roof and multiple window openings missing their windows. City planner Matt, presenting the case, said the garage is visibly slanting, the east-facing siding is missing in places and there are holes in the roof allowing water damage. He told commissioners the commission has 60 days to act on a complete demolition application.
At the podium, petitioner William Rogers said, “Most of the wood in this building is beyond saving. Even the part that seems to be intact is dry rotted.” He added he had considered salvaging siding to repair the house but concluded “nothing inside is redeemable at all.”
Commissioners moved and seconded approval. The roll call recorded votes in favor and the motion carried.
The commission’s approval authorizes removal of the garage, demolition and disposal of debris, removal of the concrete floor and footings, removal of a portion of the driveway behind the home, removal of affected trees and rip balls, and restoration of the former garage footprint with seed and sand, as described in the applicant packet. Staff noted that any future construction of a new garage would require a separate Certificate of Appropriateness application.
The decision follows the commission’s standard that a structure may be demolished if it “substantially violates” relevant codes or the owner cannot obtain a reasonable economic return, and it concludes the structure presently meets the code-violation standard cited by staff.
Provenance: staff presentation and petitioner comments recorded in the meeting packet and transcript.
