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Staten Island homeowners win conditional approval to legalize portico and iron railing with modifications
Summary
The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a legalization request for an unpermitted side portico and an iron porch railing on a Greek Revival former rectory in the Stapleton Heights Historic District, subject to design refinements and staff review.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission on June 10 granted conditional approval to legalize a side portico and an iron porch railing installed without LPC permits at a Greek Revival former rectory on Saint Paul’s Avenue in the Stapleton Heights Historic District (LPC 25-10179).
Applicant Laurie (presenting) said the portico and the iron railing were installed in good faith by the house’s owners to protect the entry and improve the property; she said the railing is custom forged solid iron by a local fabricator and the portico uses reclaimed wood elements. The commission and preservation staff reviewed the work and public testimony during the hearing.
Opposition came from Historic Districts Council (Kaylee Johnson), which called the portico “overscaled and incorrectly detailed,” said the pediment cutout followed a colonial, not Greek Revival, precedent, and argued that the railing should be wood to match the building’s vocabulary. John Graham of the Victorian Society said the portico could be appropriate if the pediment cutout were removed and capitals added to the columns. Several neighbors, including Tricia Ryan, testified in favor of the work, saying the owners improved the property and that the portico and railing fit the house and neighborhood.
Commissioners acknowledged the applicant’s custodial stewardship but stressed the need to follow LPC procedures before undertaking work in a historic district. The commission offered specific changes to make the work acceptable: fill the pediment cutout on the portico, add or explore classical capitals for the columns, consider wrapping dentils around the portico to harmonize with existing cornice details, and simplify or remove ornamental panels in the iron railing and adjust attachment details so the railings do not plug into the centers of stoop piers.
On that basis the commission approved the application with conditions: owners must work with LPC staff to refine the portico details (fill the cutout, explore capitals and dentils) and to remove the ornamental panels from the iron railing or replace the railing with a simpler design (staff may approve a simplified metal railing or a wood railing depending on outcome). The commission noted Staten Island Community Board 1 recommended approval; the vote was unanimous.
