Albany historic commission denies request to paint 43 Second Avenue

The Historic Resources Commission of the City of Albany voted to deny an application to apply a masonry coating to the brickwork at 43 Second Avenue after a public hearing in which staff and commissioners said available testing and documentation did not justify repainting the building.

Commissioners and staff said the product and test materials submitted — including references to Loxon XP and other acrylic coatings — were not convincing that the coatings would be appropriate for the building’s hard-pressed face brick and could trap moisture and accelerate deterioration. Christopher Lowman, the city’s historic preservation planner, told the commission staff’s recommendation remained that the cited products were “not appropriate masonry coatings.”

The commission heard from the property owner and applicant, identified in the record as Nick Maxoonie, who said he has invested substantially in the…