Owners and HPC debate blind windows, door move and siding options in concept review for 312 North Fifth Street

The Geneva Historic Preservation Commission held a concept review July 15 for a front-porch rehabilitation at 312 North Fifth Street. Staff emphasized this was a concept — not a permit application — and the commission and homeowners used the meeting to clarify design choices before a formal submission. “This is a concept review. It's not a permit review, so no permit is being passed today,” Emily, staff member, told the commission. Owners Anais and Danielle Bowering joined with family member Eileen Faulkner and explained they want to restore the porch to usable conditioned space. Their architect’s option 3 would shift the entry door slightly left, remove one window to accommodate the door move, add one or more “blind” (non‑operable) windows at corner bays to create interior wall space, replace the porch sash with Marvin windows, and reroof and re-skin the porch. The husband-and-wife household described years of deferred maintenance and said the work aims to preserve character while making the space livable. Anais Bowering said they were “still pulling together all of the details, from the contractor to get pricing,” and asked for early feedback. On what a blind window would look like, the applicants and staff described multiple approaches: a fully furred and insulated wall with window-like trim; a back-painted spandrel glass panel to approximate glass without operability; or a solid Hardie panel trimmed to look like a traditional sash. “It is actually like a historically used device, which is to keep symmetry, by having something that looks like a window, but is in fact not,” Anais Bowering said. Staff listed materials the applicants have proposed: Marvin replacement windows (two-over-two lights); James Hardie Artisan lap siding for areas below the porch floor line and v-groove Hardie skirting below the porch; and varied skirting profiles. Commissioners and staff flagged a technical detail for the architect: the v‑groove Hardie skirting product typically has a roughly 7‑inch exposure (reveal), which can look different from the 3.5‑inch exposure of the horizontal siding used on the rest of the house. “The hardy v groove plank comes with a 7 inch exposure,” a commissioner noted, and staff asked the applicants to confirm exposures on final drawings. Commission discussion covered historical context and policy constraints. Emily summarized the house’s layered history: the earliest portion dates to the mid-19th century (worker’s cottage built about 1845), a Greek Revival section added about 1855 and later conjoined, a porch added between 1923 and 1930, and enclosure of the porch likely in the 1960s. Staff noted the commission’s siding policy requires removal of aluminum siding to determine whether original wood siding survives beneath it; if original siding remains, repair-in-kind is prioritized. Commissioners generally supported the concept while asking the applicants to develop final drawings that address a handful of issues: the exact composition and finish of blind-window panels, the skirting reveal and how it will visually relate to horizontal siding, stair and step materials (commissioners expressed a preference for natural cedar over composite decking for front-porch steps), exact window profiles, and whether spandrel glass or painted panels will be used. One commissioner summarized: “I actually like the solution that's presented, and I think it keeps the character of the porch.” No formal action was taken because this was a concept review; staff and the applicants agreed the architect will provide revised drawings addressing the skirting exposure, window profiles and the blind-window treatment prior to a permit application. Key clarifying details discussed at the concept review will be incorporated into the applicants’ permit submission: the intended number of active windows and the position of the relocated door; choice of Marvin windows; proposed James Hardie siding and v-groove skirting; and the need to inspect behind aluminum cladding to determine if original siding exists.