Historic Preservation Commission approves porch restoration at 1115 Sixth Street South

The Historic Preservation Commission voted to approve a proposal to demolish and rebuild the front porch at 1115 Sixth Street South in the Erskine Overlay District after staff presented a structural report showing the porch has settled and detached from the house.

Commissioners heard from Planning Department staff that the primary structure, a Victorian house built about 1910, has a porch that is tipping away from the house and shows cracking and gaps between stucco and window frames. Luke Mormon of the Planning Department summarized a structural report by Carl Lehi of Enzi Engineering, saying, “the owner aims to restore the porch to a more closely reflect its historical aesthetic while also addressing safety and structural concerns resulting from settling.”

Mormon said the applicant’s drawings show an approximately 8-foot-by-22-foot porch and renderings that replace the existing stucco finish with LP SmartSide pebbled panel siding to better match a historical photo from the NDSU archives. Mormon also noted staff does not have records documenting when lap siding was replaced by the current stucco finish.

The project representative, Kevin Junk, described existing construction conditions and tradeoffs for column design, saying the wall is “a 2 by 6 wall there now that has a stucco around it.” Junk said a square tapered post would be easier to construct and that using trim and SmartSide details could approximate the rounded historic column appearance. Commissioners asked about restoring a small decorative balcony shown in the archival photograph; Junk said there is no existing access or ledge for an actual balcony and the feature appears to be only a façade detail in the historic image.

One commissioner who said they own a similar house supported the proposed design, saying, “the design that’s put forth much more closely resembles the original photo than what we have here currently,” and indicated the porch is deteriorating and should be addressed soon. After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the application; the motion was seconded by Chair Heather Fisher and passed. Recorded votes were the mover and Chair Fisher saying “aye”; no recorded opposing votes were announced and the motion was declared approved.

The commission’s approval allows the applicant to remove the existing porch structure and build the proposed replacement matching the submitted elevation and materials; the structural report was presented as justification for demolition on safety and settling grounds. The owner, the project representative and the engineer were noted as available for follow-up questions. The commission did not record additional conditions, alternative designs, or a staff-directed follow-up report during the discussion.