Board approves partial demolition/encapsulation and window relocation at 604 S. Fairfax Street

The Alexandria Board of Architectural Review voted to approve alterations at 604 South Fairfax Street, including partial demolition/encapsulation of an element and a new fenestration pattern on the northern façade, with an amendment requiring the proposed lower window to align vertically with the upper window.

The application, filed by property owner Divya Shenoy and represented at the hearing by attorney Duncan Blair of Wire Gill, sought to remove a building element the applicant said was likely unapproved and to create a clearer window pattern on a secondary façade. Blair told the board the change would improve the “fenestration pattern on that northern facade” and said the project “meets all the required setbacks” and would be marginally visible from the public right-of-way and visible from an adjoining property lacking a tall fence.

Board members and staff agreed the work was minimally visible from King Street and was located on a non-prominent elevation. One board member asked the applicant to replace the siding “in kind,” and Blair confirmed the siding would be replaced with matching material and color. During deliberations the vice chair proposed — and the board accepted as a friendly amendment — a requirement that the lower new window align on its left edge with the upper window. That amendment was incorporated into the approval.

A motion to approve the staff recommendation, including the vice chair’s amendment to align the windows, passed by voice vote with all members present saying yes.

The approval allows the applicant to proceed with the minor demolition/encapsulation and the revised fenestration, subject to the staff conditions and the explicit alignment requirement for the new window.