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HARB continues large Cathedral‑Square redevelopment to Oct. 16; board raises pergola, roof materials and gate design questions
Summary
The board continued the certificate‑of‑appropriateness review of the large 24 Cathedral/Charlotte Street redevelopment (HP2025‑0053) to Oct. 16 after detailed presentations and extensive board and public comment on courtyard gates, rooftop amenities, roofing materials and streetscape visibility.
The Historic Architecture Review Board on Sept. 18 continued review of the large redevelopment project at 24 Cathedral Place and adjacent Charlotte and Treasury Street parcels (HP2025‑0053), asking the applicant to return Oct. 16 with additional drawings, contextual views and material samples.
Staff and the applicant presented revised plans that include two‑and‑a‑half‑story colonial‑style infill buildings flanking a new parking structure, four planted courtyards and a Mediterranean‑style vehicular entry. Changes since the last appearance include extension of the colonial‑period building massing farther along Treasury Street to conceal the parking‑structure elevation, new courtyard gate designs (metal screens to increase visual permeability), and a rooftop amenity on a Mediterranean building featuring a pergola, pool and food‑and‑beverage area.
Board members and many public commenters praised the careful massing and the way the more colonial elevations break down scale, but raised repeated concerns about the rooftop pergola and visibility from primary view corridors (including the Bridge of Lions and the bayfront). Preservationists asked for careful archaeology review, and staff reminded the applicant of the site’s Zone 1A archaeological sensitivity. Board members also asked for clarified details on window materials (wood vs. aluminum‑clad), roofing profiles (standing seam vs. terracotta tile), the appearance and transparency of courtyard gates, and the visual treatment and color of the parking‑structure screen so it blends with adjacent buildings.
The board voted to continue the application to Oct. 16 to allow the applicant time to produce context‑sensitive renderings, roofing and window samples, clearer gate options and a sight line study that shows exactly what would be visible from the Bridge of Lions and other public view corridors.
