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Board grants partial approval for church window replacements at 26 W. Boscawen Street; front elevation must use wood
Summary
The Board approved replacement of rear and side windows with vinyl at 26 West Boscawen Street but denied vinyl replacement on the primary (front) elevation; the board encouraged wood or historically appropriate alternatives for front-facing windows.
The Winchester City Board of Architectural Review on Sept. 4 partially approved BAR25-276, a request from Mark McKee to replace windows at 26 West Boscawen Street. The board voted to allow vinyl windows on the rear and side elevations but denied the use of vinyl on the primary (front) elevation; the front elevation will need wood or an alternate historically appropriate material.
Applicant Mark McKee explained that earlier renovations in 2004 installed the current vinyl windows on the second floor and that the church is undergoing a phased, multi-million-dollar renovation. Board members debated whether previous approvals should bind current decisions and whether replacing only a subset of windows with vinyl would establish a precedent in the historic district.
One board member said, "If you're replacing the windows again, it's an opportunity to bring it back to what it should have been," urging wood on the front. The board carried a motion for partial approval on a recorded voice vote; the clerk announced the motion passed 4 to 1 with Miss Raul opposing the partial approval of vinyl on the front elevation.
Staff advised the applicant that they could reapply with formal specs or provide a detailed quote for wood windows and that staff could bring a revised application to the board at the next meeting if the applicant supplied materials within the agenda cycle.
