Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Art Murals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission hears that city council reinstated downtown murals; applicant offers sidewall for rotating displays
Summary
During commissioner comments the Historic Preservation Commission was told that City Council restored permission for murals in the downtown historic district; the applicant for 4 North Sandusky also offered the building's side wall for possible restoration or community displays of ghost signs.
City staff told the Delaware City Historic Preservation Commission on July 23 that the city council recently reinstated murals in the downtown historic district, and the commission discussed interest in restoring ghost signs and using building sidewalls for community displays.
Diane Gunther, development planner with the City of Delaware Planning Department, said she believed council on July 14 had asked staff to reassess whether to prohibit murals downtown and that the revised code was approved to permit murals in the downtown historic district. "It's been voted on. It goes into effect on the fourteenth of August," Gunther said, adding that murals will still require a certificate and HPC approval and must meet architectural‑standards requirements in the historic district.
Commissioners asked about the HPC's role. Gunther said the Historic Preservation Commission is not the ultimate zoning authority and can make recommendations to council, but the council is the final decision maker.
During the same discussion, applicant and owner Steven P. Hartman spoke about the ghost signs on the south elevation of 4 North Sandusky Street and his interest in restoring or otherwise interpreting them. "I was interested in restoring the signs, but the feedback I got 5 years ago was no," Hartman said. He offered the side of his building for long‑term community use and suggested rotating displays or banners as an alternative to painting directly on the brick.
Some commissioners and members of the public expressed general interest in restoration or interpretive treatments but also concern about the technical methods. One commissioner said painting directly onto brick can trap moisture and accelerate brick deterioration; Gunther and Hartman both discussed using appropriate restoration techniques and consulting professional restorers.
No formal action was taken. Gunther said that if the commission wished to pursue policy input it could make recommendations to council, but she emphasized that council holds the zoning authority.
The council's code change permitting murals and the commission's discussion of ghost‑sign restoration set the stage for possible future applications to the HPC for displays, banners or restoration work that would also need to satisfy the city's architectural standards and COA process.
