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Working Man store owner wins stone wainscoting approval; board gives conceptual support to restoring flat roof at 325 West Boscawen Street
Summary
Mike Black received approval to extend a thin natural-limestone stone wainscot along the frontage of 325 West Boscawen Street and gained conceptual support from the board to restore a historic flat/low-pitch roof and expose a covered medallion on the façade; the roof work is a future, larger project requiring further review.
The Winchester City Board of Architectural Review voted to allow an extension of thin natural-limestone stone wainscoting along the road frontage of 325 West Boscawen Street and offered conceptual support for a separate proposal to restore the property’s historic roof profile and uncover a medallion on the façade.
Owner Mike Black asked the board to extend the same thin limestone veneer already installed beneath a mural along the west elevation to the building’s Boscawen Avenue frontage, covering roughly 115 linear feet of road-facing wall. The board approved that specific application, BAR25-261, by voice vote.
Black also presented a conceptual plan (BAR25-262) to remove later 1970s roof overbuilds and return portions of the façade to a lower flat roof or original configuration so that a hidden medallion above the main opening would be revealed. That roof work drew no formal vote; board members said the concept appears favorable and asked Black to return with detailed materials and budgeted plans.
Black described the building as a patched-together row of former retail spaces and a midcentury addition, and he said the portion to be clad in stone is a non-historic 1970s CMU/stucco porch addition. He said the proposed stone would match the limestone used under the existing mural and that the new stone pieces would be approximately one inch to 1.25 inches thick.
On the conceptual roof proposal Black said he wants to expose a circular medallion that is currently covered by later siding and return that façade section to a flat membrane roof (EPDM) concealed behind the parapet. Board members asked questions about historic photographs, earlier porch forms and how the restored profile would meet adjoining rooflines.
Board members and staff agreed they saw no preservation reason to retain the 1970s overbuild in the areas Black proposes to change and expressed preliminary support for removing the later roofing and restoring the original flat roof geometry where evidence supports it. The board and staff recommended Black return with specific materials, drawings and costs; Black said he will also take the project to the Economic Development Authority for budgeting.
Outcome: The stone-wainscot application (BAR25-261) was approved. The roof-profile proposal (BAR25-262) was discussed as a conceptual review and received a positive board consensus to pursue further design and budgeting; the board did not take a formal vote on the roof concept.
Black told the board he plans additional separate applications later, including paint color adjustments and possible roof profile work on the portion of building that dates to 1951 with later modifications. Staff said paint-color changes can often be approved administratively. The board encouraged specific materials and detail when Black returns for formal review.
