Commission defers True Heart Building rooftop and canopy proposal for more details

The Galveston Landmark Commission on June 2 voted to defer consideration of a certificate of appropriateness for proposed rooftop additions and a canopy at the True Heart Building, citing a need for more detailed drawings and information about how the canopy will attach to and affect ornate brickwork.

Staff recommended approval of the rooftop addition and canopy with conditions that would differentiate new work from historic fabric, but several commissioners and preservation advocates raised questions about canopy details and potential damage to the façade.

Daniel (staff) told the commission the third-floor addition sits high above street level and staff recommended setting the addition back at least 18 inches to visually differentiate new from old, or otherwise to introduce a visible detail change. "If that's not feasible, staff recommends adding some sort of visual detail to differentiate the original walls from the historic brick," Daniel said.

Applicant architect Brian Easterwood (applicant) said the rooftop addition is on a nonhistoric, mid-block alley side and that the team can provide detailing to visually separate the new work from the historic brick. Owner Catherine Bergler, who owns the True Heart Building, described past conservation work and argued the canopy has historic precedent on the property and will help protect the first-floor brick and woodwork.

Preservation advocates and professionals, including Laura Bourgeois of the Galveston Historical Foundation and architect David Watson, urged additional detail and care. Watson warned that proposed canopy columns and deck framing as presented were "overly large" and lacked connection details, and that new openings on shared property lines may trigger fire-rating and code requirements.

A motion to approve the case per staff recommendation (omitting certain specific conditions) failed. Commissioners then moved to defer the case to the July 7 meeting and requested more detailed drawings showing the canopy, its connections to the building, how much façade detail would be obscured, and responses on easement and code questions raised by speakers. The motion to defer passed.

The record shows eight public notices were sent for the case, with one returned in favor. The commission asked the applicant to provide more detailed plans and to respond to technical questions raised by architects and the Galveston Arts Center regarding shared property-line openings and utilities.