Landmark Commission approves temporary demolition of balcony at Captain Paul Stanley house in Galveston

The Landmark Commission on Monday approved a certificate of appropriateness allowing the temporary demolition of an elevated covered balcony at the Captain Paul Stanley house, a designated Galveston landmark at 2012 Martin Luther King Boulevard and 20 Ninth Street.

Staff presented the case to the commission, telling members, "This is a request for a certificate of appropriateness for modifications to the structure, including removing a covered balcony." The staff report said four public notices were sent and none were returned.

The staff presentation said the balcony is original to the house and that "the original insurance board record notes that the structure is 40 foot 4 foot wide, which conforms to the approximate width of the structure with balcony." Staff also said the applicant intends to rebuild the balcony "as is" when funding allows and estimated about six months would be required to complete reconstruction. Structural consultants told staff that timber framing is preferable to reproducing the original structural system, which "may result in some minor changes to exterior appearance." Staff noted part of the enclosed balcony had already been removed during a structural assessment.

Staff recommended approval of the request "with specific conditions 1 and 2 and standard conditions 3 through 6 in the staff report," and the commission opened a public hearing on case 25 LC 29. No applicant representative or members of the public appeared to speak during the hearing, and the public hearing was closed.

An unidentified speaker moved to accept staff recommendations; another unidentified speaker seconded the motion. Chairperson Click called for a vote, and the motion passed.

The commission did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript. Commissioners present for the meeting included Commissioner Allen, Vice Chairperson Bourgeois, Chairperson Click, Commissioner Fitz, Commissioner Langdell and Commissioner Theory; Commissioners Chastain, Smith, Stetzel Thompson and Council member Sharon Lewis were noted as absent.

Documentation provided to the commission included photos of the property and engineer findings showing damage to the balcony framing. Staff indicated that because reconstruction could change the exterior appearance, the second certificate of appropriateness process would be required if the rebuilt balcony differs from the original design.

The commission adjourned at 4:05 p.m.