Janesville historic commission approves composite repairs for Sinclair Street house windows

The Janesville Historic Commission on June 17 voted to grant a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior repairs to a house on Sinclair Street that will replace deteriorated window woodwork with composite materials and perform limited trim repairs.

Commissioners said the applicants plan to replace woodwork on roughly a dozen front-facing windows using AZEK, a PVC composite board, and to make minor repairs to a few plinth blocks and rosettes at the rear of the house. Presenters emphasized the work is intended as an in-kind replacement where possible and that existing windows and storm units will not be replaced.

During the discussion a commission member described the chosen material: "AZEK is the only one that'll hold paint if it chooses to be painted." Commissioners confirmed the work will be painted to match the house's current color scheme. The presenters said the rosette profile could not be matched exactly because the original cutter could not be located; the replacement profile will be slightly different but not apparent except at close range.

Commissioners noted some uncertainty about the exact count of windows to receive full woodwork replacement; presenters described the number as either 12 or 13 during the site review. The commission recorded that the work is "all in-kind replacement" where complete reconstruction is required and that routine minor repairs at the rear will match the front details.

A motion to find the project met the criteria for a Certificate of Appropriateness was made and seconded; commissioners voted in favor with no recorded opposition, and the COA was granted. No additional conditions were recorded in the meeting minutes.

The commission also discussed logistics for the site visit that had informed the decision and confirmed that curved glass was not present in the turret windows, reducing the risk of damage when addressing the woodwork.