BAR defers major 408 South King Street proposal — staff recommends site visit and work session

The Board of Architectural Review on Jan. 22 deferred consideration of a large, multi-component application for 408 South King Street and directed staff and the applicant to pursue a site visit and a work session. The case was continued to the BAR work session scheduled for Feb. 3.

Planning staff described the proposal: demolition of a two‑story rear barn, relocation of an early-20th‑century summer kitchen within the same property, demolition of a 1930s hyphen, construction of a new rear addition with a new hyphen and construction of a new accessory garage. Staff said the summer kitchen sits about 3½ feet below the main house and is supported on stone piers; moving or raising the kitchen is feasible but needs a structural assessment. For the barn the staff recommended a more detailed structural report before a decision on total demolition because, unlike a small, clearly deteriorated garage already approved for demolition, the barn’s condition did not plainly show it was beyond repair.

Tom O'Neil, the project architect, said the design seeks to integrate and preserve the summer kitchen (raising its floor and removing its second floor to make it a usable family room) and recommended a site visit so the board can see the relationships among the house, the summer kitchen and the barn. He said moving the summer kitchen straight back 8 feet and raising it roughly 10 inches (plus other adjustments) was necessary to achieve an appropriate internal floor level. O'Neil said the owners have discussed house-moving contractors and that the deep lots on that section of South King Street provide options for relocation if the BAR supports it.

Staff recommended a site visit to assess visibility, massing and how the proposed addition would surround and potentially obscure the relocated summer kitchen; staff also recommended a work session to address design details. Board members agreed that a site visit would help the BAR understand the design constraints and directed staff to schedule the site visit in coordination with the Feb. 3 work session. The board moved to defer the item to the Feb. 3 work session in order to hold a site visit and further review; the motion passed.

Votes at a glance: Motion to defer TLHPBR20240063 (408 South King Street) to the Feb. 3, 2025 work session for site visit and work-session review — mover: Mike (applicant representative said he would coordinate) / motion recorded by BAR — outcome: deferred; vote: unanimous.

Staff listed recommended next steps to the BAR: obtain a structural report on the barn and a house-moving feasibility report, schedule a site visit before the work session, and use the work session to resolve fenestration and massing questions raised in the staff report.