Palatka historic board denies COA to remove exterior chimney at 120 Kirkland

The Palatka Historic Preservation Board voted 4–1 on Jan. 8, 2026, to deny a certificate of appropriateness (COA) requested by homeowner Warren Berry to remove an exterior chimney at 120 Kirkland (the agenda packet lists "120 Kirkland Avenue"; the applicant referred to "120 Kirkland Street").

City staff introduced the application and noted the parcel is in the South Historic District and that the Florida master site file included in the agenda packet describes the house as a frame-vernacular residence with style influences dated to about 1892–1897. Ms. Brown, the staff presenter, said photographs in the packet show the chimney and its condition but that the file could not conclusively determine whether the chimney was original.

Warren Berry, the property owner and applicant, told the board he is renovating the house and is temporarily residing in St. Augustine. Berry said the chimney is not connected to an interior fireplace or vent and appears to be a later, exterior addition that is “kind of floating” away from the siding. "I would like to remove this thing before it becomes, like, more of a safety issue and comes down," he told the board.

Members pressed staff and the applicant for documentary evidence of an original fireplace or chase inside the house. Some board members said that if the chimney appeared in earlier master-site-file documentation it could be treated as historic in its own right; others pointed to the lack of interior evidence and the chimney’s poor workmanship as reasons to allow removal. A member of the public (identified in the record as Mister Rosa) described the masonry as amateur and called it a "Mickey Mouse" chimney.

After deliberation the chair moved to decline the COA. The board conducted a roll-call vote and recorded the tally as follows: "Elizabeth Van Wertsburg" — yes; "Brianna Pierce" — yes; "Megan Beville" — yes; "Patty Beville" — yes; "Mary Jane Bridal" — no. The motion to decline the COA passed 4–1.

The chair informed Berry he may appeal the board’s decision to the city commission and that city staff will provide the appeal procedure and record requirements, citing the board’s role in applying the Secretary of the Interior standards for historic preservation.

The board’s packet also notes the property’s parcel ID (ends in "41") and includes the Florida master site-file material referenced at the hearing. The applicant asked whether additional historic documentation (photographs or evidence of original terracotta chases) would change the board’s findings; staff and board members said documentary evidence could be presented at appeal or to support a future application.

The action is recorded in the meeting minutes and the applicant was advised on appeal procedures.