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Commissiontables 103 Spring Lane garage door request, asks owner to seek in‑kind replication
Summary
The commission tabled an application to replace the garage door at 103 Spring Lane after public commenters and commissioners urged replication of the house’s original multi-light wooden door or a custom alternative in like materials; the owner was asked to research higher-quality options and submit samples and drawings.
The Ithaca City Landmark Preservation Commission on Jan. 20 tabled an application by a property owner at 103 Spring Lane seeking to replace a damaged wood garage door with a simple, low-cost metal door. Applicant Alicia Freedman told the commission the door had been repeatedly broken and, as a rental property owner, she sought a durable replacement. The commission and public commenters pushed back, saying the garage and its door date to the period of significance (1919–1924) and that the distinctive multi-light window configuration should be replicated using compatible materials.
A public letter read into the record by Susan Susie Kramer urged the commission to "require that its design, including its 8 light window, be replicated using like kind materials," citing local precedent where the city required in-kind replacement after a wooden door was destroyed. Commissioners and commenters noted off‑the‑shelf roll‑formed steel doors have rounded moldings and lack the crisp profiles of the historic door and recommended that the owner investigate higher-quality custom alternatives (for example, custom wood or fiberglass units with crisp profiles and robust springs/hardware).
The commission did not approve the metal replacement. Instead it asked the applicant to research and return with options that replicate the original appearance and material qualities (custom wood, fiberglass alternatives, or higher-quality custom metal that preserves the historic profiles), with details and samples for staff and the commission to review at a future meeting.
Next step: the applicant will research and provide more options and samples; staff will advise on vendors and acceptable material approaches so the application can return to the ILPC for final determination.
