Hotel Saint Francis granted door relocation to accommodate accessible bathroom after flood repairs

The Historic Districts Review Board approved a request from the Hotel Saint Francis (210 Don Gaspar Avenue) to relocate a ground‑floor service door to enable an interior reconfiguration that will create an accessible hotel bathroom required by recent repair work.

Owner representative Richard Martinez told the board that flood damage required interior repairs and an accessible bathroom to meet building permit conditions following the remediation. The proposed change relocates an existing nonhistoric exterior door six feet along the same elevation, allowing the adjacent interior space to expand for accessibility needs. Martinez said the exterior door is a nonhistoric metal emergency exit placed behind a privacy wall and that the alteration will not affect significant exterior architectural features such as primary windows, tile or parapet elements.

Staff recommended approval of the exception to allow alteration of an opening on a primary façade because the fixtures to be altered are nonhistoric and the change enables required accessibility upgrades. The board approved the request on a roll‑call vote and noted that the applicant should consider installing a ramp at the new exit location, given its proximity to the planned accessible guest room.

The hotel’s owner said the change is necessary to complete a permit and return repaired rooms to service; the board’s vote allows the permitting work to proceed while preserving the building’s significant exterior elements.