Board approves window replacements at significant Old Santa Fe Trail house, urges in‑kind replication for primary facades

The Historic Districts Review Board approved an exception to allow replacement of a subset of windows at 801 Old Santa Fe Trail (case 2026011768) after a technical debate over repairability and preservation standards.

Owner Janet Sanders told the board the home’s single‑pane, uninsulated windows make the house difficult to heat and live in, and said the proposed replacements were intended to match the historic appearance while improving insulation. The owner said the project followed a professional window assessment.

Board member and window specialist Amber Cherry (member Cherry) reviewed the field observations and the assessor’s report and identified several windows with frames or sashes in poor condition that likely required replacement. Cherry and other members stressed the difference between inserting a factory window unit into an historic frame and fabricating in‑kind wood sashes and frames to replicate original profiles. Cherry said replacement in‑kind—remaking sashes and keep­ing historic frames where possible—preserves the façade’s visual integrity.

After extended debate, the board approved the staff recommendation to allow replacement where the window assessment found sashes or sashes-plus‑frames nonrepairable, but explicitly instructed staff and the applicant that primary‑facade windows should be replicated in‑kind (matching materials, dimensions and profiles) where practicable. The board also instructed staff to document the approved approach so that future permit reviews follow the same standard on significant structures.

The owner said she would work with the board and staff to ensure the replacements meet the in‑kind requirement on primary facades while improving thermal performance for health and comfort.