Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Applicant seeks to restore six-over-six windows at downtown Franklin storefront
Summary
An applicant asked the DRC to restore historically documented six-over-six windows at 334 Main Street and to repair small eyebrow roofs with copper for durability; staff said photographic evidence supports restoration and commissioners urged detailed shop drawings and materials specs.
The Design Review Committee on April discussed a proposal to replace nonhistoric clear-pane windows at 334 Main Street with custom six-over-six divided-light windows and to repair small eyebrow roofs above storefronts.
The applicant said the existing clear-pane windows were installed in the 1990s and showed historic photographs supporting a six-over-six configuration; the restoration would return the storefront to the block’s prevailing window pattern. A staff member told the board the building is within the downtown National Register Historic District and that the application includes historic images and a restoration approach that aligns with the district guidelines.
Commissioner Brian praised the plan, saying he had ‘‘walked down that street waiting for the day this happens,’’ and commissioners asked for more detailed shop drawings and specifications. The applicant said the new windows would be true divided-light units made of African mahogany for longevity and with profiles matched to the historic moldings; they also proposed making the sashes fixed (nonoperable) while visually retaining an operable double-hung appearance.
On the eyebrow repairs, the applicant said copper was proposed primarily for durability and would be visible only from an upper-story vantage point; the applicant emphasized the change was to replace failing EPDM and painted metal coverings that were not original. Commissioners and staff asked for drawings showing the eyebrow extent and how the copper would terminate at adjacent sills.
The committee advised the applicant to supply section drawings and shop drawings for the custom windows, to confirm code/egress implications for nonoperable sash units, and to show the eyebrow detailing and materials on revised plans. The applicant said a two-man mill shop will fabricate the windows and estimated a contract cost in the neighborhood of $120,000 for the broader storefront work; making the windows operable, the applicant said, would add roughly $30,000–$40,000.
The DRC did not take a final vote at the DRC meeting; staff asked the applicant to submit millwork shop drawings, a window section showing rails/stiles, and eyebrow details for the Certificate of Appropriateness application.
The applicant is expected to return with the requested specifications before seeking final approval by the voting historic zoning commission.
