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Winchester BAR approves a string of exterior changes, requires half‑round gutters for one historic house
Summary
At a lengthy meeting, the Board of Architectural Review approved multiple certificates of appropriateness for windows, siding, railings, doors, porches and a historic plaque; the board also directed that gutters at one 1890 house be half-round and let administrators approve materials.
The Winchester Board of Architectural Review approved a package of exterior-change requests covering window replacements, siding and paint, accessibility railings, a historic plaque, porch decking, garage doors, and a modified gutter approval for a prominent 1890 house.
Early in the meeting a resident asked the board to allow non-wood-looking materials on homes built in 2015, saying the houses are not historic and exterior changes would be minimal. “If you were across the street, I don’t think you would be able to tell there was an external change at all,” the resident said.
The board approved several individual applications by voice vote: BAR25-282 (311 South Washington Street) for window replacement with wood on the front and fiberglass-clad windows on sides and rear; BAR25-302 (448 North Loudoun Street) as amended to require the front elevation and the first-floor north-side window be all wood while allowing clad windows in gables and rear elevations; BAR25-306 (453 North Braddock Street) to add wrought-iron railings to help an elderly resident with mobility needs; BAR25-308 (133 West Moscow) for mixed-use conversion and front wood casement windows; BAR25-309 (302 South Loudoun Street) to replace doors and add panic bars at a YDC building; BAR25-310 (218 South Washington Street) to issue a historic-building plaque; BAR25-319 (6 East Leechester Street) to allow Trex tongue-and-groove porch decking and Hardie trim; and BAR25-300 (703 South Loudoun Street) to replace garage doors on a commercial structure with steel doors.
On gutters at 202 South Washington Street (BAR25-311), the owner proposed K-style bronze gutters for an 1890 house after reporting leaks and foundation concerns. Board members debated historical appropriateness and water-handling capacity; the board voted to grant a modified approval requiring half‑round gutters and authorized city administrators to approve the material selection.
Several applicants and neighbors described practical constraints and trade-offs: one owner said K-style gutters were recommended by roofers for water capture, while staff and other members argued half‑round gutters better match the house’s character. The motion that passed stated: “the property may install gutters, but that they need to be half rounds,” with administrative approval of material.
Most approvals were handled as consent or amended approvals with brief discussion and no roll-call tallies recorded; the board flagged a future guideline review (including windows and plaque language) and scheduled a nonpublic mural-discussion session for December.
