Board finds 815 Montrose not architecturally significant, tables new-design review for revisions

The Bexley Architectural Review Board found on July 9 that the existing house at 815 Montrose is not historically or architecturally significant and therefore may be replaced, but the board voted to table the applicant’s proposed new design to allow revisions addressing scale and foundation issues.

Staff opened the item by asking the board to determine whether the existing house warranted preservation. Board members conducted a straw vote on historical/architectural significance and unanimously concluded the house did not meet the criteria for preservation, clearing the way to evaluate the replacement design.

Applicants Kristen Schulz and Albert Gallus described plans to reuse the existing foundation and to deliver a modern open-plan house. The contractor warned that reusing the foundation constrains interior levels and noted the foundation sets the first floor about 30 inches higher than neighboring houses.

Multiple board members praised the design concept but repeatedly flagged the building’s overall height and massing as out of scale with adjacent homes. Members recommended several potential remedies: lower the first-floor elevation (including by constructing a basement), reduce vaulted ceiling heights, soften roof pitch, or trim the building footprint to lessen apparent height. The board also requested clearer sections, sight-line studies and material samples before making a final recommendation.

Given those unresolved scale concerns, the board voted unanimously to table the design to the August 13 meeting so the applicant can revise drawings and supply additional technical detail.