Commission approves certificate of appropriateness for Harlem Rome Community Center front entry restoration

The preservation commission approved a certificate of appropriateness for the Harlem Rome Community Center front entry at its July 14 meeting after a presentation from the project's architect. Jeff Klesser, vice president and lead for architecture at Well Associates, said the project is "essentially restoring the doors completely," including stripping paint where feasible, restoring existing wood elements, using replacement hardware matched to existing finishes, and restoring trims and the transom window.

Commissioners asked for clarification about historic documentation and how the transom glass would be protected during work. Klesser said the drawings include a hardware schedule and specifications to guide field work, and that historic photographs and archived images were included in the project packet for reference. The transcript does not record detailed means-and-methods for protecting the glass; commissioners noted that such protections are typically addressed in the restoration specifications and submittals.

The chair called the vote after discussion; multiple members voiced assent and the item was recorded as approved in the meeting record. The transcript captures many voiced "Aye" responses but does not supply a clear roll-call tally in the record, so an exact numeric vote count is not specified here.