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Board approves replacement doors at former Saint Francis motel with conditions on sidewalk carpeting
Summary
Owners of 195 South Broadway (former Saint Francis motel) received conditional approval to keep recently replaced doors and to either retain or remove roadside carpet; the board opposed replacing the front seating carpet with new carpet and recommended improvements to the front seating area instead.
Tonia Yesenchuk of Engineering America represented the owners of 195 South Broadway and reviewed a set of unpermitted changes made to the motel exterior, including replacement entry doors and carpeting on balconies and the roadside seating area. Staff and board members discussed historic appropriateness for door types and safety and aesthetic concerns about carpeting in public-facing spaces.
The board determined the roadside seating-area carpet should either remain as-is or be removed in its entirety (not replaced), and approved replacement of the exterior doors with the condition that the front seating/carpet area not be replaced with new carpet. Board members suggested refinishing concrete in the roadside seating zone or exploring a landscape-based treatment for the small front siting area. The motion to approve the doors with the stated conditions passed.
Board comments emphasized safety and appropriateness for the building’s 1950s–60s character: "It's always a shame when work gets done without approval," the Chair said, while others proposed mitigation such as white interior curtains or painting to reduce the visual impact of glazed door inserts visible from the street.
