Manitou Machine Works owner presents ADA porch plan for 37 Main Street; HDRB raises concerns over scale and materials

Brian Tormey, owner of Manitou Machine Works, presented a workshop application Jan. 13 to the Historic District Review Board seeking approval for an ADA-accessible porch and a reconfigured double entrance along the Main Street façade of 37 Main Street in Cold Spring.

Board members noted that the property is within a nationally listed portion of the Historic District and that the board had approved windows and exterior lighting for the site in September 2025. The minutes record that the windows recently installed on the building do not match the windows previously approved. Tormey said the windows had been "ordered in error" and were installed temporarily for the winter; he told the board "these will be removed and the approved windows installed "soon"." The application materials also included drawings for an ADA-accessible deck at the rear façade that Tormey said he will submit as a separate, future application.

Members of the board raised concerns about the overall scale and materials proposed for the new porch and about the planned location of the ADA ramp. Several board members also expressed concern about the proposed treatment of the existing historic double doors at the west end of the Main Street façade. The minutes record discussion of alternative configurations, scale and materials; the board asked Tormey to explore revised designs and said he should return for a second workshop based on that feedback.

The board tentatively scheduled a follow-up workshop on the proposal for the regular monthly meeting in February. No formal vote on the proposal was recorded in the minutes; the matter remains under review pending revised plans from the applicant.