Council approves structural stabilization for Standard Marine building, limits window replacements

The Historic District Council on Sept. 18 voted to approve an amendment to the 2022 adaptive‑reuse plan for the Standard Marine building at 101 North Second Street, authorizing structural work aimed at saving the building’s shell.

Planner Mia Sather told the board staff supported a focused stabilization project that would install a new roof, add an interior structural steel frame and repair the exterior finish. She said the application proposed replacing all windows but recommended the board require adherence to a professional window survey that identifies which windows truly need full replacement.

Jose Miranda of Miranda Architects, the applicant’s architect, described a building with “at least six holes in the roof” and a partially collapsed second floor that requires a new steel skeleton to tie the old brick walls to a supporting frame. “We’re trying to stop any further deterioration,” Miranda said, adding the design team will produce construction drawings that specify, window‑by‑window, whether a unit is to be repaired or replaced.

Board members pressed for clarity on which windows qualify for replacement and recommended a condition requiring staff to receive detailed elevations and floor plans that call out each window’s treatment. A motion to approve the case with those conditions passed by roll call.

The approval includes a requirement that the applicant follow the findings of the independent window survey when permits are issued and that final construction drawings specify which units are repaired and which are replaced. The council recorded thanks to the design team for addressing a prominent downtown landmark and emphasized the need to move quickly to prevent further weather damage.