1031 Annunciation St

Description: Restoration of existing warehouse facade and new construction of five-story commercial building.

Previous Commission Actions:

12/8/21: Defer action on the application so that the applicant can continue to work with the ARC on the design. The Commission expressed concerns that the new addition does not fit in contextually with the historic building and the neighborhood, in both the massing and the materials and treatment of the elevations.

ARC Recommendations:

2/15/22: The ARC recommended conceptual approval of the design as proposed with the final details to be worked out at the staff level. The ARC agreed that the shift in the upper floors was successful, as it doesn’t compromise the overall design intent but helps the new structure relate more to the adjacent two-story building.

1/18/22: The ARC voted to defer this item for additional review so the applicant can submit studies that explore shifting or breaking up the mass of the building. The ARC agreed that since they were specifically directed by the Commission in their deferral to restudy the massing of the new construction by the Commission, they wanted to review the in-house massing studies that were done to explore whether breaking up the overall volume would make the new building more contextual.

They still felt, however, that the corrugated metal cladding was appropriate and more successful than other new construction in the neighborhood. It has more variety and depth, whereas most new buildings tend to utilize planar materials that give the building an overall flatter appearance and less visual interest. The patterning of the metal panels is an opportunity to establish more of the solid-to-void relationship that is seen in the adjacent existing buildings. The ARC also agreed that the random field-applied method was preferable to the metered pattern and that the proposed lighter and warmer color scheme is an improvement over the cooler tones in the rendering. The second parklet option with the bench niches was also preferred.

11/16/21: The ARC recommended conceptual approval of the massing with the final details noted above to return to the ARC for additional review. The ARC felt that the massing changes were moving in the right direction, given the building’s use, but they wanted to see additional refinement of the following items:

• The details of the ribbed metal cladding

• The design of the pocket park – while the setback is successful, the design of the park needs to be further developed to be an amenity to the neighborhood.

• The change in material at the rear elevation that is adjacent to the market – the ARC did not want the exposed CMU to be visible from the street. The applicant should also consider how the transition between the two materials will occur. If possible, the metal paneling should extend to the ground.

10/19/21: The ARC voted to defer the application for further review. The ARC agreed that the conceptual design of the two-story section along Poeyfarre St. (section A in the diagram) was not successful, as it mimics the proportions and materials of the existing building but lacks the level of detail associated with a more traditional style. Since that portion already relates to the historic building in massing, it could be a completely different material and style; however, the linear metal siding and slit windows of the upper volume (B) would not be appropriate at the street level. It should still relate to the context in terms of proportions, rhythm of openings, and ratio of solid wall to glazing. A more exaggerated hyphen between the existing building and the addition would help to further differentiate the two sections.

Context Photos:

Current Drawings:

Previous ARC Reviews:

Third Review:

Second Review:

First Review:

Street View: