1241 N Rampart St.

Description: New construction of a 15,050 SF, three-story, multi-unit commercial building on a vacant lot.

Previous ARC Recommendations:

03/19/24:

• The proportions of the building at the primary façade feel diminutive compared to the other buildings nearby on N. Rampart.

• The 3rd floor setback should come in from the edge on Barracks to respond to the scale of the residential buildings on that block.

• The ground floor in relation to the buildings on either side on N. Rampart seems too small in scale—the other buildings have a more pronounced first floor. 

• The windows at the ground floor should be larger to help relate better to the neighboring buildings.

• Something more contextual would be preferred for the garage door on Barracks.  The applicant should work with the Staff to find something more suitable.

• The design should be reworked to be more sympathetic to the surrounding buildings’ materials, fenestrations, and scale.

• There should be more articulation on the primary façade.  Perhaps a better material could be helpful.  The primary façade reads as very repetitive and becomes a blank slate aesthetically.

02/20/24:

• The 3rd floor should step back further to reduce visibility from the street.

• The overhang over the 3rd floor is too heavy.  Selective overhangs, where needed, placed in a more delicate way would better lend to the overall building massing.

• The carriage entryway is too out of set.  It should not read as a tower, but as a regular carriageway opening in the building without wing walls to the sides.  It should not be articulated separately from the rest of the building. 

• It is unfortunate that the building is built on the property line, disallowing windows to be included on the left side elevation.  Something to consider.

• The drawing set shows the windows with shutters in the open position.  It would be helpful to be able to see the windows represented differently in the set to better understand their detailing.

• The windows look too short—the neighboring buildings’ windows are more rectilinear.  The windows should be larger and more rectangular.  Look to windows in other buildings in the vicinity as examples.

• The context drawings should include the Colonial Furniture building. 

• A perspective view from eyelevel on Barracks St. that includes the Creole cottage is needed to better understand the relationship of the new construction to the residential buildings nearby.

• The header height of the windows on both first and second floors needs to be raised. 

• Show where the stucco joint lines will be located as they will have a visual impact on the overall design. This will also help break up some of the flatness of the exterior walls. 

Context Photos:

Current Drawings:

Previous Drawings - 03/19/24:

Previous Drawings - 02/20/24:

Street View: