639 Desire St.

Staff Recommendations: 

Located at the corner of Desire and Royal streets, 639 Desire Street is a ca. 1855 center hall frame residential building surmounted by a hipped roof with dormers. The building received several unsympathetic alterations over time including an enclosed front porch. The main building is flanked at the rear by a two-room accessory building with several diminutive additions. Overall, both buildings maintain their original shape and form, creating a readable mid-nineteenth-century residential landscape. 

In August 2022, an HDLC Certificate of Appropriateness (CofA) was issued (permit #22-16051) for the structural renovation an installation of additional dormers at the building. The approved renovation work involved reconstructing the enclosed front façade of the building, returning the building to a more historically appropriate iteration. A final inspection for the building was completed on February 19, 2024. The inspection reveled a minor deviation at the right-side elevation. Two (2) new fixed windows at this elevation were installed at header heights not matching one (1) existing double-hung 6/6 window and one (1) new double-hung 1/1 window. The applicant is seeking retention of the as installed condition because of the corresponding interior program of a bathroom and stair at these locations. 

For many years, the right side elevation of 639 Desire Street shared a wall with an adjacent CMU warehouse building. In the recent past, the deteriorated nature of both buildings created a situation in which the right-side elevation was void of its original openings and in a constant state of disrepair. The new openings at the right side elevation were completed to provide a more residential appearance. Overall, the fixed windows are not visually prominent and are part of a largely reconstructed right-side elevation. For the reasons noted, Staff has no objection to the retention of the windows as installed.