631 Spain St.

Description: Construction of a new 1,060 SF camelback addition at a Contributing rated one-story, two-family residential building, including construction of a new 184 SF side covered porch.

HDLC Design Guidelines: 

Section 12, Pages 14-19 of the Guidelines for New Construction, Additions and Demolition state that except for camelbacks, most residential additions expand the footprint of an existing building by constructing more space at the rear or side of an existing building. If appropriately designed, additions to existing buildings can provide increased space while maintaining the historic character of the original building and streetscape. In conformance with The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, an addition to a historic building should be subordinate to the historic building and read clearly as an addition. The subordinate appearance of an addition can be achieved through its scale, form, massing, materials, and details. Additions to existing properties should not obscure, damage, or destroy significant architectural material and should be compatible with the design of the property, as well as the neighborhood. Whenever possible, additions should be constructed in a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the existing building would be intact. When constructing additions to existing buildings, property owners are encouraged to consider the integrity of the existing building and its historic significance. Similar to the principles for new construction, additions should not duplicate historic building details, but should be visually compatible. The HDLC also requires:

• The preservation of the cohesive ambiance of historic buildings and neighborhoods with compatible, sympathetic construction.

• Compatible siting, proportion, scale, form, materials, fenestration, roof configuration, details and finishes at all additions.

• Construction of additions at secondary elevations wherever possible, subordinate to the historic building, and compatible with the design of the property and surrounding neighborhood.

• Construction of additions so that historic building fabric is not radically changed, obscured, damaged, or destroyed.

Previous ARC Recommendations: 

03/25/25: The ARC voted to recommend conceptual approval with the final details to be worked out at the Staff level. The ARC also agreed that:

• The change from a ground-floor addition at the left side to a new rear roof camelback addition successfully responds to the previous ARC recommendations and is appropriate for the existing historic building.

• The long row of transom windows shown at the left side is not appropriate and should be eliminated. The ARC noted that single transoms could be incorporated in a more isolated manner at this side but should align in header height with existing window openings and should not be located forward of the line of the new camelback addition. 

02/18/25: The ARC voted to defer the application for additional review. The ARC agreed that:

• The roof height of the left-side addition should be reduced so that it is below the current main building ridge, and so the addition appears more subordinate to the existing building.

• The proposed left-side addition appears too wide relative to the existing building to meet the HDLC Design Guidelines, particularly given how close the addition’s front elevation will be to the street. The width of the addition should be decreased to approximately 1 original bay width, rather than the 2 bays as shown, so the addition is more compatible with the existing building.

• The header height of the left-side addition porch window should be lowered to align with the header height of the adjacent door opening.

• The applicant should consider including box beams at the proposed new left and right-side porch additions. 

• Staff Recommendation: Approval

Context Photos:

Current Drawings:

Previous Drawings - 02/18/25:

Sanborn Maps:

HDLC Faubourg Marigny Historic Building Survey:

Street View: