5129 Chestnut St.

District: Uptown - Partial Control

Owner: Thomas Shlosman

HDLC Staff: Jesse Stephenson

Rating: Significant

Applicant: Brooks Graham

Description: Demolition of more than 50% of the roof of a Significant rated, two-story, single-family residential building.

HDLC Guidelines:

Section 12, Pages 23-24 of the Guidelines for New Construction, Additions and Demolition, state that the demolition of all or portions of historic resources within a local Historic District or Landmark site are considered drastic actions since they alter the character of the area. Once historic resources or buildings that contribute to the heritage of the community are destroyed, it is generally impossible to reproduce their design, texture, materials, details and their special character and interest in the neighborhood. As a result, the HDLC rarely considers the demolition of Significant or Contributing buildings or structures within a local Historic District or on a Landmark site to be an appropriate option.

Staff Recommendations:

Based on FEMA research 5129 Chestnut street was constructed from 1870-1880 however it does not show up on Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps until 1909. The center hall was comprised of a single story building with a rear service wing with a side porch and several accessory buildings. Sometime before 1951 the rear porch was enclosed and the accessory buildings were modified, as evidenced by the 1951 revised 1909 Fire Insurance Map.

The 1983 and 1994 Sanborn Maps show that the building footprint remained the same. However, a second floor rear addition at the Dufossat side of the rear service wing was added, encapsulating a portion of the rear of the building at some time prior to the beginning of this century.

The rear service wing side elevation does not maintain the original character like the primary façade and have been heavily altered. This building's roof demolition calculation is 48.6% which is under the HDLC threshold of 50%. However, do to the Significant Rating of the building, Staff requested this item be heard in the event a small percentage of further demolition is required do to unforeseen conditions during construction. The HDLC Staff has no objection to the request of partial demolition of the possibility more than 50% of the roof structure with the primary facade and structure to remain intact. Staff will work closely with applicant for unforeseen conditions and changes to scope.