518 Verret St.

Staff Recommendations: 

Constructed in ca. 1920, 518 Verret Street is a two-story, raised basement frame building with a stuccoed front porch. Originally, the building was occupied at the ground level by a business with residential space above. Currently, the building serves as a two-family residential building. 

A non-structural renovation application (permit #23-19244) was submitted as an "After-the-fact" application for work that had already been completed. Interior improvements comprised most of the work, but several alterations at the exterior took place. The applicant is seeking NO Commission approval of retention of the removal of existing English-V style ridge tiles and the removal of existing doors and the installation of inappropriate doors and sidelites at the ground level entry. The applicant is petitioning the NO Commission because the work in question did not occur under their ownership. 

It appears that existing English-V style ridge tiles were removed between September 2021 and February 2022 when the roof was replaced. Per the HDLC-guidelines, decorative ridge tiles add to the character of the roof and should be salvaged and reinstalled during roof replacement work. Because the work was completed without HDLC review or approval, the ridge tiles were not reinstalled upon completion. Although Staff cannot recommend approval, Staff leaves the decision at the discretion of the Commission. 

Between August 2016 and December 2018,  existing ground level doors facing Verret Street were removed and replaced with an inappropriate half-round window door and sidelites. This scope of work was completed without HDLC review or approval. The HDLC guidelines  prohibit half-round window doors where they did not exist before. The installation of the sidelites add to the overall prefabricated unit aesthetic that is inappropriate in HDLC districts. Staff recommends denial of the door and sidelites and that the applicant work with Staff to install an appropriate door(s) at that location.