3807 Perrier St

District: Uptown - Partial Control

Owner: Justin Napoli

Rating: Contributing

Applicant: Loretta Harmon

Description: Demolition of more than 25% of the primary façade of a Contributing 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:

FEMA survey and Sanborn map research indicates the building was likely constructed between 1880 and 1890. It first appears on the 1893 Sanborn map as a two-story rear dependency associated with the larger corner property at 3801 Perrier Street. While the building appears to have been modified over the years, including the enclosure of the second-floor open balcony, it appears to have largely retained its original type, style, scale, massing, foot print and roof form to this day.

The applicant initially proposed removing or altering approximately 57.2% of the primary façade to reorganize the door and window openings and to install new bay windows at the first and second floors. The Commission noted that the proposed bay windows appear inconsistent with the age, type and style of the existing historic building and their installation is not supported by evidence of this as a previously existing condition. Following the previous meeting, the applicant worked with HDLC Staff and submitted a revised proposal that eliminates the bay windows and reduces the overall amount of demolition to approximately 29.5% of the primary façade. While the proposed amount of façade demolition is still rather substantial, the overall proposed modifications in door and window openings appear to be more consistent and compatible with the existing historic building and the surrounding historic context. Based on this, Staff has no objection to the proposed façade demolition.

Staff Recommendation: No Objection

Previous Commission Actions:

10/04/2022: The Commission voted to defer action on this application until the next Commission meeting so that the owner can attend the meeting and so the applicant can consider alternative proposals which maintain more of the existing historic building fabric at the primary façade.