700-704 Touro St.

Description: Renovation and new construction of a 816 SF rear camelback addition at a Contributing rated, one-story, two-family residential building. 

HDLC Design Guidelines & Staff Recommendation: 

Section 12, Page 14-19 of the Guidelines for New Construction, Additions, and Demolition states that, 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. With regard to scale (height and width), additions to existing buildings should generally be smaller than the original building with similar floor-to-floor and first floor heights.  It is generally appropriate to:

• Construct an addition that is smaller or similar in scale to the existing building or those on adjacent sites.

• Construct an addition that is larger than adjacent buildings by breaking the building mass, dividing its height or width to conform with adjacent buildings.

• Construct taller masses of the buildings away from the street and adjacent buildings, such as camelbacks.

• Staff Recommendation: Approval

Previous ARC Recommendations: 

11/18/25: 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 roof pitch of the addition should be increased to align with the originally proposed design.

• There should be a clearer material contrast between the new addition and the existing building. The applicant should explore alternative cladding options with a more contemporary appearance and detailing, such as vertically oriented metal siding or tongue-and-groove shiplap. 

10/21/25: The ARC voted to defer the application for additional review. The ARC also agreed that:

• There was some concern about precedent and whether the proposed form of the addition is appropriate for the existing historic building and context. The addition was noted as potentially acceptable given that it clearly reads visually as a new addition that could be removed without substantially impacting the appearance and integrity of the existing building. 

  • • The ARC requested 3D eye-level render views be provided for the next review from points along Touro, Royal, and Kerlerec Streets to better evaluate the visibility of the addition.

• Dimensioned floor plans should also be provided for the next review, including setbacks.

• The proposed roof and siding materials should be more clearly indicated.

• The HVAC equipment proposed at the roof between the new 2nd floor addition massings should be more clearly indicated to evaluate visibility.

• The height of the ridge should be lowered slightly so the addition roof pitch can be lowered so it better relates to the existing roof slope and to further reduce its overall visibility.

Context Photos:

From Touro & Royal Streets:

From Kerlerec Street:

Current Drawings:

Previous Drawings - 10/21/25:

HDLC Faubourg Marigny Historic Building Survey:

Street View: