4115 Royal Street

Staff Recommendations:

4115 Royal Street is a frame single-shotgun residential building constructed in ca. 1920. The building retains several Victorian-era details including its front façade brackets, front-facing gable trim, and decorative quoins. In August 2022 an HDLC Certificate of Appropriateness (CofA) was issued to replace the existing gable on hip shingle roof with shingles to match in-kind. However, a Stop Work order was posted at the building later that month for work beyond the approved scope (violation #22-05314).

The Stop Work included the removal of existing wood windows and installation of inappropriate vinyl windows, the removal of gutters and downspouts, the removal of vinyl siding, the reframing of an existing side entry doorway, the installation of a metal railing, and the removal of metal awnings. Several items including the railing, siding removal, and awning removal are approvable at the Staff level and are not part of the retention request. The applicant is seeking retention of the inappropriate windows, gutters and downspouts, and the work at the side entry.

Existing windows at 4115 Royal appear to be a combination of six over six and four over four wood windows. Likely original to the building, these windows were unfortunately replaced with flush-mounted vinyl windows with uneven sashes and grilles in between the glass. A total of seven (7) windows were replaced without HDLC review and/or approval. Per the HDLC guidelines, existing wood windows can be replaced at side elevations with aluminum clad or vinyl windows. Typically, it is unlikely that replacement vinyl windows match existing wood windows in size, dimension, and detailing. Therefore, side elevation wood windows are usually replaced with aluminum clad windows. In this case, replacement vinyl windows do not meet any of the HDLC requirements for wood window replacement. In addition, the windows are visible from the public right of way. Due to the visibility and overall inappropriateness, Staff recommends denial of the retention request.

Gutters and downspouts are integral to the removal of water away from the property. Properties in HDLC full control historic districts are regularly cited for Demolition by Neglect when they do not have gutters and downspouts. Staff recommends denial of the removal of gutters and downspouts and requests that they be reinstalled.

Based on previous images of the side entry at the left-side elevation, it appears that the header height of the door was reduced to accommodate a new, smaller door. Restructuring at the header of the door was not reviewed and/or approved by the HDLC. The previous side entry door did not have a transom, and the header of the door did not align with window headers. The door is minimally visible at this location and not original to the building. Staff recommends approval of the retention of the changes at this location.