538-540 Philip St

Staff Recommendations:

The residential building previously had two masonry chimneys; the rear chimney was approved for removal at the August 3, 2022 Commission meeting. An HDLC CofA was issued on October 27, for shingle replacement and removal of the rear chimney. On December 14, the owner contacted the HDLC to inform that the chimney at the front collapsed while the roof repairs and removal of the rear chimney work was being done. No photos of the collapsed chimney were submitted by the owner or roofer. As the chimney has already been removed, and cannot be reconstructed, Staff recommends the retention be granted. Staff would like to note that chimneys are an important architectural feature of historic homes and would recommend to any roofers doing work on historic buildings to be overly cautious when working with and around chimneys, so that we do not continue to lose this important historic fabric.