Historic Zoning Commission
Ft. Sanders NC-1 (postponed from 2/21/2019 mtg): Level II
2-F-19-HZ
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends the following conditions for approval (added for March 21, 2019 HZC meeting):
1. After-the-fact approval and reconstruction of the unstable foundation on the main house as determined by City Building Inspections.
2. If the porch foundation is also required to be demolished by City Inspections due to the inability to correct structural deficiencies, it must be faced with the original brick and the porch brick pier supports must be retained. If the battered posts require replacing due to rot, they must replicate the originals.
3. The demolished walls on the east and west sides are to be reconstructed with the condition that the window openings match the original size and locations including the replication of the original set of twin windows on the west side. The original fascia and corner trim is to be replicated.
4. The rear addition is recommended to be demolished since it is not historically appropriate, but may be rehabilitated as proposed if pemitted by City Building Inspections with approval of the door and window specifications to be approved by staff. The shutters for the faux windows shall be louvered and placed within window framing and have hinged hardware, although they are not required to be operable.
5. Only one square casement window of the minimal dimension required for egress may be installed in the basement of the east side projecting bay facing 16th Street.
6. The proposed gabled stoop may only be placed only over the door in the rear addition, not on the side door of the main house basement façade on 16th Street.
7. The window opening on the east side must be located as closely to the middle of this wall section as possible in order to replicate the original placement.
7. The ground level must be restored at least as high along the east and west facades as shown in the sumitted and approved elevation drawings.
Location Knoxville
1601 Forest Ave 37916
OwnerEvian Partners - Robert and John Holmes Robert and John Holmes
Applicant Request
Level II. Demolition and reconstruction of addition
Additions; WindowsWindows: Windows installed within new walls and openings will be with vinyl 1/1 windows with no muntins. Windows will be recessed with angled sills.
Siding: Old vinyl siding to be replaced with Hardy siding in 5-inch exposure, smooth (not larger wood-grain).
Front Porch: Rebuild the front porch structure as it is not structurally sound with new tongue and groove wood flooring.
Columns: The existing Craftsman columns have been determined to have been built later after the original house and the proper style would be a Victorian porch. The existing columns are poorly built as well, they are falling apart, leaning, and are different sizes. We propose removing the 3 brick columns on front porch and replacing with 6x6 turned posts. There would be 5 full posts and 2 half posts. The foundation also has structural issues and will probably need to be rebuilt. The original brick would be re-used and rebuilt with cinder block wall behind it to support the porch.
Foundation: Foundation of the house was structurally unsound and has been replaced per City Codes requirements. The brick foundation on East side,16th Street, was only 3-4 ft above old ground line per photos. Brick foundation on West side (mostly hidden) was only 2-3 ft. Only al 6-12-inch brick foundation was under rear addition (proposed to be rebuilt). The new foundation is cinder block with a stucco finish. This work has already been completed and approved after-the-fact by City Development Services. All the foundations have been replaced except for the addition and the front porch. The old brick from the foundation is not salvageable in sufficient quantities for re-use. There is enough to rebuild the front porch foundation.
Rear Addition: The rear addition of the house as indicated on the attached survey is in poor structural shape and will need to be largely restored, it is intended to be restored exactly as it was built. A section to the back left as indicated in red on the survey has been removed as it was structurally unsound and is pending reconstruction. The building department has determined that it may be rebuilt, but the bump out must be in line with the existing house bump out, pending COA approval. This is indicated by the blue line on the survey (This is an approximately 6" reduction in the East side dimension). There is a 2-3 inch encroachment along the rear wall that will require re-constructing so that it is not built over the property line.
Staff Comments
Queen Anne ( c. 1903) with Craftsman porchOne-and-1/2- story with pyramid hipped roof and lower front and side cross gables. Later-added full façade porch with three battered columns on battered brick piers. Canted bay window on south side. Alumimun siding. Non-contributing (ca. 1940-50s) two-story frame addition on rear projecting toward Sixteenth Street.
A. HEIGHT, SCALE AND MASSING
1. Foundation heights should be consistent with other pre-1940 buildings in the neighborhood.
3. With redevelopment of two or more lots for apartment, offi ce, commercial or mixed use development, street-facing facades of new buildings or additions should be broken up with bays or porches that are consistent with the dimensions of historic buildings in the neighborhood.
D. WALL MATERIALS
5. In making additions to existing buildings, wall cladding should complement the original wall covering. Acceptable materials are clapboard, vinyl siding, cement fiber cement board, brick, and stucco.
E. WINDOWS
2. Windows should be double-hung sash windows. Vinyl or metal-clad windows may be used in place of wood frame windows.
5. Double-hung sash windows are recommended for two- to three-story new construction.
9. There should be at least 50% transparency, that is created by windows or french doors and balconies, on the recessed breaks between sections of buildings, including buildings joined together.
10. Entrances to the building should be provided from the street, using doors that have similar proportions and features to pre-1940 architecture.
J. DEMOLITION
1. PHYSICAL CONDITION: The HZC may allow demolition if a building has been condemned by the City of Knoxville for structural reasons, or if the HZC fInds that structural problems and associated costs to address the problems warrant demolition; the decision shall be based on an assessment by a licensed structural engineer or architect.
2. ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY: The HZC may allow demolition if the original design is so compromised that historic architectural integrity is lost and cannot, in the Commission's view, be reasonably re-established.
SECRETARY OF INTERIORS STANDARDS
1. A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
2. The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
3. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.
4. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
5. Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be preserved.
6. Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.
