Historic Zoning Commission
Fourth and Gill H-1: Level III
3-G-20-HZ
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of the work as proposed, with the following conditions:
1) Additional architectural element to be added to the right (south) elevation (projecting bay, a chimney, etc) to break up the boxlike form and add visual interest;
2) Rear elevation alternate roofline be selected, with a redesigned left (north) elevation submitted to staff for approval.
Location Knoxville
820 N. 3rd Ave. 37917
Lot 17
OwnerSmithCo Properties, LLC
Applicant Request
Level III. Construction of new primary building
Windows; Other: New constructionProposed single-family residence fronting N. 3rd Avenue. House's façade will face west, creating a new development pattern fronting N. 3rd Avenue. The two-story house is 32' wide by 35' long and features a 27' floor to roof-peak height and a 2' tall raised brick foundation. The house features a cross-gable roof; the front-gable roof massing on the façade has a 10/12 roof slope and the side-gable roof massing has an 7/12 roof slope.
The house will rest on a brick foundation. The exterior siding will be HardiePlank lap siding with a 5" exposure and 4" Hardie corner boards. House features 14" eave overhangs, 6" wood fascia board, and 8" Hardie trim under the gable eaves.
A shed-gable roof porch projects from the left half of the façade. The porch is 8' deep and 15'-6" wide and supported by 6" square wood columns with a simple cap and base, and a balustrade of 2" by 2" by 36" tall wood balusters. A gable-roof entry stoop projects from the north elevation, with a 36" deep entry stoop. A recessed corner porch is located on the south corner of the house, supported by square wood columns, with a 36" tall wood balustrade to match the front porch.
Window sizes vary. The façade features two stories of one-over-one, double-hung wood windows on the left side (front-gable massing), paired one-over-one, double-hung wood windows on the first-story porch, and a single one-over-one, double-hung wood window on the second-story. Windows are proposed as Pella double-hung wood windows. The front entry is proposed as a 3/4-light fiberglass door, and the side entry is an eight-panel fiberglass door.
CONDITIONS approved at 8/20/2020 meeting: 1) the applicant seek, and receive, a variance from the BZA to set the proposed house further towards the rear property line (internet sound wall), reducing the rear setback from 25' to 10' and 2) the applicant select the rear elevation presented as the second option to the HZC, with a one-story gable-roof
Staff Comments
N/AVacant lot after houses were demolished during and after the construction of I-40 in place of N. 3rd Avenue. Houses on these lots were originally oriented towards the east, fronting N. 3rd Avenue.
Roofs
1. The shape and pitch of roofs on new construction should imitate the shape and pitch of roofs on neighboring existing houses or other houses of the same architectural style.
2. The eaves on additions or new buildings should have an overhang that mimics [...] the existing buildings near the property. A minimum eave overhang of at least eight inches should be used on new construction. Fascia boards should be included on the gables.
3. Repair or replace roof details (chimneys, roof cresting, finials, attic vent windows, molding, and other unique roof features). Use some of these details in designing new buildings.
4. Materials used in new construction should duplicate the original roofing materials if possible. Asphalt shingles can be appropriate [...] and the color should be a dark green, charcoal gray, black or dark reddish brown to simulate the original roof colors.
Porches
3. New front porches in Fourth and Gill must be large enough to provide seating, ie. six to eight feet in depth.
4. In new construction, the proportion of the porches to the front facades should be consistent with the historic porches in the neighborhood. Details such as columns, posts, piers, balustrades, and porch flooring must use materials that present a visually and physically appropriate appearance historically.
6. Screening porches may be acceptable if screening is translucent and the open appearance of the porch is maintained.
Entrances
Historic characteristics: The doors originally used on Fourth and Gill houses were wooden, often with beveled glass or stained glass inserts. Screen doors were commonly used.
1. Entry features that should be preserved include sidelights and transoms of plain, patterned, beveled or stained glass, fan light windows, entablatures and the original doors.
3. Service (rear or side) entrances should not be altered to make them appear to be formal entrances by adding paneled doors, fanlights, or sidelights.
4. Secondary entrances should be compatible with the originals in size, scale, or materials but should not give the appearance of a primary entrance.
Wall Coverings
3. New construction should use wood materials rather than aluminum or vinyl siding. New buildings should also use corner and trim boards and appropriate window and door trim. Concrete composition planks may be appropriate for new construction.
Infill Buildings
New buildings should be contemporary in spirit. They should not be imitations of the past; rather they should respond to the present time, the environment, and the use for which they are intended. New buildings constructed in historic areas should, however, be compatible with older structures and sensitive to the patterns already in their environment.
The materials that cover its exterior surface largely determine the appearance of a building. Similar materials develop a certain continuity and character. A building should not be visually incompatible or destroy historic relationships within the neighborhood. At the same time, new construction should not imitate historic style or period of architecture.
Width of Houses and Lots
1. Maintain the historic façade lines of streetscapes by locating the front walls of new buildings in the same place as the facades of adjacent buildings. A new building should continue and reinforce the alignment established by its neighbors. Never violate the existing setback pattern by placing new buildings in front of or behind the historic façade line.
2. Avoid placing buildings at odd angles to the street.
Scale and Massing
1. Relate the size and proportions of new structures to the scale of adjacent buildings.
2. Break up uninteresting boxlike forms into smaller, varied masses like those of most buildings from the historic period. Variety of form and massing are essential to the character of the streetscape.
3. New buildings should be designed with a mix of wall areas with door and window elements in the façade like those found on the neighborhood's historic houses. Also consider the width-to-height ratio of bays in the façade. The placement of openings with respect to the façade's overall composition, symmetry, or balanced asymmetry should be carefully imitated.
4. Relate the vertical, horizontal, or nondirectional façade character of new buildings to the predominant directional alignment of nearby buildings. A new building should continue and reinforce the alignment established by its neighbors.
5. Relate the roof forms of the new buildings to those found in the area. Duplication of the existing or raditional roof shapes, pitches, and materials on new construction is one way of making new structures more visually compatible.
Height of Foundations and Stories
Historic houses in the Fourth and Gill Historic District are not built on slab foundations. They are built on raised foundations, usually of masonry. The color and texture of these brick, stone or stuccoed foundations adds richness to the neighborhood. The height of each story is enough to allow for interior ceilings that are more than eight feet tall. If infill housing is constructed, it should suggest the overall height, as well as the foundation and story height, of adjacent historical houses.
1. As a general rule, construct new buildings to equal the average height of existing buildings on the street.
2. Raised foundations, or the appearance of raised foundations, must be designed for any new housing constructed in Fourth and Gill. The height of the foundation should replicate those of adjoining buildings.
3. If building new structures, the eave lines should conform to those of adjacent properties. Divisions between stories should either be omitted, or should mimic neighborhood buildings
Materials
1. The materials used for new buildings should be consistent with existing historic building materials along the street.
Features
1. Always design front facades with a strong sense of entry. Strongly emphasized side entries, or entries not defined by a porch or similar transitional element, result in an incompatible flat first-floor façade.
2. Avoid replicating or imitating the styles, motifs, or details of older periods. Such attempts can present a confusing picture of the true character of the historical area
