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Design Review Board

Level 1: Minor alteration of an existing building/structure
Level 1: Sign

4-E-22-DT

Exterior rehabilitation for new hotel tenant. Exterior rehabilitation scopes include staining the existing red brick masonry to an opaque white color, repair and repainting to the horizontal concrete fin elements, and removal of the existing curved recessed storefront system. The storefront will be replaced with an operable Nanawall storefront system on the south elevation, which will be recessed behind a new glass railing. On the east elevation, some openings will be infilled with masonry on upper levels. An accessible entrance will be installed with a new flat-roof canopy, and an exterior egress stair will access the second story.

The application also includes new signs. On the Walnut Street elevation, one illuminated wall sign measuring 9'-3.75" wide by 11' tall is located on the right side brick masonry section towards the roofline. A second illuminated wall sign is located between the second and third stories, measuring 23'-5.5" wide by 3'-1" tall. On Church Avenue, another illuminated wall sign measuring 9'-3.75" wide by 11' tall is located between the second and third stories.

Location
706 Walnut St.
Applicant Request
Exterior rehabilitation for new hotel tenant. Exterior rehabilitation scopes include staining the existing red brick masonry to an opaque white color, repair and repainting to the horizontal concrete fin elements, and removal of the existing curved recessed storefront system. The storefront will be replaced with an operable Nanawall storefront system on the south elevation, which will be recessed behind a new glass railing. On the east elevation, some openings will be infilled with masonry on upper levels. An accessible entrance will be installed with a new flat-roof canopy, and an exterior egress stair will access the second story.

The application also includes new signs. On the Walnut Street elevation, one illuminated wall sign measuring 9'-3.75" wide by 11' tall is located on the right side brick masonry section towards the roofline. A second illuminated wall sign is located between the second and third stories, measuring 23'-5.5" wide by 3'-1" tall. On Church Avenue, another illuminated wall sign measuring 9'-3.75" wide by 11' tall is located between the second and third stories.
Staff Comments
Overall, the proposal meets the design guidelines. The new storefront maintains transparency and pedestrian interest on the ground level. The character-defining features of the building (horizontal fins on upper stories) will be repaired and retained. While the proposed signs are somewhat larger in scale, they are proportionate to the building and the wall surfaces where they will be placed. Typically, guidelines and preservation standards discourage painting or staining historic masonry that has not been painted. The Walnut Building is a midcentury structure, clad in a modern masonry veneer which is most likely more compatible with contemporary exterior paints than porous historic bricks. Minor modifications to the accessible entrance (including an additional small sign indicating its location) may be necessary to meet City standards, which can be addressed in permitting.
Applicant

Patel / Elevate Architecture Studio

Planning Staff
Lindsay Lanois
Phone: 865-215-3795
Email: lindsay.lanois@knoxplanning.org
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Case History