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Home My WebLink About20180057 2018.007 CuomoRoof_ 121 Caroline Street_SSPFLtr_2-6-18Sarato,1 Springs Preservation Foundation FOR` PRESERVATION FOROYEARS Board of Directors Matthew E. Veitch President James Gold Vice President Linda Harvey-Opiteck Treasurer Alicia Czwerwinski Secretary Caroline Cardone Cynthia Corbett Brennan Drake Adam N. Favro Liz Israel Samantha Kercull Douglas Kerr Richard King Michelle Paquette-Deuel Cindy Spence Bill Willard James Kettlewell emeritus Samantha Bosshart Executive Director 112 Spring Street, Suite 203 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 518-587-5030 February 6, 2018 Mr. Steve Rowland, Chair Design Review Commission City Hall 474 Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 RE: 121 Caroline Street — Addition and Exterior Alterations Dear Steve: The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation reviewed the application for an addition and exterior alterations at 121 Caroline Street. The Gothic Revival style residence, circa 1845, is a contributing building to the East Side Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Below are the relevant sections of the Historic Review Ordinance and Historic District Design Guidelines when reviewing this application. Per the Historic Review Standards: A. Preserve rather than remove Distinguishing original features of a structure or site are essential to the historic quality and character of that site. Distinguishing original qualities or character of a structure, site and/or its environment shall be preserved and protected to the maximum extent possible. Destruction or alteration of any historic material or distinctive architectural features should be avoided. B. Repair rather than replace Distinctive architectural features that characterize a structure or site shall be repaired rather than replaced whenever possible. If replacement is necessary, the replacement materials should match the original in composition, design, texture and other visual qualities. D. Recognize the significance of historical time periods Structures and sites should be recognized and preserved as products of specific historical period(s). Changes that occurred over time are evidence of the history and development of a structure and site and may have acquired historical significance in their own right. E. Compatible contemporary design may be encouraged Contemporary design for alterations and additions to existing properties may be encouraged provided it does not destroy significant historical, architectural, or cultural material and is compatible with the size, scale, color, material, and character of the site or surrounding neighborhood. Incompatible alterations shall be discouraged. Design Considerations H. New Construction and Additions New construction and additions should be undertaken such that their removal will not impair the original historic form and integrity of the structure and site. I. Treatment of Major Building Elements 2. Windows. Existing historic windows and window openings shall be retained and rehabilitated whenever possible. Restoration of historic openings is encouraged where previously altered. 3. Roofs. Features that a give a roof its essential historic and architectural character shall be retained and rehabilitated whenever possible. Per the Historic District Design Guidelines for New Construction: ADDITIONS • Building additions should not look as though they are original to the historic building. They should be distinct from, and identifiable, as an addition to the historic structure. Stepping down the roof line or stepping back from the primary facade may achieve this. • An addition should be smaller in scale than the original building so that it does not overshadow the existing building. It should complement the original building's roof form, massing, floor heights, proportion and window and door fenestration. • An addition should be located where it is least visible and designed to minimally affect the perception of the original structure. • Additions should not obscure, damage or destroy the character -defining features of the primary building or streetscape. • Additions should be constructed so that, if removed in the future, the historic integrity of the building or its materials would not be irreparably damaged. • Materials and details should be similar to, or complement, the primary structure. Per the Historic District Design Guidelines for Roofs: ROOFS • The original size, shape and pitch of the roof should be maintained. • Altering the roofline should be avoided if it redefines the architectural style of the structure. Per the Historic Design Guidelines for Windows and Doors: WINDOWS • Maintain original trim details and the original configuration, size, shape and proportion of windows. • Original window size and location should be preserved. Do not replace units that alter the original size of the window opening or trim detail. • Replacement windows should match the existing in material and design and should be based on historic evidence. Per the Historic Design Guidelines for Exterior Claddings: WOOD CLADDING • Every effort should be made to preserve original, historic exterior cladding. • If exterior cladding is so deteriorated or damaged that it cannot be preserved, new cladding should be replaced in-kind and match the original or historic cladding in design, texture, and other visual qualities. • The installation of vinyl or metal siding materials over historic cladding, or the replacement of historic materials with vinyl or metal, is not an appropriate preservation treatment and is strongly discouraged. • When there are no alternatives to preserving the original cladding and a synthetic material must be used, the following considerations shall apply: • The use of synthetic materials should only be installed without irreversibly damaging or obscuring the architectural features and trim. • Fake wood grains are inappropriate and strongly discouraged; exaggerated wood grains would have been undesirable on real wood siding. • The width of the new siding should match the original as closely as possible. • The use of visible "J Channel" is discouraged; use trim and corner boards to hide vinyl siding joints. The Foundation strongly opposes the proposed addition as it does not follow the Standards outlined in the Historic Review Ordinance nor does it follow the Historic District Design Guidelines. This structure has been clad with inappropriate siding and the vinyl window replacements that were purchased and partially installed prior to approval are not appropriate for the architectural style of the house. The remaining integrity of this structure is its distinct roof line and historic extensions (see Sanborn Insurance Maps). The proposed addition significantly changes the historic portions of the structure. Each rear extension is a statement of its own time and should remain distinct from any proposed addition. Any addition should be distinct from the historic structure. The only remaining historic windows, the nine -over -nine pane windows of the east facade, should be retained and repaired. In addition, historically this house was clad in wood clapboard siding. The new cladding should be replaced with wood clapboard. This would help to restore the building's historic integrity. The use of synthetic brick is not historically accurate or appropriate. Thank you in advance for your thoughtful consideration. Sincerely, 14fratt.r- e pputt Matthew Veitch President Samantha Bosshart -Executive Director Cc: Nicolas and Terry Cuomo, Applicant Tonya Yasenchak, Agent Bradley Birge, Administrator of the Office of Planning and Economic Development L r I 1 i C._ — .11. .m..e.. •••• f x 04LEr 429 121 Caroline Street 7, Mk 111•00 .... 1., 1884 Sanborn Insurance Map 1888 L. R. Burleigh Bird's Eye Map • • c 1• /2/ 1 .ra mum= OEM S w w4 WWI Ins aMIL wr ' I /t9 /2/ /21' -0Aii-OttNf 1889 and 1895 Sanborn Insurance Map 1). 72 /2.9 1900 Sanborn Insurance Map