Downtown Design Review Committee Meeting – April 14, 2014

This is the Planning Department’s Staff Report on the Narrow Building for Monday’s DRC Meeting:

In the past, most of the exterior alterations have occurred at the ground level, with the upper floors relatively untouched. The ground level storefronts, which have been badly altered, are to be restored (loosely based on historic documentation). Historically it appears that there were six individual storefronts and remnants of the original storefront system, the glass transoms and some copper pilasters and panels, are still in place. The applicant plans to remove the existing non-original corner entry at the western end of the building. The applicant proposes the installation of new aluminum storefront windows and transoms. Both of the commercial units will have a one new aluminum entry door and sidelight. The new lobby door and two side entry doors that lead to the commercial spaces and basement will be aluminum and glass. The new ground floor doors swing out onto the sidewalk, however, the Acting Director of Public Works has signed off on the plan providing the applicant use planters next to the doors to protect pedestrians. The bases of the storefronts are to be clad with dark green serpentine marble tiles. Other work items include the replacement of the windows on the upper floors with new aluminum windows (consisting of two double hung windows and a fixed window), repair, restoration and repointing brick, and restoration of metal decorative details where needed. All work is to match existing.