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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2010-07-08 HPC MINUTES Village of Plainfield Historic Pres ervation Commission Record of Minutes Date: July 8, 2010 Location: Village Hall CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, PLEDGE Chairman Bortel called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. Roll call was ta ken; Commissioners Olsen, Derrick, Spangler and Chairman Bortel were presen t. Commissioners Allen, Br ight and Wright were absent. Michael Garrigan –Village Planner; Merrilee Trotz, Secretary were also present. Chairman Bortel led the pledge to the flag. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Spangler moved to a pprove the Agenda. Seconded by Commi ssioner Olsen. Voice vote: All in favor. 0 - opposed. Motion carried APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Commissioner Derrick asked for clarifi cation purposes to have the second line of page 3 read as follows: “There is a consensus of the Village Board that thes e properties are blight and cannot be salvaged.” Commissioner Derrick then made a motion to accept the minutes as amended. Commissioner Olsen seconded the motion. Vote by roll call. Commissi oner Olsen, yes; Commissioner Derrick, yes; Commissioner Spangler, yes; Chai rman Bortel, yes. 4 yes, 0 no. 3 absent. Motion carried. CHAIR’S COMMENTS: Chairman Bortel indicated that Commissioners Derric k, Olsen, Bright and himself attended the seminar in Crystal Lake. He indicated they received a lot of information. COMMISSIONERS COMMENTS: None PUBLIC COMMENT: (Items not on the Agenda) No one approached the microphone. STAFF REPORT Mr. Garrigan stated there have been no new proposed applications relating to pre-application meetings and no new landmark or district appli cations received. The preservati on watch list remains the same. The Village Board considered the property known as 15307 Division Street and gave the Historic Preservation Commission until October to work on a community impact study and to explore various alternatives to try to salvage this property. The br oker of this propert y indicated the property continues to be for sale. The broker indicated they would be willing to sell it to any third party. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 8, 2010 Page 2 of 7 Mr. Garrigan stated the current owner of the Cloc k Tower is working on an extensive rehab of the building. They have submitted a demolition permit fo r the addition of the southern elevation along Illinois Street. In the past Mr. Ga rrigan has conferred with the chai rman to determine whether the HPC wants a formal review process or whether this perm it can be expedited admini stratively. After a short discussion it was the consensus of the commission that this demolition could be handled administratively. Chairman Bortel stated he has spoken with the ar chitect working on the building known as the Clock Tower and indicated the commission would like to get a tour of the interior. Mr. Garrigan stated they have also received a building permit for a pergol a to be constructed in the rear yard for the property commonly known as 15010 S. Bartlett Ave. Per the ordinance there are a number of exemptions with regard to a certificate of appropr iateness. Mr. Garrigan st ated he was looking for direction from the commission to see if a formal COA was needed or if this could be handled administratively. After a short discu ssion it was determined that this st ructure would not be visible from the street and it was determined it could be handled administratively. The Commission did request that the pergola be built out of wood not plastic. NEW BUSINESS Case No. 1513-052410.HPC 14930 S. Bartlett Ave. Chairman Bortel requested a motion to open the pub lic hearing. Commissioner Derrick moved to open the public hearing. Commissioner Sp angler seconded the motion. Vote by roll call. Commissioner Olsen; yes; Commissi oner Spangler, yes; Commissioner Derrick, ye s; Chairman Bortel, yes. 4 yes, 0 no. 3 absent. Motion carried. Mr. Garrigan stated this is a publ ic hearing and the required notices have been published in accordance with state statute and local ordina nce and due notice was given to the adjacent property owners. This matter comes before you as a proposed landmark desi gnation for the property known as 14930 S. Bartlett Avenue formerly known as 726 Bartlett Ave. Th is house dates back to circa 1903. Mr. Garrigan reviewed the ownership history. The urban survey identifies this property as contributing and was recommended for local landmark status within a district. Mr. Garrigan stated there are seven potential findings of fact; the app licant legally has to only meet one finding of fact. Mr. Garrigan summ arized the criteria as it rela tes to this property as follows: The Irwin-Rogman House is nominated for designation as a local landmark in the Village of Plainfield under the following criteria: (a) Has character, interest or value which is part of the development, heritage, or cultural character of the community , county, state or nation. The property is significant to the development of th e community because of the first families who settled the Bartlett subdivision. Ba rtlett Street contained a number of prom inent residents in th e early history of Plainfield and this would include the Van Dyke family who resided in the home for a number of decades. Earl Van Dyke was the presiden t of Plainfield National Bank. (d) Embodies distinguishing charac teristics of an architectural style valuable for the study of a period, type, method of construc tion, or use of indigenous materials. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 8, 2010 Page 3 of 7 This property is significant because of its architectu ral merits. The Irwin-Rogman is an excellent example of a Queen Anne home and the genera l architectural characte ristics of a Queen Anne style. Typically, Queen Anne styles incorporated asymmetrical massi ng and irregular floor plan s, variety of exterior finishes, bays and oriel windows, overh angs and roof gables, round or square polyg onal towers or turrets, decorative gable ends. The Irwin-Rogman house incorporates a number of these typical architectural elem ents including steeply pitched gable roof, asymmetrical fa çade and decorative gable ends. (j) Is suitable for preservation or restoration. This residence has a high degree of hi storical integrity with many of its features either intact, restored to their original state. The applicant has very sensitivel y and creatively restored the elevations to reflect an excellent example of a Queen Anne house. There is evidence that the original porch on the Irwin -Rogman residence was modified in the 1930’s, but the current owner has very sensitively restored the house to its original Queen Anne style. Commissioner Bright a rrived at 7:35 p.m. Chairman Bortel swore in Martin Rogman, 14930 S. Bartlett Avenue. Mr. Rogman thanked the commission for their consideration. Mr. Rogman stated they have wo rked with Michael Lambert for the expansion to the house; matched mate rials; and made the house period re levant. Mr. Rogman understands the porch is not the original porch. Chairman Bortel indicated he just learned that the car riage house in the rear has a horse stall inside. The carriage house was not included in the original information. Mr. Rogman indicated they replaced and enlarged the doors to the carriag e house to bring it back to what they were in that period. The carriag e house is 17 feet from the floor to the tip of the ceiling. There is one stall that still ex ists. There were three drops for hay and troughs. There is also a grain box; a grain drop and a horse door. There is some tack material fr om when horses were used. Mr. Rogman indicated that one wall of the stall had been painted, and has sin ce been repainted. Chairman Bortel stated the Sanbor n map from 1912 show the carriage house and the house in the same positions. Commissioner Spangler asked if th e carriage house was being included with the nomination. Chairman Bortel said it was not included in the nomination. Mr. Garrigan stated the application could be amended. Commissioner Derrick asked if there was evidence that the doors to the carriag e house had been shortened over time. Mr. Rogman indicated yes. Commissioner Derrick asked if th ey were seeking a rehab grant. Mr. Rogman indicated they were not at this time. Commissioner Derrick asked if the wi ndows in the home were original. Mr. Rogman indicated the windows are all original in the original part of the home except for the front window. He said according to pictur es the front window was a larger wi ndow in the center and two side Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 8, 2010 Page 4 of 7 light windows originally. He said if he was to restore the porch, he would probably restore the windows at the same time. Commissioner Bright agreed that it looked like there we re three windows. Commissioner Spangler stated th e window opening appears to be th e same as in the pictures. Commissioner Olsen asked if it was wood siding. Mr. Rogman replied yes. Chairman Bortel indicated he found information that the front window was installed in 1966 or 1967 based on recollections of neighboring residents. Commissioner Derrick asked when the rear addition was added. Mr. Rogman thought the addi tion had been completed about 9 years ago. The gable was added at that time. The trim was made to match the rest of the house from the weathe rboard at the bottom, to the type of siding, to the edging and the wi ndows in the peaks to make the house look period specific from the front and sides. Chairman Bortel corrected items in the staff report by stating Charles Van Dyke was a farmer and moved to town and died four years after purchasing this house. His son Earl Van Dyke graduated from Plainfield High School in 1912 and went to the University of Illinois and in 1917 went to work at Plainfield National Bank as an assistant cashier ; retiring 40 years later having served at presid ent and chairman of the board. His mother lived in this house until she died in 1929. He believed the Van Dykes rented out the property but also lived on Bartlett Avenue thr ee houses north in the hous e known as the Van Dyke residence which was mislabeled on the ArchiSea rch survey as the Van Horn residence. Chairman Bortel asked for any additional public comments. No one approached the microphone. Commissioner Bright moved to cl ose the public hearing. Commissione r Olsen seconded the motion. Vote by roll call. Commissioner De rrick; yes; Commissioner Spangl er, yes; Commissioner Olsen, yes; Commissioner Bright, yes; Chairman Bortel, ye s. 5 yes, 0 no. 2 absent. Motion carried. Commissioner Olsen indicated the Rogmans had done a tr ue and correct restorati on. She was in favor of this nomination. Commissioner Spangler also was in favor of this nomination. Commissioner Derrick asked if there were edits to the nomination she would like to add the carriage house. Mr. Garrigan indicated the appl icant can outline the efforts he has already don e. Since the carriage house has been restored with original materials, the doors have been restored to the original integrity; the loft area has been restored; a ll four elevations are consistent with the design of the carriage house; and the massing is the same . Mr. Garrigan stated using the Secretary of Interiors Standards that the carriage house was cons istent with the house; incorporating the same architectural integrity of that er a and therefore there is a factua l basis to support the carriage house in regards to (d) Embodies distinguishing char acteristics of an architect ural style valuable for the Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 8, 2010 Page 5 of 7 study of a period, type, method of construc tion, or use of indigenous materials. Mr. Garrigan submitted that the carriage house has complied with number (d) and therefore is appropriate to landmark designation. Commissioner Derrick said when we have these nominations, we ba se futhre COAs on a complete understanding of the condition when we landmarke d the house. Commissioner Derrick indicated there was an error in the nomination form wh erein the front multi-light window replacement is actually a 24-light window 4’ X 6’ not the 20-light, 4’ X 5’ as indicated in the nomination. There are some other minor errors and if we are goi ng to add the carriage house, we would want a thorough architectural descripti on. Commissioner Derrick aske d if the nomination can be amended after recommendation. Commissioner Spangler stated we already have a precedent for this – when we reviewed the stone house there were items from the property that were ac tually taken out and put other outbuildings in at the meeting to make the description correct a nd everything was noted. The description was corrected and then it went to the Village Board. Commissioner Derrick said then we can fine-tune this nomination prior to submission to the Village Board. Mr. Garrigan stated you can add the architectural de scriptions within the a pplication are really for identification and for discussion at the public hearing. As long as you have this discussion and on the integrity of the coach house then that is cons istent with the appropriate designation of the structure of the landmark. Chairman Bortel stated that Co mmissioner Derrick has noted some changes in the nomination that she can submit to staff so the changes can be ma de. Staff and the chairman can meet at the Rogman property and look at the carriage house, make appropriate investigations and write a proposal or description of the carri age house. It would be interesti ng to include the interior even though it is not part of the nomination itself. Commissioner Derrick said we have a precedent fo r that with the discussion of the Caton-Kelly-Wright house. It is nice to have a record of what it looked like in 2010. In the nom ination form it outlines Criterion (a), (d), (e), and (j). Comm issioner Derrick said (e) was eliminated from the staff report. Chairman Bortel said we do not have 100% defi nite evidence that the property was built by S. Stanton Brown. It appears this house and seve ral others on Bartlett a nd one at the northwest corner of Renwick and Route 30 were built by the same builder. We need to do some more definite evidence to find out if he truly built this house. In the final edi ting of the nomination we can eliminate Criterion (e) when we add the carriage house. Commissioner Derrick stated if the period of significance ends in 1995 and the Van Dykes left ownership of the house in 1941 and if ownership is the reason for our period of significance then the period of significance should end with 1941 unless we want to do the fifty year cutoff. Commissioner Derrick furt her explained the fifty year cuto ff – you figure the eligibility of a building by starting with the current date and go back 50 years unless it meets special criteria considerations for propert ies that have achieved si gnificance in this interim time period such as the Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 8, 2010 Page 6 of 7 John Hancock Building, the Sears Tower (these ar e famous Chicago examples that have been determined to meet that threshold for national re gister listing.) Commissioner Derrick said we are local and we try to mirror this procedure in many ways. Commissi oner Derrick was more comfortable with supporting the 1941 date for the end of the Van D yke’s tenure with the property. Commissioner Spangler agreed that the commission has done this on other properties. Commissioner Olsen asked if the si gnificance is that if there are any major changes you cannot use the date of 1995 as your example date that it woul d have to be 1941 or earl ier appropriate change. Commissioner Derrick said as l ong as we understand the evolution of the property and the things that we want to identify as worthy of preservation , and as long as there ar e not any other owners or changes to the property that occurred that we f eel have historic significance that would be the reason to move the date closer to now. Commissioner Olsen agreed she preferred the hi storic guidelines by keeping the older date. Commissioner Bright also agreed. Commissioner Derrick said regarding Criterion a: Has character, interest, or value which is part of the development, heritage, or cultural character of the community, county, state or nation – we seem to be linking that mostly to the Van Dykes with Earl Van Dyke being president of the Plainfield National Bank. Charles lived in the house a couple y ears; then it was the wife living in the house; then son Earl lived in another house on Bartlett. Commissione r Derrick asked if this home really ties to that history or if it should be more of an example of Plainfield transiti oning from wealthy farmers co ming to Bartlett Street as a prime location for the people that have succeeded in the area. Commissioner Derrick suggested tweak ing that argument to be more about the history of how successful farmers decided to make a life in the Plainfield village itself. Chairman Bortel proceeded to explain how the Birketts were farmers and all moved to Bartlett Avenue. Maybe this should be rewritten to ad d Birketts and Van Dyke. Chai rman Bortel further stated that Bartlett Ave. could have easily been called Birkett Avenue as several Birk etts lived on this street over a period of time. Mr. Garrigan indicated you can change the findings of fact as you deem a ppropriate. Further stating that as long as you find for one finding of fact there is f actual basis for designation. Mr. Garrigan said we can reflect it in the minutes, modify the staff repor t that goes to the Village Board outlining your modifications to the findings of fact. Commissioner Olsen stated we are merely embellishi ng on the history not really changing the history. Commissioner Derrick said the integrity of the build ing itself is high except for the porch and window which occurred in the 1960’s and that is after the period of significance and also the addition on the back. The other windows, wall surfaces and foundation are the same. Mr. Garrigan indicated staff’s recommendation as submitted in the staff report. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 8, 2010 Page 7 of 7 Commissioner Bright moved to recommend approval of landmark designation for 14930 S. Bartlett Avenue based on the criteria outlined in the st aff report as modified. Seconded by Commissioner Spangler. Vote by roll call. Commissioner Olse n, yes; Commissioner De rrick, yes; Commissioner Spangler, yes; Commissioner Bright; Chairman Bort el, yes. 5 yes, 0 no. 2 absent. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: Chairman Bortel stated the HPC is seeking applicants for the two vacancies on the Commission. Applicants can send their resumes to Mayor Collins at the Village Hall. The position is unpaid and applicants need to be village residents. COMMITTEE REPORTS : Commissioner Derrick indicated LDDC met and discussed strategies for districts, how to proceed with historic district downtown and how to have multiple public meetings DISCUSSION: Commissioner Olsen asked about the si gnage for the East Side Historic District. Mr. Garrigan indicated he needs to schedule a date appropriate for the HPC to have a celebration. The signs are completed. ADJOURN: Commissioner Derrick made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Olsen seconded the motion. Voice vote. All the Commissioners were in favor. Meeting adjourned at 8:20 p. m. __________________________ Respectfully submitted, Merrilee Trotz - Recording Secretary