Architectural Review Board

13 November 2023 To: Kate S. Schwartz ksschwartz@fredericksburgva.gov cc: Planning@fredericksburgva.gov The Historic Fredericksburg Foundation has reviewed the upcoming agenda and related COA documents for the November 13, 2023 meeting of the Architectural Review Board and submits the following comments on select projects. Consent Agenda: COA 2310-0014 – 2800 Princess Anne Street As the former Fredericksburg visitor center and National Bank kitchen dependency, the relocation of this historic outbuilding to the current site strongly reflects the history of the preservation movement at the local level and merits as much design sensitivity as any other building in the historic district. Given that this COA includes work that has already been undertaken, little opportunity exists to minimize its visual and physical impact to the building. However, at a minimum, the beige metal channels be recolored to match the brick. Public Hearing: COA FY24-0004 – 319 Prince Edward Street HFFI continues to support this project and praises the applicant and their consultants’ preservation of the historic resource on this lot and the contextual sensitivity demonstrated in the current design. It truly is one of the most historically sensitive infill designs to come before the ARB this year and we believe it will have a positive impact on the property and surrounding area. COA 2310-0007 – 313 Wolfe Street HFFI wholeheartedly supports staff’s recommendation to deny this COA and are saddened by the deterioration and loss of historic brick chimney stacks throughout the district. COA 2310-0006 – 203 Ford Street HFFI concurs with staff’s recommendations in this application for the proposed modifications to the garage and hope that number of vents penetrating the building vents can be reduced as much as possible. We would also like to voice our general support for the proposed wall system’s material design, and believe it more visually compatible with the historic character of the surrounding than some other retaining walls recently constructed in the district. The remnants of old foundations pepper our town, but are especially impressive in the area around the Woolen Mills and canal path. We appreciate Mr. Whalen’s conscious efforts to preserve this property and hope that the larger ruins to the north of the proposed wall will be retained and repaired as they are. COA FY23-0010 – 301-303 Hanover Street As a complex and evolving project, HFFI appreciates the applicant and consultants’ dedication to sensitively rehabilitating the many layers this historic resource has accrued over time. Changes made Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. | 1200 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 as a result of the ARB’s review process have brought its new construction into greater keeping with the character of the building and surrounding resources in the district. Regarding the proposed design for the new addition, HFFI’s only recommendation would be to consider making the pergola into a porch at its west side. The design guidelines for new construction note that porches and porticos must draw from contextual examples for scale and design, and for that reason, we think that a simply designed porch with a shed or hipped metal roof would be a more compatible solution on what is a very visible part of the building. The guidelines for existing doors are also quite clear, as the first item (3.B.1) states that “historic doors must be retained and preserved wherever possible.” The use of such language was not an accident, and makes plain the importance of retaining, repairing, and preserving historic doors and the features that accompany them with the strongest word in a guidelines document – “must.” And perhaps it is just coincidence that the “poster child” of historic doors in the guidelines is the same type and bears a strong resemblance to the original door that remains to 303. Regardless, we MUST not take the replacement of actual historic features with something that mimics them lightly, especially since all the original windows will also be replaced. Indeed, some might argue that this project removes nearly all of the late-19th and early-20th century history from this resource. While we may value “original” material most, the guidelines also give value to changes over time reflecting the lifespan of a historic asset. In this instance, HFFI believes the array of door types and mismatch of style illustrate this duplex’s history of different owners into the 20th century and its function as the Ivy Motor Inn. This time period is evidenced by the existing single-leaf door at 301, whose composition reflects its early-20th-century construction, and is more aptly described as “non-original” rather than “non-historic.” This concept also applies to the antebellum cast-iron fence panel and posts installed at the main entrance from the Renwick courthouse shortly after WWII. Thus, HFFI would like to urge the applicants and the ARB to embrace the guidelines’ call to repair and preserve all of these features as they are and the diverse time periods they reflect. At a minimum, the existing doors and surrounding features should be preserved at the Hanover Street entries to 301 and 303. We understand that the iron railings lining this porch are of lesser quality and exhibit advanced deterioration and are pleased to see the applicant’s reuse of the Renwick newel posts. But given that the existing concrete floor is to be retained in place, we think that the Renwick posts and single fence panel that divides the landing can be preserved. After all, it is more in keeping with the historic character of the building and district than a new wooden lattice. Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. | 1200 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. | 1200 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401