Committee Minutes
Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission
1405 First Avenue North
P. O. Box 13876
Grand Forks, ND 58208-3876
701-772-8756
Meeting Minutes
November 13, 2007
7:00 p.m.
City Hall
Present: Marsha Gunderson, Chair, Chuck Flemmer, Gordon Iseminger, Ted Jelliff, Melinda Leach, Cory Lien, Gerad Paul, Dale Sickels, Sandy Slater, Dave Vorland
Others: Joe O’Neil, Meredith Richards, Office of Urban Development; Mary Kate Ryan, State Historical Society of North Dakota; Kevin Severson, RRVCA; Peg O’Leary
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.; a quorum was present.
Motion:
to approve the minutes of the Oct. 23, 2007 meeting with corrections: the motions regarding 1726 11th Avenue North and 1328 Linden Court should read “no historic properties affected” instead of “no adverse effect.” (Leach, Sickels)
Motion carries.
Office of Urban Development
– Meredith Richards, Joe O’Neil
616 8th Avenue South – The owners, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, have selected a replacement door and sidelights that match the existing door. Richards requested approval of the wooden, replica door, which is the final item to be reviewed for the rehab of this house.
Motion:
to concur with a determination of no adverse effect from the installation of this door at 616 8th Ave. S. (Slater, Jelliff)
Motion carries.
One dissent.
Paul noted that the existing door probably originated as the door from the porch into the house and was rehung on the porch at a later date; consequently, he felt the high cost of finding a match for this door was unnecessary.
Lustron House (formerly 602 Lincoln Drive) – Richards reported that Tony Anderson Contracting has provided a reasonable price for a change order to the foundation contract that would allow his company to complete reconstruction of the house at the County Historical Society (GFCHS) grounds. The proposal must be approved at the Finance and Development Committee meeting next week and could go before City Council the first week in December. NDSU would have received a $20,000 donation for completing the construction. A total of $38,000 will provide funding for the necessary electrical hook-ups and completion of the construction. Iseminger questioned how the landscaping would be handled since NDSU had intended to handle that, too; O’Leary pointed out that the director of the GFCHS is a master gardener and may be happier doing the landscaping herself, though funding for shrubbery might be welcome. It was also noted that GFCHS has had donations of interior furnishings for the house. Iseminger asked whether a letter of support for approval of this plan of action would be helpful; Richards said it would be welcome. O’Leary was directed to draft such a letter.
Gateway demolitions – Iseminger asked the status of the demolitions on the Simplot and Weekley properties; Richards said the buildings have been demolished.
Red River Valley Community Action
– Kevin Severson
2532 8th Avenue North, built 1947 – The owners propose using a federally subsidized loan to remove and replace siding with new double-four vinyl siding; install metal fascia and soffit and wrap all exterior trim; add ½ inch insulation under siding; remove existing windows and install new vinyl double-hung window units; install new vinyl clad patio door in place of double windows in kitchen; install new handrails to back steps; remove garage door and finish off interior of attached garage to make into living space. It was noted that existing windows are not double-hung. Gunderson questioned whether the house or neighborhood is historic, and if there is any likelihood that the neighborhood could ever be a historic district. Jelliff said he didn’t think the house is historic, that there are 500 houses just like it around town. Flemmer questioned whether the changes would detract from the neighborhood even though it might not be historic. Iseminger said the house falls into the category at the cusp of 50 years old where houses are being changed before historic importance can be determined. Ryan was asked to comment and responded that it is necessary to differentiate between old vs. historic; historic involves age, integrity and significance. All three should be present. She noted the huge housing boom of the 1950s and ‘60s and said it’s necessary to determine which areas have significance. For this type of housing, the significance usually has to do with the whole neighborhood. Iseminger said the whole neighborhood is like this house. Concern was expressed that changes to a few houses could have a domino effect on the neighborhood but the commission can only affect federally funded changes. Members concluded that neither the house nor the neighborhood has Register listing potential.
Motion:
to concur with a determination of no historic properties affected by the work proposed at 2532 8th Ave. N. (Slater, Paul)
Motion carries.
832 North 5th Street, built 1929 - The owners propose using a federally subsidized loan to remove eleven windows and replace with new vinyl double-hung units matching the existing in style and size; remove existing shake siding and replace with new double-four vinyl siding on both garage and house; wrap all exterior trim; install metal fascia and soffit; install ½ inch insulation under siding; install new steel gutters and downspouts; replace existing garage door with new aluminum sectional door; install egress window in the NE corner of the basement; and various interior work. A discrepancy was noted in that the replacement windows were referred to as vinyl in one spot and wood in another; Severson said the owners would like to put in vinyl. Slater commented, and members agreed, that if the windows are changed out the new windows would have to be wood. Gunderson asked whether the house or the neighborhood could be considered historic and it was decided that the neighborhood does not have district potential but that the house may be of sufficiently unusual style in Grand Forks to require further investigation.
Consensus
: interior work on the house may go forward but exterior work will be held for review at the HPC meeting of Nov. 27, 2007. Slater will research historic occupancy and O’Leary will pull building permits.
1609 2nd Avenue North, built 1991 – The owners propose using an emergency federal grant to repair a driveway that poses a safety hazard.
Motion:
to concur with a determination of no historic properties affected by the proposed work at 1609 2nd Ave. N. (Jelliff, Leach)
Motion carries.
Preserve America Nomination
– Peg O’Leary
O’Leary commended the work of Caprice Benoit in the preparation of the nomination and passed around a copy for members to review. She also reminded members that projects are not technically eligible until they have been completed for a year.
UND President’s House, Yale Drive
Vorland and O’Leary toured the house and Vorland’s pictures were viewed. Salvage is due to start on Wednesday, Nov. 14 with demolition to follow.
Mid-century Architecture
– Mary Kate Ryan
Ryan, architectural historian for the SHSND, thanked the commission for inviting her to discuss the elements of evaluating mid-century building stock. She said that Grand Forks is the first community in the state that she knows to be actively dealing with assessment of buildings from this period. Ryan suggested that dealing with individual properties could be easier and more consistent if the commission develops a local context for Grand Forks that would determine what areas are worthy of preservation and what areas should be left to evolve on their own. Gunderson said a context has been done that extends into the 1930s. Ryan said an updating of the context would address residential development through a written historic context, a master list of neighborhood developments, and maps/photos that chart periods of development and developers. This local context, by identifying areas to preserve, would help the commission lay out future projects. The map, developed by using Sanborn Insurance maps and city maps along with other resources, would define and clarify potential districts. Other important elements could be whether neighborhoods were home to members of a certain trade, which can sometimes be checked in old city directories, or built by particular architects or builders. Licensing information on architects and builders can be very helpful in isolating this information. Atypical planning, like grid changes, and lot size changes can also indicate neighborhoods that merit further investigation. Ryan pointed out that there were large developments in the late 1940s and 1950s; some tracts are worth looking into and some are not. Gunderson asked what is more noteworthy: tracts or architecturally diverse neighborhoods? Ryan said either can be noteworthy but the worthiness may be based on different things; a tract of similar or identical homes may be important for its planning, its builder, or its occupants, while another development may be important for the architecture itself in addition to other elements of planning. A development may be important because it is representative of how a particular planning element manifested itself in Grand Forks. Even changes in the housing stock may be noteworthy as examples of the beginning of the era of the “do it yourself” mentality; the changes become part of houses that were meant to incorporate additions as families grew, etc. Flemmer questioned whether it is possible to keep the “feeling” of a neighborhood even if the neighborhood is not a potential historic district; Ryan said the best way to do that is through neighborhood associations but it is not a function of Section 106 review. She noted that federal fund guidelines are for the protection of historic resources and, while feeling and association are two of the seven criteria, some of the others must be present, too.
Chuck Flemmer left at this time.
Slater asked if Ryan could think of any workingman’s neighborhoods that had been listed on the Register; Ryan noted a railroad town in Illinois and one or two other “company” towns. Leach questioned how to proceed; Ryan suggested that any precedent setting decisions should be well documented and that the commission should only be dealing with historic properties. When other properties are presented, the commission can encourage appropriate changes and explain what would be appropriate for the particular property. For instance, most homeowners are looking for changes that will make their homes “maintenance free,” and it is appropriate to point out that vinyl siding is not maintenance free: it will warp and fade in a relatively short period of time. Vinyl windows also have a limited life and cannot be repaired, they must be replaced. When neighborhoods are identified as potential districts, educational outreach programs can begin to help owners decide what works and what doesn’t. Vorland noted that the regulations create a situation where owners who need assistance for home maintenance are regulated and owners with more financial wherewithal are not regulated, which is an unfortunate circumstance. Gunderson thanked Ryan for bringing her expertise on this matter to the commission.
Chair Report
– Marsha Gunderson
No report.
Coordinator Report
– Peg O’Leary
Regrant Status – Dinnie Apartments; O’Leary asked that the $7,500 grant payment to Todd Nedberg, owner of the Dinnie Apartments, be authorized.
Motion:
to authorize payment of the grant contract agreement in the amount of $7,500 to Todd Nedberg for rehabilitation work on the Dinnie Apartments at 802 4th Avenue South. (Slater, Jelliff)
Motion carries.
Infill Presentation in Fargo – O’Leary said the presentation was well received. Fargo and Moorhead both have infill issues and they appreciated learning how Grand Forks has implemented a strategy for appropriate infill.
UND Nomination – O’Leary has met with representatives of the sorority houses and the reps were all supportive of putting their houses on the National Register as part of the UND nomination. The reps will go back to their house corporations and present the issue. The commission can expect the final results of these meetings within a couple weeks. O’Leary will now set up a similar meeting with the fraternities. Ryan commented that it would be best to have at least 80% of the Greek houses in favor of listing if we are to include them with the UND nomination. She also said she would rather include them if at all possible, instead of trying to nominate them separately at a later date.
Meeting adjourned.
9:15 p.m.
The next regular meeting will be at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, room A101, City Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Peg O’Leary
Coordinator