HomeMy WebLinkAboutA004 - Council Action Form dated August 22, 1989 r
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ITEM #:
DATE: 08122/89
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT:
Motion to Set the Date of Public Hearing to Consider the Creation of the
Old Town Historic District.
BACKGROUND:
The application for designation of the Old Town Historic District (OTHD)
was filed with the Department of Planning and Housing on November 21,
1988.
Proposed Boundaries:
The Historic Old Town Committee proposes a historic district which would
include all property located inside the boundaries generally described as:
North: Lots abutting the north side of Ninth Street.
South: Seventh Street from the alley west of Clark Avenue to a
point east of Kellogg Avenue, and including lots abutting
the south side of Seventh Street from this point to the
east boundary.
East: Lots abutting the east side of Duff Avenue, and one
additional property located north of Ninth Street.
West: Lots abutting the west side of Clark Avenue, and one
additional property located north of Ninth Street.
Note: Boundary and legal descriptions are included on pages 8
and 9 of the Application.
Iowa Site Inventory Sheets:
A Site Inventory Sheet has been submitted as part of the application for
each property included in the proposed historic district. There are a total
of 155 individual sites identified in this inventory.
Each Site Inventory Sheet provides the following information:
Address;
Owner(s) Name(s);
Date of Construction;
Building Type;
Exterior Wall Surface Material;
Structural System;
Condition;
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Integrity;
Related Outbuildings and Property;
Is the Building Endangered?;
Surroundings of the Building;
Map;
Architectural Significance;
Historical Significance; and
Sources.
Photographs:
A black and white, 31" x 5", photograph of each property is included as
part of the district application. The majority of these photographs were
produced in 1985. The remaining photographs were taken during the time
period from 1986-88.
Pages 4 and 5 of the application refer to eleven historic photographs of
homes within the proposed historic district. Many of these photographs
appeared in the 1897 Souvenir Edition of the Ames Intelligencer.
ANALYSIS:
Criteria for Consideration for Nomination.
Before an area, which contains contiguous parcels of diverse ownership,
can be designated as a historic district, as evidenced by information
provided by the proponents of the district, it must satisfy the following
criteria:
(1) Properties are significant in national, state, or local history, archi-
tecture, archaeology, and culture.
History -- Application materials describe the local historical signifi-
cance of this area of the City in terms of the individuals that have
been associated with residences in the proposed historic district.
Several Iowa State University professors, local entrepreneurs, and
City officials have resided in dwellings located in the proposed
district.
Architecture -- Construction dates of structures currently located in
the proposed district shows that 86 percent of these structures were
built during 1926 or before.
The "significance period" for this proposed historic district is the
time period from 1870 through 1926. This is the time during which
the major development of this area occurred.
Structures located in the proposed district have been divided
architecturally into three groups:
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Stylistic (39%) (60 structures);
Vernacular (37%) (58 structures); and
Noncontributing (24%) (37 structures) .
Stylistic categories, found within the proposed boundaries, represent
recognized architectural styles and include the following:
STYLISTIC CATEGORIES
Arch. Style Contributing Compatible Total
1. Italianate (1840-1885) 1 5 6
2. Queen Anne (1880-1910)
Variation A 4 11 15
Variation B 4 1 5
3. Colonial Revival (1880-1955)
Variation A 2 6 8
Variation B 1 1 2
4. Prairie School/Craftsman/
Bungalow (1905-1930)
Prairie School 2 0 2
Craftsman/Bungalow - - -
Variation A 2 4 6
Variation B 3 0 3
Variation C 6 4 10
Variation D 1 1 2
5. Tudor (1890-1940) 1 0 1
Total 27 33 60
If a building cannot be identified with a "style" by form and sup-
porting related ornamentation, then it has been categorized by its
form in the "vernacular section" which is a nonstyle related morphol-
ogy based on architectural elements such as roof form, overall plan
shape, number of stories, cladding, entry location, and porch
configuration.
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Vernacular Types, found within the proposed boundaries, include
the following:
VERNACULAR CATEGORIES
Vernacular Type Contributing Compatible Total
1. Type I, Hipped Cottage
Variation A 4 6 10
Variation B 2 5 7
2. Type II, Gabled Cottage
Variation A 5 6 11
Variation B 3 3 6
Variation C 1 2 3
3. Type III, Gabled-Ell Cottage
Variation A 2 7 9
Variation B 1 3 4
Variation C 0 2 2
4. Type IV, Colonial Cottage
Variation A 1 2 3
Variation B 0 3 3
Total 19 39 58
Noncontributing structures are not of an architectural style or time
period representative of the proposed district.
The total number of noncontributing structures equals 37.
The applicant has stated that all contributing and compatible struc-
tures were constructed during the significance period of 1870
through 1926. Therefore, the proposed district meets the require-
ment that all contributing and compatible structures must be a
minimum of 50 years old.
Categorization into contributing, compatible, or noncontributing
groups was done by two consultants with professional expertise in
this area.
Staff finds that the applicant meets this criteria in that the proper-
ties are significant from the standpoint of local history and architec-
ture.
(2) Properties possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials,
feeling, and association.
The proposed district includes a concentration of the early residen-
tial structures from the first two plats of the City. Each of the
major individual movements in the development of housing in Ames
from its beginnings to 1926 is represented in the proposed district.
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This area is the largest contiguous remaining area of Ames that
conforms to a pattern of rectangular blocks bisected by north-south
alleys.
Research shows that the majority of residential construction within
the subject area took place before 1926.
The influence of pattern books, trade catalogs, pre-cut homes, and
mail-order plans upon local builders is evidenced by the similarity in
form of the houses in the proposed district.
Construction materials found throughout the proposed district include
a predominance of wood frame construction, a wide range of founda-
tion materials, and a predominance of horizontal clapboard siding.
Staff finds that the properties inside the proposed district possess
integrity of location, setting, materials, feeling, and association.
3. Properties meet at least one of the following criteria:
a. Properties are associated with events that have been a signifi-
cant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or
b. Properties are associated with the lives of persons significant
in our past; or
C. Properties embody the distinctive characteristics of a type,
period, method of new construction, represent the work of a
master, possess high artistic values, represent a significant
and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individu-
al distinction.
d. Properties have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information
important in prehistory or history.
Comments on A:
No evidence has been presented that would indicate a specific
event other than the fact that the first major residential
neighborhood began in this area.
Comments on B:
A number of individuals of local historical significance, includ-
ing H. L. Munn, Charles F. Curtiss, Hans J. Hansen, P. E.
Hopkins, John Duncan, Joseph Budd, and others have been
associated with residences in the proposed historic district.
Staff finds that properties inside the proposed district are
associated with the lives of persons significant in local history.
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Comments on C:
The early residential architecture of Ames is exemplified in the
proposed historic district by the existence of several dwellings
built in conformance with a recognized architectural style or in
a vernacular type of construction. Each of the major architec-
tural styles in existence in Ames from 1870 through 1926 is
represented in the proposed historic district.
All structures identified as "contributing or compatible" were
constructed during the time period from 1870 through 1926.
These structures are all at least 50 years old.
Staff believes the properties embody the distinctive character-
istics of a period and types of architecture.
Comments on D:
Staff finds that the significance of the subject properties does
not seem to be in terms of archaeology. Little evidence is
presented in the application which would support the idea that
this area of the community should be preserved because of its
archaeological significance.
4. A minimum of 66% of the principal structures in the proposed district
are contributing and/or compatible structures from a historical
architecture standpoint. Of the structures that are determined to be
either contributing or compatible, a minimum of one (1) structure or
10% of those structures, whichever is greater, shall be contributing
from a historical architecture standpoint.
Evidence submitted in the Site Inventory Sheets shows that 29
percent of the structures in the proposed district are "contributing"
and 47 percent of the structures are "compatible". This produces a
combined percentage of 76 percent, which exceeds the requirement
that 66 percent of the structures be contributing and/or compatible.
A minimum of 16 structures (10%) must be contributing. This
requirement has been met since 45 structures in the proposed
district are classified as contributing.
5. The contributing and compatible structures in the proposed district
must be a minimum of 50 years old.
All contributing and compatible structures in the proposed district
are a minimum of 50 years old, according to the Site Inventory
Sheets submitted by the applicant.
6. The proposed district shall be less than 160 acres but more than two
acres in size.
Total acreage in the proposed historic district, exclusive of public
right-of-ways, is 32.8 acres.
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DESIGN GUIDELINES:
On January 9, 1989, a committee composed of six persons (two City staff,
two Commission members, and two property owners in the Proposed Old
Town Historic District) was formed to prepare Design Guidelines for
historic districts in Ames.
ANALYSIS OF DESIGN GUIDELINES:
An introduction has been prepared as part of the Design Guidelines to
introduce the reader to the purpose for such guidelines, how to use them,
and when they apply.
Design Guidelines:
Design Guidelines, as developed by the Design Guidelines Committee, are
more restrictive for changes made in the area described as the "alteration
area" of a structure than they are for the area described as the "new
construction area" of a structure.
For example:
Porches (Alterations Area):
New materials shall be consistent with the historic materials in
size, design, composition, and texture.
Porches (New Construction Area):
New materials shall be compatible with the historic materials of
the particular architectural style in size, design, and texture.
The term, "consistent" is restrictive since it is defined as, "that which is
similar to, or nearly the same".
The term, "compatible" is more permissive and allows for more flexibility in
its interpretation since it is defined as, "capable of existing together in
harmony".
(Comments from the State Historic Society regrading the Design Guidelines
are attached to this action form.)
Design Criteria:
Design Criteria were prepared by proponents of the Old Town Historic
District. These will become part of the Design Guidelines, but will apply
only to the Old Town Historic District. The same Design Guidelines, but
new design criteria will be used for any future historic districts.
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STAFF ANALYSIS OF PROPOSED BOUNDARIES:
Analysis of information provided in the application concerning individual
properties and structures in the proposed district suggests that the
Commission should consider alternatives for boundaries of the proposed
historic district.
As a means of evaluating alternatives, a point system, based on the four
critical factors in designating properties as a historic district, was estab-
lished. The underlying basis for these criteria is found in Sections
31.7(2); 31.7(4); and 31.7(5) of the Municipal Code.
Each of the four critical factors (described below) was given a value of
one point. These points, when totaled, then make it possible for any
given property to receive a maximum score of four points.
The average score per property for the area as proposed by the applicant
is 2.47 points.
Critical factors to consider when deciding where district boundaries should
be drawn are:
1 point 1. The location of Contributing and Compatible structures;
1 point 2. The location of structures which are classified as being a
Stylistic or Vernacular type of architecture;
1 point 3. The location of properties associated with the lives of
Persons significant in the history of Ames; and,
1 point 4. The location of structures built during the Significance
Period (1870-1926) .
4 total points
Examination of structures which meet one or more of these critical factors
indicates the locations of high concentrations of the structures which are
historically significant according to information provided in the district
application.
Staff believes there are two alternatives for historic district boundaries in
addition to the boundaries proposed in the application. A discussion of
these alternatives and the positive and negative aspects of such boundary
proposals follows:
Option #1 (Attachment B):
This Option has an average score per property of 2.94 points, out of a
possible score of 4.00 points.
Positive Aspects of Option #l:
1. The boundaries are such that facing lots on both sides
of the streets are included in the district.
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2. The boundary lines are quite regular. With one excep-
tion, district lines follow alleys, streets, or the rear lot
lines of properties on the edge of the district.
3. This alternative defines an area which includes a high
concentration of properties that meet all or most of the
critical factors identified previously.
4. All but two half-blocks include lots which, when aver-
aged as a half-block, meet at least 2.47 of the possible
total of four critical factors. The average rating for a
property in the proposed district is 2.47 on a scale of
four possible points.
Negative Aspects of Option #1:
1. Several properties which meet three or four of the
critical factors are not included in this district.
Option #2 (Attachment C):
This Option has an average score per property of 2.51 points, out of a
possible score of 4.00 points.
Positive Aspects of Option #2:
1. The boundaries are such that facing lots on both sides
of the streets are included in the district.
2. The boundary lines are quite regular. With two excep-
tions, district lines follow alleys, streets, or the rear lot
lines of properties on the edge of the district.
3. The majority of half-blocks with average ratings of two
or below have been excluded from the district.
4. The great majority of properties with a rating of three
or above have been included in the district.
Negative Aspects of Option #2:
1. This alternative is not as uniform in its composition
throughout as Alternative #1.
2. Several half-blocks with a rating below 2.47 (the average
rating for properties inside district boundaries proposed
by the applicant) have been included in this alternative.
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Option #3 (Attachment A) as proposed by the Old Town District Applica-
tion:
This Option has an average score per property of 2.47 points, out of a
possible score of 4.00 points.
Positive Aspects of Boundaries Proposed by the Applicant:
1. In most cases, facing lots have been included as part of
the district.
2. Properties on the north, east, and south boundary lines
are rated as a three or four, in almost every case.
3. The boundary lines are quite regular. With two excep-
tions, district lines follow alleys, streets, or the rear lot
lines of properties on the edge of the district.
Negative Aspects of Boundaries Proposed by the Applicant:
1. The composition of properties in this district is not
uniform throughout.
2. Properties on or near the west boundary line rate poorly
on the scale of four critical factors.
Historic Preservation Commission Recommendation: The Historic Preserva-
tion Commission reviewed this request at their meeting of May 8, 1989, and
have recommended that the district as proposed by the Old Town Historic
Committee be approved by the City Council. The rationale used by the
Commission in making this recommendation is listed as follows:
1. The proposed district includes all of the remaining residential
land use that is contained in the original two plats of the City
of Ames;
2. The Commission believes that the proposed district contains
property that is of truly historic significance and that there is
a distinct difference in the character of the historical signifi-
cance of properties that are immediately beyond the proposed
boundaries;
3. Most, if not all, of the property within the proposed historic
district contains a potential to be of historic architectural
significance;
4. The proposed boundaries are those that have been proposed
by property owners within the district; and
5. The Historic Preservation Commission does not believe that the
numerical difference that underlies the alternatives that have
been suggested by the City staff is significant in creating a
boundary alternative that is different than that proposed by
the Old Town Historic Committee.
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Planning and Zoning Commission Recommendation: The Planning and
Zoning Commission reviewed this request at their meeting of June 7, 1989.
The purview of the Planning and Zoning Commission is to determine
whether the creation of a historic district in this area of the community is
consistent with the City's Land Use Policy Plan. Having reviewed this
request, the Planning and Zoning Commission has found that the creation
of a historic district in this areas of the City is consistent with the Land
Use Policy Plan, and therefore, has recommended that the City Council can
approve a historic district in this area.
State Historical Society Review: The complete series of documents that
have been developed by the Historic Old Town Committee, the City Council
minutes, Historic Preservation Commission and Planning and Zoning Com-
mission minutes, plus staff reports was sent to the State Historic Society.
This material was sent as part of the City's request for review as provided
for in Section 3,03 of the Code of Iowa.
Upon review of this material, the State Historic Society has determined
that the creation of a Historic District as proposed by the Historic Old
Town Committee (the applicant) is the most reasonable alternative.
The State Historic Society has determined that the designation of a historic
district as proposed by the Old Town Historic Committee is a reasonable
alternative. But the Historic Society has not documented the basis by
which this alternative is preferable to other alternatives that have been
identified by the City staff.
In addition, the State Historic Society has also provided comments regard-
ing the Design Guidelines. Since numerous concerns are being raised, the
City Council might want to refer these concerns to to the Historic Preser-
vation Commission prior to taking final action on the Ordinance to create
the district. (A copy of the State Historic Society review letter is at-
tached to this Action Form.)
Staff Conclusion: As stated previously, the City staff believe that there
are alternative district boundary configurations that are worthy of consid-
eration.
The district proposal as submitted by the applicant and recommended by
the Historic Preservation Commission and the State Historic Society
presents a reasonable district alternative. But this same district proposal
contains numerous properties that are significant only because of the age
of the structure and the fact that the structures are of vernacular archi-
tecture typology. This fact is especially true at the western extent of the
proposed district along Clark Avenue.
The City staff 'believe that the district boundary should extend no further
west than the alley between Burnett Avenue and Clark Avenue. The
rationale for this position is listed as follows:
1. Only one property west of the proposed alley line has any
significance with respect to local historical people;
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2. Strictly from the standpoint of significance criteria (i.e.
contributing/compatible structures; stylistic/vernacular archi-
tecture; person of historic significance; and age of the
structures) the area west of the proposed alley line is of
noticeably lower significance; and
3. The most noticeable concentration of properties that are
contributing/compatible and contain stylistic/vernacular archi-
tecture and are properties associated with persons of local
historic significance are located east of the proposed alley line.
The staff recommendation is shown as Attachment C, Option #2, which is
attached to this Action Form. At this point, the City staff is simply
asking the City Council to set the date of Public Hearing on the request to
consider a historic district designation as requested by the Historic Old
Town Committee. The notice of the Public Hearing will be based on the
district as proposed by the Historic Old Town Committee, but the City
Council should know that at the Public Hearing the City staff will be
requesting that the City Council consider a smaller district.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. The City Council can set September 12, 1989, as the date of Public
Hearing on this request.
2. The City Council can refer the request back to staff and the
Historic Preservation Commission for further review and report
before conducting the Public Hearing on this request.
MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
It is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt
Alternative #1. This will set September 12, 1989, as the date of Public
Hearing on this request. The City Council should understand that the
Public Hearing will consider the district as proposed by the Historic Old
Town Committee, and further, the City staff will be requesting that the
City Council consider the creation of a district that is smaller than that
proposed by the Historic Old Town Committee.
COUNCIL ACTION:
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