DATE: September 6, 2018
TO: Members of the Northfield Heritage Preservation Commission
FROM: Scott Tempel, City Planner
Title
Review of Grand Event Center Portico reconstruction
Body
ACTION REQUESTED:
The HPC is asked to review a request from The Grand Event Center for a License Agreement to reconstruct the historic portico in City Right-of-Way.
SUMMARY:
The Grand Event Center was constructed in 1899 as the Ware Auditorium. It has gone through multiple renovations and changes over the past 120 years which are detailed in the attached survey. The original Federal Style formal portico was removed from the east side of the structure in the 1920's. The current owner would like to reconstruct the portico and reopen the balcony on top of it to expand and enhance the event space.
The HPC is being asked to provide input on the preliminary design to be included in a staff report to the City Council. The owner will need to obtain a License Agreement to encroach on the public Right-Of-Way (ROW), which requires City Council approval. Comments and feedback from the HPC will be included in the report to the Council. The License Agreement will be conditioned upon formal approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness from the HPC. Feedback and input from the HPC will provide the owner with the confidence to move forward with completing architectural design documents for the proposed project.
ANALYSIS:
As part of the Washington Street Reconstruction project, the sidewalk in front of the Grand will be expanded, further increasing pedestrian accessibility. There is sufficient space to accommodate the portico without obstructing the sidewalk. Reconstruction of missing historic elements is treated a little differently in the NPS preservation guidelines.
Standards for Reconstruction
1. Reconstruction will be used to depict vanished or non-surviving portions of a property when documentary and physical evidence is available to permit accurate reconstruction with minim...
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