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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1976 08-12 HPB Meeting Minutes RegularAGENDA Edina Heritage Preservation Board Regular Meeting Wednesday, August 12, 1976, at 7:30 p.m. Edina City Hall Conference Room I, Approval of the Minutes: July 7, 1976. II. Trinity Chapel, Oak Grove (Common Name: The Sheridans, 4924 France Avenue South) Review of Building Plans. III, Jonathan Taylor Grimes House Rezoning, Interior Report. IV. Edina Mills Feasibility Report. V. Research Projects: Informal Discussion. VI. Other Business: A. Edina Eye Clinic, 3939 West 50th Street. VII. Next Meeting Date: September 9, 1976, at 7:30 p.m. VIII. Adjournment. I F -1-11J A MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ED,iE1 HERITAGE PRESERVATION BOARD HELD AUGUST 12, 1976, AT 7:30 P.M. EDINA CITY HALL Members Present: Foster Dunwiddie, Chairman, Maryanne Herman, James McWethy, and Tom Martinson. Staff Present: Harold Sand, Assistant Planner. I. Approval of the Minutes of July _7,__1976. Mr. Martinson moved that the minutes be approved as submitted. Mr. McWethy seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried. II. Trinitv Chapel, Oak Grove (Common Name:_ The Sheridans, 4924 France Avenue South) Review of Building Plans. Mr. Dunwiddie stated that this item was a continuation of the study of the history of the Episcopal Church in Edina that was introduced at the July meeting. He recalled that the board requested an opportunity to review the preliminary plans of the proposed addition. Mr. Ed Kodet of Dickey-Kodet Architects intro- duced Mr. and Mrs. Hal Sheridan, owners of the property. Mr. Kodet presented an eye level perspective of the proposal. He indicated that plans would conform to the ,Building Department and Fire Department regulations that require sprinklers in the original structure and fire -proof construction in the addition. He stated that the addition would be constructed with concrete blocks on both levels; the basement level would be exposed and treated similar to the existing basement. The main floor level and above would be sheathed with wood siding on all sides to match the siding on the existing structure. He indicated they would also provide a matching corner detail, cornice, soffit and painting as the original structure. Both the basement and main floor levels would have multi -pane windows on the north wall that match existing window lines and are similar to the main floor windows in front. Mr. Kodet displayed a site plan and indicated the addition would have a one -foot setback from the original structure because the original structure was improperly located on the public right-of-way. Mr. Dunwiddie indicated that this configuration improved the plans considerably because the original corner would be preserved and the definition of the original building would be better. Mr. Kodet proposed to construct the new roof with the same pitch as the existing roof, continuing from the eave line to the ceiling level of the main floor and extending to the west wall with a flat roof. A return on the cornice would be provided to match the existing return. The Board discussed the alternate roof configurations that were possible, including a flat roof and a "saltbox" roof. Mr. Sheridan indicated that he did not agree with the combined pitched and flat roof proposed by Mr. Kodet. The Board determined that the "saltbox" configuration with a smaller roof pitch would be preferable because this construction technique was incorporated in structures of the same time period. The Board cgnsidered the relocation of the existing ground mounted air conditioner. Mr. Martinson suggested that it would be desirable to locate that equipment in a below grade vault covered with a grate near the south- east corner of the building. Mr. Kodet said there would not be a problem adding this to the plans. 8-12-76 Edina Heritage Preservation Board Minutes, Page 2 Mr. Martinson moved that the Board make the finding that the Sheridans Building at 4924 France Avenue South is the original Trinity Chapel, Oak Grove, the first Episcopal Church in Edina as described in Foster Dunwiddie's report, "The Episcopal Church in Edina." Therefore, the building is historically signi- ficant to the City of Edina, and the building inspector can be informed that the proposed addition is in character with the historical integrity of the building, provided the addition conforms to the plans presented, as modified with the "salt- box" roof form and the air conditioning equipment, is located in a below grade vault near the southeast corner of the building. Mr. McWethy seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried. III. Jonathan Taylor Grimes House Rezoning, Interior Report. Mr. Dunwiddie stated that he and Mr. Sand presented the rezoning report and recommendation to the Edina Planning Commission on July 7, 1976, and to the Edina City Council on August 2, 1976. Preliminary approval was granted and final approval would be considered August 16, 1976. During the interim, the City Attorney requested that the HPB consider the interior of the house and state the reasons it should or should not be included. Mr. Sand indicated that the ordinance is structured to automatically include the interior unless it is specifically excluded. Mr. Dunwiddie related unfortunate experiences the St. Paul Housing Authority had with improper modifications to interiors of historic houses and indicated that it would be in the interest of the City to retain control of the interior modifications using discretion in the permit review process. He indicated that he could not foresee concern about wall coverings and that the major concerns included ceiling mouldings for the chandeliers, original woodwork for door and window frames, and similar major modifications to the ori- ginal structure. Mr. Sand suggested that the rationale for including the interior was strengthened generally in cases where an individual building was designated for pre- servation as compared with a district consisting of several structures that would be primarily significant for the exterior appearance and relationship of the structures. He indicated that the Board should be concerned with the basic volume and order of the interior spaces in addition to details in construction. Mr. Sand read letters from the Edina Historical Society and the Minnesota Historical Society commending the work of the Board and endorsing the rezoning of the Grimes House. He indicated that the Minnesota Historical Society requested that the Board use the State Survey Form in the future because that would speed and simplify evaluation. Mrs. Herman moved that the Board recommend that interior of the Grimes House be included in the Heritage Preservation District because the original construction details should be preserved and the configuration of interior spaces is important to the interpretation of the design and use of the structure. Mr. Martinson seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried. IV. Edina Mills Feasibility Report. Mr. Sand explained that he received a letter from the National Advisory Council on Historic Preservation concerning the Edina Mills restoration project. 8-12-76 Edina Heritage Preservation Board Minutes, Page 3 The letter contained information about additional funding sources that may be available, the qualifications for an archaeologist, and an approval of the first phase of the project with a request for additional information and time to review the second phase. Mr. Sand stated that he also received a letter from Hennepin County indi- cating concurrence with the environmental assessment that concludes that there will be no significant adverse effect on the human environment. The letter auth- orized publication of these findings for release of the project funding. Mr. Dunwiddie stated he has supplied the additional material requested by the National Parks Service to complete review of the National Register of Historic Places Nomination. Mr. Sand discussed the recent negotiations with the Edina School District staff indicating they would recommend approval of a transfer of the title of the existing park; however, they could not approve any additional parkland or a change in the perimeter fence. No further action was taken. V. Research Projects. Mr. Dunwiddie reported that he interviewed'Mr. Mary and Mrs. Adeline Lindboe, the former owners of the Sly House, 6124 Brookview Avenue. They loaned photographs of the house taken prior to the 1936 remodeling. A complete copy of the title abstract was provided by Title Insurance Company. Mr. McWethy indicated that he was continuing to work on the Southdale re- search and that this was an opportune time because the 20th anniversary celebra- tion was being held. He has contacted Bob Crabb, who was originally project mana- ger of Southdale for Victor Gruen and Associates, designers of the project, and sub- sequently has been employed by Dayton -Hudson Corporation. VI. Other Business. A. Edina Eye Clinic, 3939 West 50th Street. Mr. Sand stated that he had staff authorization to seek a party interested in moving and preserving the structure. The owner, Dr. Larson, indicated he would agree to sell the building provided he could remove some of the fixtures. He would send a letter to document the agreement. The Board discussed methods of publicizing the proposal, generally agreeing that a public interest article in addition to an advertisement would be desirable. No further action was taken. VII. Next Meeting Date: September 9, 1976, at 7:30 p.m. VIII. Adjournment. Mr. Martinson moved that the meeting be adjourned. Mrs. Herman seconded. All voted aye. Motion carried. Respectfully Submitted, Harold Sand