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CONSIDERATION OF A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR THE EXTERIOR ALTERATION OF A BUILDING IN THE MAGNOLIA HISTORIC DISTRICT LOCATED AT 345 E. ACACIA STREET (Application No. P18-0782)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Cultural Heritage Board approve a resolution recommending that the Director issue a Certificate of Appropriateness based on the findings and subject to the conditions contained herein.
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Summary
The applicant and homeowner, David Wellenbrock, submitted a Certificate of Appropriateness application after receipt of a Notice of Violation from Code Enforcement staff related to the installation of four (4) new vinyl, dual pane windows. The subject property, located at 345 East Acacia Street and within the Magnolia Historic District, is a two-story Moderne or Streamline Moderne style home. As multi-pane, true-divided windows are a character-defining feature of this architectural style, staff recommends approval with a condition requiring replacement of the windows with period appropriate windows conforming to the City-wide Design Guidelines and Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
DISCUSSION
Background
According to Stockton Citywide Design Guidelines §3.02.020(D), the Magnolia Historic District was established by City Council on July 30, 1984. The District includes a prevalence of residential structures representing notable architectural styles from the 1860’s through the 1930’s. The District is composed of 216 lots, of which 161 were deemed contributory to its character. At the time of formation, the District was considered eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (Attachment A - Magnolia Historic District Summary).
The subject property (Attachment B - Location Map and Aerial Photo) is bounded:
• To the North by a single-family home;
• To the South by East Acacia Street and single-family homes;
• To the East by North Sutter Street and single-family homes; and
• To the West by single-family homes.
The subject home was constructed in 1937 and appears to be of the Moderne or Streamline Moderne style popular in the 1920’s -1940’s. This style was characterized by horizontal orientation, rounded edges/corner windows, flat roofs, smooth stucco surfaces, and the use of glass block. Staff was unable to locate information documenting whether the home was considered a contributing member of the Historic Preservation District. However, due to the age of the home, it appears to be contributing as it aligns with the Magnolia Historic District’s period of significance (i.e., 1860’s to 1930’s).
Project Description
The applicant completed installation of new vinyl, dual pane windows on the central and western portion of the building (Attachment C - Window Replacement Photo). Based on Google Street View imagery and photos from circa 1979, the windows removed were true divided-light with 15 panes on the central portion of the building and 10 panes on each corner (Attachment D - Street View Photos).
A Certificate of Appropriateness is required in accordance with Stockton Municipal Code (SMC) §16.220.060(A)(1) since the window replacement is an exterior alteration to a structure within a historic preservation district. The standard of review for the Certificate of Appropriateness is the: (a) Citywide Design Guidelines §3.02 (Single-Family Residential Design Guidelines for Special Districts); and (b) Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.
Staff Analysis
Citywide Design Guidelines §3.02.060(F) (Rehabilitation Guidelines- Windows)
The City-wide Design Guidelines includes provisions for the rehabilitation of structures in special districts, including the Magnolia Historic District. The subject property is featured on Page 3.02 - 10 of the guidelines. Generally, the guidelines aim to protect the original architectural features of a house that help identify its individual style and thereby maintain elements that contribute to the overall character of the district. Citywide Design Guidelines §3.02.060(F) provides the following guidelines for this application:
1. The size, shape, and style of windows are an important feature of most architectural styles and should be maintained and repaired whenever possible.
2. When replacing windows is necessary, new windows should match the original windows as closely as possible. In some instances, custom milling may be advised to ensure a close match on highly visible windows.
3. The following are not recommended in the repair of windows:
a. Using reflective glass or films.
b. Installing aluminum windows in locations that are visible from the public right-of-way.
c. Using windows that are incompatible with the other windows on the house or with the overall style of the house.
d. Removing or covering original window ornamentation and details.
4. Aluminum or vinyl windows may be allowed in some cases, provided that the basic size and configuration of the original window is maintained so that it may be properly restored at some point in the future.
As the windows were removed, maintenance or restoration of the original windows is not possible. The proposed replacement windows are single pane and contrast with all remaining windows which are all multi-pane, true-divided light in a consistent grid pattern.
Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation
The Secretary of Interior’s definition for rehabilitation, as a treatment, is the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values. The Standards are to be applied to specific rehabilitation projects in a reasonable manner, taking into consideration economic and technical feasibility. Staff’s analysis of the project under each standard is provided in italics below:
1. A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
As the application is limited to window replacement, the historic purpose of the structure as a single-family dwelling would not change.
2. The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
Materials that characterize the subject home were removed without prior approval. Replacement windows consistent with the home’s architectural style is possible with commercially available products. As such, consistency under this standard would, under staff’s recommendation, require compliance with a condition of approval requiring the installation of windows appropriate to the architectural style.
3. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.
The project excludes alterations with the potential to result in false historicism.
4. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
The application does not concern a change which may have required historic significance. Based on available Google Street View imagery, the windows replaced were previously consistent with the home’s architectural style.
5. Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved.
See response to Standard #2 above.
6. Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
See response to Standard #2 above.
7. Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible.
No chemical or physical treatment is proposed.
8. Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken.
The application involves no earthwork. Therefore, this standard is not applicable.
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
See response to Standard #2 above.
10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.
No new adjacent construction is proposed.
Conclusion
The windows removed from the home were a prominent design feature of the Moderne and Streamline Moderne style, and the proposed replacement windows are inconsistent with the above-referenced guidelines and standards. Therefore, staff recommends that the CHB adopt the proposed resolution including a condition for alternative windows to be installed. As noted, the windows would be true- or simulated-divided light (if exterior mullions present), in a grid-pattern consistent with other like windows remaining on the home. Review and approval of the windows would occur through building permit review.
Public Comments
As provided at Stockton Municipal Code §16.220.060(C)(3) (Noticing for Certificate of Appropriateness), public notice or hearing is not required for the Cultural Heritage Board and Director to act on a Certificate of Appropriateness application.
Environmental Clearance
This application is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines §15331 (Class 31, Historical Resource Restoration/ Rehabilitation) since, as recommended by staff, it consists of the rehabilitation of a home in a historic district consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties.
Attachment A - Magnolia Historic District Summary
Attachment B - Location Map and Aerial Photo
Attachment C - Window Replacement Photo
Attachment D - Historic Photos