Historic Preservation Commission Agenda and Packet 2017 02 13

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Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes January 9, 2017 Page 7 of 14 it is. The architectural integrity is high. It is somewhat unique in that there are two very small structures combined. This did happen in Old Town Louisville. Does it have some social significance? It does. Is it over 50 years old? Is it eligible as a potential historic district? There is a potential historic district in Little Italy. We are concerned about Little Italy which is in danger of losing its character rapidly in the next 10 years, partly due to new development next door. Those factors mitigate against demolition at this time. Is the condition of the structure reasonable? We have heard oral testimony about the condition. I accept the condition is not good. Are the costs reasonable to repair? There is evidence of what that would be to the foundation. There is no obvious decision here once you weigh the criteria. If we do decide to put a stay on demolition, I am interested in exploration between the owners and Staff as to the benefits grants may provide. If it enough to remedy the situation? It is worth trying. Dickinson says being an owner of a Iandmarked 120 year old home, this is familiar to me. What is good about this from a historic preservation standpoint is also what's bad about it from a living standpoint. The fact that it is so similar to what it was is part of the problem on a daily basis. Having no foundation and a dirt foundation and holes in the walls doesn't work. You need to update it and live in it in a way that is comfortable. There is an opportunity to see what it would look like if you can keep the front of the house and on the back, create a 2017 version of a living space. Is that $500,000 versus $200,000? That would be good information to have. The point of the stay would be to have you really investigate some of the other options. If we can get a grant of $20,000 from the HPC, that would help towards foundation and plumbing and electrical. You can do the addition on the back to get the square footage you want. Demolition is a big issue in this room as opposed to alteration. I am in support of trying to support the homeowner's investigation of options. The social history of this home is "you." You are the social history of this home. It has been yours for 70 years as opposed to someone buying, scraping, and making a rental property. I hope we can help you. Cyndi Thomas says I think in terms of architecture integrity, there is no doubt that the form is there, but I see little to nothing else. The materials are not the same. It has clearly fallen into disrepair. Learning today that there is zero foundation and sitting on dirt is a difficult thing to hear. When you look back at the social history, who has been living in the house, who is here in front of us, and who wants to demo the house, it says a lot. We should be listening to that. They have had generations in the house. Chuck Thomas says I am conflicted. I don't feel like I have enough information to make a decision to demolish versus not demolish. It may be that after exploring a variety of options, demolition may be the only viable affordable alternative for this family. I know how much it takes to repair property. It would not surprise me that if we request a stay and asked them to work with Staff, ultimately the conclusion might be demolition. It could be affordable to repair and add on. Given the lack of information before us, I would encourage us to ask for a 180 day stay. Cyndi Thomas asks if we have to put on a 180 day stay. Trice says in the past, we have put a stay until the next meeting. Fahey says I too am conflicted because of the lack of information on how much repair would cost. Ideally, it would be more cost effective to repair than to demo it and build something new. We don't have that information to base our decision on. I am interested in the social history. It is fabulous that the same family has owned it for this long. I understand their desire to fix it and have it a place to live and congregate. My vote is to give it a temporary stay to give the owners time to research the cost of repair. They can talk to Staff to find out how much the fund can assist them. I don't think it needs to be a full 180 days. Haley says my guess is that an addition would be more expensive than a modular home. What does that look like? I think Little Italy is lot of important context. If this house did not have the structural problems, the family would love the house. It's the issues it has. If we fix the issues and financially feasibly make it larger, would that work? It is worth exploring.