Historic Preservation Commission Minutes 2020 12 21

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Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes 21 December 2020 Page 9 of 14 809 Main Street: A request to landmark 809 Main Street and a request for a Preservation and Restoration Grant and an Alteration Certificate (Resolutions 32, 33, and 34). • Applicant: Andy Johnson, DAJ Design • Staff: Lisa Ritchie, Planner Ritchie described the architectural integrity, noting that the facade windows had been changed and brick had been added. She displayed pictures of the back of the current building, which included a separate building and an outdoor dining area. She reviewed the criteria for landmarking, stating that the structure was constructed in 1900 and exemplifies false -front architecture from Louisville's earliest history. Ritchie described the Alteration Certificate proposal to remove the rear portion of the historic structure and retain the front 25 feet of the original structure, which was the original portion of the structure as determined by staff and the applicant. The proposal also included constructing a two-story addition on the rear of the structure, which would be minimally visible from Main Street. Ritchie described floor plans and elevations for the Alteration Certificate. She summarized that staff found that the proposed design meets the criteria by enhancing the historical and architectural character of the property; creating a clearly distinguishable addition that does not negatively impact the historical significance; maintaining the structure's historic purpose; retaining its historic character; and preserving, repairing, and retaining distinctive and original features where possible. Ritchie described the grant request for a preservation and restoration grant, a new construction grant, and the landmark incentive, totaling $492,083. She noted that this was the first application for extraordinary circumstances from a commercial property and it included extensive foundational work and a new structural system. The Historic Structure Assessment and the history of diminished lease -ability showed there were issues with occupying the property and its use today required investment. Due to the historic nature of the building, the costs are substantially higher than if the owner were to scrape the property. Ritchie noted that the request did not include interior and tenant finish costs, which could go into the hundreds of thousands of dollars if not over a million. Ritchie added that the application met all of the criteria for the $75,000 New Construction grant. Dunlap and Planner Ritchie reviewed the history of the preservation -related applications for the property. Andy Johnson presented the proposal, noting that there had been a lot of work done on this project over recent years, including by other design firms. He emphasized that after having done the Historic Structure Assessment, it was clear that restaurants wear hard on old buildings. He described the original iterations of 809 Main with historic photographs and layouts. Johnson described the size of the site, which was long and thin, and which had narrow drainage on either side of the building that was covered by an easement. He showed the proposed structure, which included a one-story, 25-foot historic section, a two-story new structure, and covered parking and trash enclosure in the back. Johnson displayed multiple elevations, renderings, and photographs to show the proposed work. He noted that the preserved facade would bring back ornamentation and the placement of the front door would be flush with the street for ADA compliance. These restorations were based on historic photographs. 9