Monday, November 9, 2020
ARC Members attending: Christine Hobbs, Ron Ngiam, Stefan Hurray, Phil Eagleburger, Ana Evans, Lois Orr, Danny Ince (present for Washington International School presentation), Tina Mead, Win Brown, and David Kay. Also attending were Rick Nash, President of the Cleveland Park Historical Society and Camilla Carpenter, Executive Director, Cleveland Park Historical Society.
This meeting was held via ZOOM.
Washington International School, Tregaron Campus, 3100 Macomb Street, N.W.
Agent: Shalom Baranes Associations & Perkins+Will
The Washington International School, Tregaron Campus (WIS) is located in the middle of what is now the Tregaron Conservancy with a Georgian revival mansion as the center piece of the school and of the property. WIS has proposed the construction of a new addition in order to increase class room space and other facilities. This proposal was reviewed by the ARC in November, 2019, January, 2020, June, 2020 and September, 2020. There have been substantial changes and improvements to the project as it has moved through the process. WIS is now presenting a revised proposal for a gate house at the Macomb Street entrance to the school. In September, the ARC found the design and location of the proposed gate house to be problematic. The current redesign, with two suggested locations, presents as a two-bay pergola with one half enclosed. Materials include wood shingle siding, beams and rafters and a flat roof.
The ARC finds that the proposed structure would change the historic character of the Macomb Street entrance to the school. The school should consider other locations on the school property.
The motion passed 9-1.
Tilden Gardens, 3000 Tilden Street, N.W.
Agent: Tom Patterson, The Window Man
The Tilden Gardens apartment buildings were built between 1927-1929 and the dark red brick buildings are highly visible contributing structures in the Cleveland Park Historic District, as they face Connecticut Avenue, Tilden and Segwick Streets. Legally, the six building consist of three separate cooperatives with the four building cooperative, Tilden Gardens, Inc. presenting to the ARC. The proposal is to replace ~1400 windows with Marvin, double-hung, aluminum-clad windows. The brickmold would be replicated.
While the proposed replacements are of high quality, the ARC (and historic preservation regulations) state that historic windows should be preserved where ever possible. Consistent preservation and the use of a “pattern book” for necessary replacements should be the approach taken when evaluated the existing windows.
The motion passed 7-2.
3616 Ordway Street, N.W.
Agent: Chris Saenger, Ballard+Mensua Architects
3616 Ordway, a Spanish-revival style bungalow with a red tile roof, was built in 1923. The one and half story house has the second floor fitted into the dormers and is a contributing structure to the Cleveland Park Historic District. The proposal, which was first presented to the ARC in September, 2020, included a rear two-story addition, an expanded basement, and the conversion of the existing garage to an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). In September, the ARC had concerns about the size and massing of the addition and of the ADU, the complexity of the proposed materials, the impact of the size of the second floor on the neighboring house, and the intersection of the existing and proposed roof lines.
In October, the ARC reviewed the revised drawings. The revisions simplified the garage and the materials on the house, slightly reduced the massing by indenting the house on the east side by two feet, and added a copper standing seam roof at the point where the addition joins the house. The proposal to widen the driveway has also been eliminated. It was determined that the garage is a contributing structure. As a result, the garage height will remain as built, the number of dormers will be reduced from four to one on the east side and the front of the structure will presents a garage door. The ARC continued to have concerns about the rear roof line, the massing of the addition, and the need for a more distinct, simplified addition.
The revised November proposal switched the rear addition from the east side of the house to the west side while also reducing the size by four feet. The mid band of roofing has been eliminated where possible. The bump out addition to the garage has been eliminated and the size of the dormer has been reduced. The proposed roof on the addition is a bronze/brown standing seam roof as is the garage roof.
The ARC recognizes the amount of effort that the architects have made to improve the design of this project and to meet historic preservation and neighborhood concerns. The ARC has no objection to the new proposed massing. However, the ARC thinks that the roof of the addition still has not been resolved, particularly the color.
The motion passed 9-0