ARC Report
Report of the Architectural Review Committee (ARC), July 2025
Meeting Details
- Meeting Date:
- Monday, July 14, 2025
- Format:
- This meeting was held via ZOOM.
Attendees
- Christine Hobbs
- Ron Ngiam
- David Kay
- Anne Weir
- Ana Evans
- Tina Mead
- Stefan Hurray
- Stephen Hansen
Additional Attendees
- Andrea Pedolsky, President, Cleveland Park Historical Society
- Ellen Goldich, Executive Director, Cleveland Park Historical Society
3521 35th Street, N.W.
Description
3521 35th Street was built in 1935 and is a contributing structure in the Cleveland Park Historic District. The proposal for side, rear and roof additions in order to create a two-unit building were presented to the ARC in December, 2024 and in January, 2025. In December, the ARC had concerns about the visibility of the raised roof, the relocation of the basement windows and the alignment of the water table. In January, the ARC expressed concerns about the inconsistencies found in the revised plans, particularly regarding the roof line. Also unclear was the relationship between this house and the other half of the duplex. The issues of the basement windows and the water table were not addressed. In July, alternative plans for the roof were presented to the ARC. Again, the ARC expressed concerns about the plans not being properly drawn. For example, the chimney and the front dormer were drawn at different heights in various drawings and the relationship of this house to its neighboring duplex where the party wall and the roof meet were not presented. Interior floor plans did not always match elevation drawings.
ARC Recommendation
The ARC does not support the current proposals for a raised roof, as presented but also notes that the ARC was not able to fully evaluate the proposals due to the inaccurate drawings. The ARC requests that the existing measurements represented on the drawings be field verified and that a 3-D mock-up and a cross section of the house be created for any new proposals. Also, the presented drawings eliminated the third-floor deck and shifted the third-floor extension to the rear, creating a four-story mass that towers over its neighbors.
3107 34th ST, N.W.
Description
3107 34th Street was built in 1918 and is a contributing structure in the Cleveland Park Historic District. The proposal includes the demolition of an existing rear porch and the construction of a new two-story, rear addition, eight feet in depth and 574 square feet in volume. A roof deck with a covering trellis will also be constructed on the third floor. All of the windows will be replaced with in kind windows and the side and rear windows will be enlarged. A side door and stairs will be added next to the driveway and the garage will remain. With the exception of new windows, the front façade will remain unchanged.
ARC Recommendation
The ARC has no objection to the concept of an eight-foot rear addition but has the following comments and concerns: The two replacement side windows flanking the chimney and visible from the street should match the front windows in configuration, height, and size. The dormer windows should match the existing double hung 6 over 6 windows. The other replacement windows in the original house should be double hung 6 over 6 windows. The rear addition should be indented from the original house. The size of the rear dormer should not be expanded and should continue to match the one in the front or be set back. Unless required by Code, the solid, side wall on the third-floor deck should be eliminated since it presents a solid, blank wall to the neighbor and the trellis on the third-floor roof should be reduced in size. Care should be taken to preserve the front porch railing. Additional efforts should be made to inform the neighbor. This is especially important for a duplex building.