4 Island Ave W Staff Report
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CPED STAFF REPORT Prepared for the Heritage Preservation Commission HPC Agenda Item #2 June 6, 2017 PLAN4328 HERITAGE PRESERVATION APPLICATION SUMMARY Property Location: 4 Island Avenue West Project Name: Grain Belt Sign Relighting Prepared By: Nicholas Baker, City Planner (612) 673-3310 Applicant: August Schell Brewing Co. Project Contact: Justin Weinberg, Briggs and Morgan, P.A. Ward: 3 Neighborhood: Nicollet Island-East Bank; adjacent to North Loop, Downtown West Request: To allow rehabilitation of and modifications to an existing off-premise sign and sign structure. Required Applications: To allow rehabilitation of and modifications to an existing off-premise Certificate of Appropriateness sign and sign structure within the St. Anthony Falls Historic District. HISTORIC PROPERTY INFORMATION Current Name Grain Belt Sign Historic Name Grain Belt Sign 1330-1342 Nicollet Avenue (1941-1950) Historic Address 4 Island Avenue West (1950-present) Original Construction Date 1941, moved 1950 Original Architect Not applicable Original Builder General Outdoor Advertising Co. Original Engineer Not applicable Historic Use Advertising Current Use Advertising Proposed Use Advertising Date Application Deemed Complete May 3, 2017 Date Extension Letter Sent Not applicable End of 60-Day Decision Period July 2, 2017 End of 120-Day Decision Period Not applicable Department of Community Planning and Economic Development PLAN4328 CLASSIFICATION Local Historic District St. Anthony Falls Period of Significance 1848-1941 Criteria of Significance Architecture and social significance Date of Local Designation 1971 Date of National Register Listing 1971 St. Anthony Falls Historic District Design Guidelines (2012) Applicable Design Guidelines Design Guidelines For On-Premise Signs And Awnings (2003) SUMMARY BACKGROUND. The Grain Belt Beer Sign is a large, porcelain-enamel sign located on Nicollet Island in the St. Anthony Falls Historic District, directly across the Mississippi River from downtown near the Hennepin Avenue Bridge. The sign was originally constructed by the General Outdoor Advertising Company in April 1941 on the roof of the Marigold Ballroom at 1330-1342 Nicollet Avenue, on the southern edge of downtown. In March of 1950 it was removed from that location and in June of that year was reinstalled at its current location on Nicollet Island. The addition of an illuminated green frame was the most significant change made at this time; the support structure was also modified. Overall the sign is approximately 63 feet wide and 52 feet tall, with a total height, including the base, of approximately 100 feet. The steel structure is supported by concrete footings set into the riverbank and is approximately 40 feet wide and 20 feet deep, with a significant grade difference from the face to the rear. Historically, the sign was illuminated with incandescent light bulbs located on the letters spelling “Grain Belt Beer” and neon tubes outlining the frame and circular Minneapolis Brewing Company logo in green, bottle cap in amber, diamond logo in red, and. Most of the light bulbs and neon tubes have been broken, but the fixtures are extant. The sign went dark following the closure of the Minneapolis Brewing Company in 1975, was relit in May of 1989 by the G. Heileman Brewing Co, which had purchased the Grain Belt brand, but went dark again in 1991 following sale of the brand to the Minnesota Brewing Co. The brand was subsequently purchased by the August Schell Brewing Company of New Ulm, MN, in 2001, which purchased the sign in January of 2016. All of Nicollet Island was listed on the National and Local Historic Registers as part of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District in 1971, the sign itself was individually listed on the National Register in 2016. APPLICANT’S PROPOSAL. The applicant now proposes to relight the sign using new LED fixtures, to remove a smaller, non-historic sign mounted on the rear of the sign, to wrap the support structure in screening near its base to prevent climbing and vandalism, and to remove several trees growing in the interior of the structure. Work is to be done by their sign contractor, SML Electrical – also responsible for the previous relighting effort. Existing incandescent bulbs are to be replaced with new LED bulbs and fixtures in warm white, with color- changing capability – closely matching the lit and unlit appearance. Original neon would be replaced with similarly-sized contour LED, matching the original green, red, and amber, again with color-changing capability. (Originally proposing to use red in place of both the original red and amber areas, the applicant has since revised their proposal to retain a distinction between the amber bottle cap and red diamond logo.) The LED tubing is mounted on a solid, continuous backing, in contrast to traditional neon which is raised from the sign surface. The applicant proposes to locate the brackets affixing this backing to the sign surface using the same mounting holes used for the traditional neon tube supports. On the surface of the sign itself, they propose only minor rust removal, with possible graffiti removal and minor paint touch-ups as needed. Also proposed is a new, expanded metal security screen wrapping the sign structure, elevated slightly above grade at the street-facing side at the top of the riverbank and wrapping straight around towards the river side of 2 Department of Community Planning and Economic Development PLAN4328 the structure, including a horizontal base to deter climbers from entering the structure from below. The fencing will be approximately 15 feet tall on three of the four sides, terminating in and angled overhang to deter climbing; the river facing portion will terminate at or near the existing catwalk below the front face of the sign. The fencing will be powder-coated black to match the existing structure. Five existing trees growing within or near the base of the sign would be removed or cut back. The applicant proposes to match or approximate the historic lighting sequence as closes as possible – with each letter, G*R*A*I*N*B*E*L*T, and then the world BEER lighting individually, flashing three times, and then restarting the sequence. All other elements would be lit in a solid state. They also propose to use the color- changing capabilities of the new LED bulbs and fixtures to introduce specialized coloration for a number of occasions throughout the year: • Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July: red, white and blue. • Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: green and red. • St. Patrick’s Day: all green • Minnesota Sports: sign to be lit in team colors to commemorate division or championship titles (up to three days), as well as playoff appearances (day of game) PUBLIC COMMENTS. The Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association has submitted a letter in support of the project. Any additional correspondence received prior to the public meeting will be forwarded on to the Heritage Preservation Commission for consideration. ANALYSIS CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS The Department of Community Planning and Economic Development has analyzed the application to allow rehabilitation of and modifications to an existing off-premise sign and sign structure within the St. Anthony Falls Historic District, based on the following findings: 1. The alteration is compatible with the designation of the landmark or historic district, including the period and criteria of significance. Staff finds that the proposed work to the sign is generally compatible with and continues to support the criteria and period of significance for which the district was designated. The St. Anthony Falls Historic District is significant for its architecture and historical connections to commerce, industry, and transportation; large scale outdoor advertising was a common feature of the landscape during the latter part of its period of significance in the early to mid-20th century. The Grain Belt sign, strategically positioned for a high level of visibility from downtown, is a rare remaining example of this, and is tied to a leading brand and significant industry of this era. The proposed screening, powder coated in black to match the existing sign structure, will have minimal visibility while better securing access to the sign structure. The proposed tree removal, while taking place in a sensitive area, is necessary to maintain the long term stability of the structure and further restrict access. The LED bulbs very closely approximate the historic condition. The contour LED proposed will differ fairly significantly in appearance from the historic neon tubing when both lit and unlit – particularly in the continuous, solid backing that will fill what would have traditionally been a void behind the neon. The visibility of this change will, however, diminish with distance from the sign, and as the applicant has stated they will use existing holes for the neon tube supports to affix the contour LED to the face of the sign, this will be a reversible change. Staff, however, does not consider the proposal to change the colors of the sign to be historically appropriate – particularly given the large number of occasions proposed and the prominent, highly visible location of the sign. This would be a radical departure from the historical appearance of the sign, and would create something of a precedent, as no comparable proposal has been approved in the LED relighting of other large, historic neon signs in the district. 3 Department of Community Planning and Economic Development PLAN4328 2. The alteration will ensure the continued integrity of the landmark or historic district. Both the City of Minneapolis’ Heritage Preservation Regulations and the National Register of Historic Places identify integrity as the authenticity of historic properties, and recognize seven aspects that define a property’s integrity: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Staff finds that, with the recommended conditions and with the exception of the color-changing proposal - the proposed modifications will not impact the continued integrity of the Grain Belt Sign or the St.