Design Guidelines for Raleigh Historic Districts
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Design Guidelines for Raleigh Historic Districts R ALEIGH H ISTORIC D ISTRICTS C OMMISSION Design Guidelines for Raleigh Historic Districts Adopted by Raleigh Historic Districts Commission: June 19, 2001 Adopted by Raleigh City Council: June 19, 2001 Effective Date: July 22, 2001 R ALEIGH H ISTORIC D ISTRICTS C OMMISSION R ALEIGH H ISTORIC D ISTRICTS C OMMISSION Raleigh City Council Mayor: Paul Y. Coble Mayor Pro Tem: John H. Odom Members: O. Morton Congleton, Julie Shea Graw, W. Benson Kirkman, Marc Scruggs, Keiran Joseph Shanahan, James West Raleigh Historic Districts Commission, Inc. Chair: C. Allen Burris Vice-Chair: Terry M. Harper Secretary/Treasurer: Jane Thurman Members: Bob Anderson, David R. Black, David Bonomo, Daniel W. Figgins, Alpha L. Howze, Jr., Treva M. Jones, Andy Lawrence, Flora J. Hatley Wadelington, James E. Williams Design Guidelines Revision Committee Chair: Stuart Bass Commission members: Frank Branan, Terry M. Harper, Bruce Markey Historic district representatives: Janet Wellman, Ingrid Wood Commission staff: Dan Becker, Margaret Long Stephenson Other city staff: Ira Botvinick, Marion Clark State Historic Preservation Office staff: Paul Fomberg, Melinda Coleman Project Consultant Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll Ramsay Leimenstoll, Architect 629 South Elm Street, P.O. Box 823, Greensboro, North Carolina 27402-0823 Editing and page formatting by Margo Johnson Edelfelt Johnson, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Acknowledgments The activity that is the subject of this design guidelines publication has been financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior. Photos on pages 2 (bottom photo), 3 (top photo), 10, 11, 25, 32 (bottom photo), 59, 60 (top two photos), 61, and 63 were provided courtesy of the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. Illustrations on pages 38, 40, and 58 drawn by Cynthia Williford. Published by the City of Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina, 2001 © 1993 Raleigh Historic Districts Commission, Inc. This document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part with prior written permission of the Raleigh Historic Districts Commission. However, prior written permission is not required for reproduction in whole or in part for use in matters related to the Raleigh Historic Districts Commission, the state government, or the federal government. R ALEIGH H ISTORIC D ISTRICTS C OMMISSION Contents Foreword v 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Raleigh Historic Districts ......................................................................2 1.2 Raleigh Historic Districts Commission..................................................3 1.3 The Design Review Process ..................................................................3 1.4 The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation ................5 1.5 Certificate of Appropriateness Flow Chart ..........................................6 2 Site and Setting 7 2.1 Public Rights-of-Way and Alleys ..........................................................8 2.2 Archaeology........................................................................................10 2.3 Site Features and Plantings..................................................................12 2.4 Fences and Walls ................................................................................14 2.5 Walkways, Driveways, and Offstreet Parking ....................................16 2.6 Garages and Accessory Structures ......................................................18 2.7 Lighting ..............................................................................................20 2.8 Signage................................................................................................22 3 Changes to the Building Exterior 25 3.1 Wood..................................................................................................26 3.2 Masonry ............................................................................................28 3.3 Architectural Metals ..........................................................................30 3.4 Paint and Paint Color..........................................................................32 3.5 Roofs ..................................................................................................34 3.6 Exterior Walls ....................................................................................36 3.7 Windows and Doors ..........................................................................38 3.8 Entrances, Porches, and Balconies ......................................................42 3.9 Storefronts ..........................................................................................44 3.10 Utilities and Energy Retrofit................................................................46 3.11 Accessibility, Health, and Safety Considerations ................................48 4 Additions and New Construction 51 4.1 Decks ..................................................................................................52 4.2 Additions to Historic Buildings ..........................................................54 4.3 New Construction ..............................................................................56 5 Relocation or Demolition 59 5.1 Relocation ..........................................................................................60 5.2 Demolition..........................................................................................62 6 Appendixes 65 6.1 Resources for Technical Information ..................................................67 6.2 Architectural Terms ............................................................................68 6.3 “Special Character” Essays and Maps of Raleigh Historic Districts ....74 iii Raleigh Design Guidelines R ALEIGH H ISTORIC D ISTRICTS C OMMISSION Foreword The Design Guidelines for Raleigh Historic Districts booklet (referred to throughout the document as the design guidelines) is intended to meet several essential needs. It serves different roles for different stakeholders in the historic MISSION STATEMENT districts. For property owners, residents, and contractors, it provides primary The Raleigh Historic Districts guidance in planning projects sympathetic to the special character of each of Commission serves as the City Raleigh’s historic districts. For commission members and staff, it offers a basis Council’s official historic preser- for evaluating proposed changes. In the process, it serves as a valuable tool in vation advisory body to identify, the commission’s efforts to preserve, protect and educate. preserve, protect, and educate In addition, the design guidelines will serve these different roles for designated the public about Raleigh’s his- Raleigh Historic Landmarks should there be no interlocal agreement with Wake toric resources. County that gives the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission jurisdic- tion for the review of exterior changes to landmarks located outside of historic overlay districts. The design guidelines’ first chapter, Introduction, provides more detailed infor- mation regarding the process for application and review of projects within the historic districts. The guidelines are not intended to be a comprehensive restora- tion or rehabilitation manual nor are they intended to provide a definitive method for preparing individual applications (resources for technical informa- tion are listed in the appendixes). Rather, these design guidelines provide appli- cants, the committee, and staff a basis from which to reach decisions and an assurance that consistent procedures and standards will be adhered to. In reviewing applications, the committee/staff considers the property itself, the street context within which it is located, and the special character of the entire historic district. A brief description of the character of each district is provided along with a map in the appendixes. Design Guidelines Format The guideline information is presented in a specific format used throughout the body of the document. This is done in an effort to produce a document that is easily readable and also one where the individual sections stand alone. On the The guidelines address not only buildings, but the street left page, the specific features are first discussed; then, items to consider prior to context within which they are located. undertaking a project are noted; finally, photographic examples with an accom- panying caption are shown. On the right page, the specific guidelines that relate to the feature being discussed are then presented. left right planning guidelines v Raleigh Design Guidelines R ALEIGH H ISTORIC D ISTRICTS C OMMISSION Section 1 Introduction 1 Raleigh Design Guidelines R ALEIGH H ISTORIC D ISTRICTS C OMMISSION 1.1 Raleigh Historic Districts A Raleigh Historic District is a distinctive area, a place of singular historical fla- vor characterized by its streets and squares, buildings and trees, architectural design and landscape features. It may be monumental or simple, residential or commercial. A historic district is also a legacy, linking present and future genera- tions with their heritage and providing a diversity vital to the city’s future quali- ty of life. Development that enhances the character of Raleigh Historic