HISTORIC PRESERVATION HANDBOOK norman, oklahoma A PUBLICATION OF THE NORMAN HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MARCH 2009 Historic Preservation Handbook of Norman, Oklahoma A publication of the Norman Historic District Commission March 2009 Norman City Council Historic District Commission Cindy Rosenthal, Mayor Jayne Crumpley Bob Thompson, Ward 1 Judi Hadley Tom Kovach, Ward 2 Ty Hardiman Hal Ezzell, Ward 3 Jim Long Carol Dillingham, Ward 4 Doug Mock Rachel Butler, Ward 5 Alan Moring Jim Griffith, Ward 6 Neil Robinson Doug Cubberly, Ward 7 Anais Star Dan Quinn, Ward 8 Kathleen Wallis Acknowledgements The Norman Historic Preservation Handbook is the result of hundreds of hours invested by members of Norman’s Historic District Commission, the Norman City Council, City staff, and by residents of Norman’s historic neighborhoods. Without their commitment to the importance of historic preservation, this handbook would not have been possible. Credits Illustrations: Jaime Evans Photos: Jim Long, Susan Atkinson Layout & Design: Ty Hardiman, Lisa Krieg, Cheri Callahan, Susan Atkinson Editing: Keith Petillo, Jolana McCart Narrative text: Susan Atkinson Guidelines text: Norman Historic District Commission, Mayor Cindy Rosen- thal, Ward 4 Councilmember Carol Price Dillingham, and resi- dents of Norman’s historic neighborhoods, including residents of the Chautauqua and Miller Historic Districts Special Thanks Deepest thanks to past and present members of the Historic District Commission for their unwavering perseverance in working through the content of this handbook line by line. Thank you to Historic District Commission Chairman Jim Long who spent dozens of hours wielding a judicious gavel and camera in order to help distinguish a muntin from a mullion. Thank you also to Glen Roberson of the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office for patience, funding, guidance, and editorial comment. Thank you to City of Norman Revitalization Manager Linda Price for patience as the handbook took a lot longer than anticipated. Thank you to Assistant City Attorney Kathryn Walker for wise counsel. Many thanks to Lisa Krieg and Cheri Callahan for good eyes and technical know-how, and thank you to Jolana McCart, Revitalization Division Admin Tech IV for her fortitude and for being a good listener and editor. An enormous thank you to former Historic District Commission Chairman Ty Hardiman for a bottomless well of midnight oil burned while typesetting, formatting, and thinking about the content of this handbook. And lastly, thank you to stakeholders in Norman’s historic neighborhoods and district who attended the five public meetings held during the spring and summer of 2008. Your input on the content of the Historic Preservation Guidelines was absolutely essential. Funding Norman’s Historic Preservation Handbook was funded in part by a grant from the Certi- fied Local Government program of the National Park Service, US Department of the Inte- rior. These funds are administered by the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office. Table of Contents Introduction 1.1 Mission & Purpose of the Preservation Handbook. 2 1.2 Norman’s Historic District Ordinance. 3 1.3 Design Review Process 1.31 Project Description . 4 1.32 Administrative Bypass. 4 1.33 Appeals . 5 1.4 Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation . 6 1.5 Prominent Architectural Styles in Norman’s Historic Districts. 7 1.6 History of Norman’s Historic Districts 1.61 Chautauqua Historic District . 15 1.62 Miller Historic District . 16 1.7 Maps of Norman’s Historic Districts 1.71 Chautauqua Historic District . 18 1.72 Miller Historic District . 19 Site & Setting 2.1 Site and Landscape. 22 2.2 Archaeology . 24 2.3 Garages & Accessory Structures . 25 2.4 Sidewalks, Driveways, and Off-Street Parking. 28 2.5 Fences and Masonry Walls. 30 2.6 Signage . 35 2.7 Non-Contributing Structures . 34 2.8 Lighting. 35 Changes to the Building Exterior 3.1 Exterior Walls . 38 3.2 Wood Features. 40 3.3 Masonry Features . 43 3.4 Roofs . 46 3.5 Windows and Doors. 49 3.6 Entrances, Porches and Balconies . 54 3.7 Recommendations for Color. 57 3.8 Mechanical, Electrical, and Communication Equipment . 59 3.9 Utilities and Energy Retrofit. 60 3.10 Accessibility, Health, and Safety Considerations. 62 Additions & New Construction 4.1 Decks . 66 4.2 Additions to Historic Buildings . 68 4.3 New Primary Structures. 70 Relocation & Demolition 5.1 Relocation of Structures. 74 5.2 Demolition of Structures . 76 Appendices 6.1 Technical Resources . 80 6.2 Preservation Glossary and Definitions. 81 NORMAN HISTORIC PRESERVATION HANDBOOK Chapter 1 Introduction 1 NORMAN HISTORIC PRESERVATION HANDBOOK 1.1 Mission & Purpose of the Preservation Handbook Recommendations and The Mission of Norman’s Historic District Commission Guidelines The Norman Historic District Commission serves as the City Council’s • Recommendations are intended official historic preservation advisory body to identify, protect, and edu- to assist property owners when cate the public about Norman’s historic resources. planning a project that will alter Purpose of the Preservation Handbook the exterior of their property. This handbook is intended to assist property owners in planning projects • Guidelines are the specific rules which will alter the exterior of their property and therefore impact the used by the Historic District overall character and integrity of the historic districts. The Norman His- Commission to determine if a toric Preservation Handbook is designed to assist everyone with a stake in project is eligible to receive a preserving Norman’s historic districts. For property owners, residents, and Certificate of Appropriateness contractors, the Preservation Handbook provides clear guidance in plan- (COA). The use of guidelines ning projects that are sympathetic to the special character of Norman’s enables the Commission to make historic districts. For Historic District Commissioners and City staff, the consistent, policy-based decisions Preservation Handbook offers guidelines by which to evaluate proposed that will protect the city’s historic changes to historic structures. In reviewing applications, the Commission resources for years to come. A and staff consider the property itself, the property’s setting and context, project must comply with all relevant and the special character of the entire historic district. Finally, the Preser- guidelines before it can receive a COA. vation Handbook is an essential tool in helping the Commission fulfill its • For the purpose of clarification, mission to preserve, protect, and educate the public through the applica- all guidelines in this handbook are tion of consistent policy and procedures. indicated on-screen with red text Why Historic Preservation Matters to Norman and italicization. Black & white Historic preservation is vitally important to the Norman community — printers will indicate guidelines by now more than ever. Historic buildings embody a distinctive form of our the use of italicized text. City’s architecture that will never again be duplicated, and these buildings and their surroundings add an irreplaceable component to the character and personality of Norman. The architecture of our neighborhoods shapes our sense of place and our feelings about where we live. This is what makes the neighborhoods worthy of protection. 2 NORMAN HISTORIC PRESERVATION HANDBOOK 1.2 Norman’s Historic District Ordinance The Norman City Council adopted the Historic District Ordinance in 1993 to empower neighborhoods to form local historic preservation dis- tricts. In 1995, the residents of the Chautauqua neighborhood requested and were granted Historic District status under the ordinance; the Miller Historic District followed in 1997. The guidelines which form the basis of this book were first adopted in 1996. Norman’s Historic District Ordinance enables the creation of local histor- ic districts, which provide the strongest level of preservation protection in Norman. The ordinance operates as part of the City’s Zoning Ordinance, and thus has the legal authority of Oklahoma state law which enables city governments to enact and enforce zoning standards. Furthermore, the Ordinance, the Preservation Handbook, and the Historic District Commission are recognized by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and federal Certified Local Governments (CLG) program and comply with the their legal requirements. As stated in the City of Norman, Oklahoma Code of Ordinances, the pur- pose of the city’s Historic District Ordinance is: • To safeguard the heritage of the city by preserving and regulating historic landmarks and districts that reflect elements of Norman’s cultural, social, political, and architectural history • To preserve and enhance the environmental quality of the neighborhoods’ • To strengthen the City’s economic base by the stimulation of conservation and reuse • To establish and preserve property values • To ensure harmonious, orderly and efficient growth and development of the municipality • To promote the use of historic landmarks and districts for the culture, prosperity, education, and welfare of the people of the city and visitors to Norman National Register of Historic Places Although recognition by the federal government on the National Register of Historic Places is an honor, it lacks the strength and authority of a lo- cally designated preservation district because the National Register does not operate under the legal authority of zoning law. National Register list- ings come with no requirement for