Historic Commission

Historic districts are much like the old buildings they seek to protect: They're fragile, too often underappreciated and a few sloppy actions can mar the whole structure. No one should better understand that than the commissions appointed to oversee the districts.And yet in a recent case in Ellicott City, one of Maryland's finest preserved towns, the historic commission acted in as slipshod a manner as some ham-handed aluminum siding contractor.The owner of Cacao Lane Restaurant in the 221-year-old mill town wanted to erect three decks off the eatery.

An Annapolis couple has lost a bid to keep the fiberglass columns on their early-20th-century home's porch in the city's Historic District, in a case that has pitted homeowners against historical preservationists over building standards in the area. The Court of Special Appeals ruled this week against Valerie and Bryan J. Miller, saying the Historic Preservation Commission was within in its authority to demand that the couple tear down the fiberglass columns that were installed without approval, and replace them with wood columns approved by the commission.

The Annapolis Historic District Commission expressed strong reservations yesterday about the size and scale of a proposed $43 million Circuit Courthouse near Annapolis' Church Circle.The commission approved the concept of building the courthouse at the Church Circle location, as well as the use of Annapolis brick and stone to construct the building. It also agreed that the county could build a courthouse of 250,000 square feet, along with a 30,000-square-foot underground garage.The commission approved the county's proposal to restore the historic 1824 courthouse fronting Church Circle, which would be used as an entrance to the new complex.

An Annapolis couple who allowed fiberglass columns on the new porch of their 19th-century home in downtown Annapolis without receiving permission from the city's Historic Preservation Commission, have sued the panel, charging that its denial of their materials switch was unreasonably stringent. Valerie and Bryan J. Miller have asked Anne Arundel County Circuit Court to overturn the commission's decision and its order that the fiberglass columns be torn down and replaced with wood. The lawsuit, filed Feb. 20, has roiled the local historians and preservationists who passionately defend the building standards in downtown Annapolis' Historic District.

TWO VASTLY DIFFERENT bills rewriting the responsibilities of the Annapolis Historic District Commission are before the Annapolis City Council. Both are designed to bring Annapolis' commission into conformity with modifications made last year to the state law on such review boards. The political battle over these bills deals with two different visions of the city as much as it does the powers governing historic architecture review.After 300 years, Annapolis remains a charming place to live and visit.

Sykesville residents and business owners crowded the Town House on Monday to protest restoration policies of the Historic District Commission.A standing-room-only crowd of about 80 people filled the council chambers, adjoining offices and the foyer. Nearly the same number of residents voted in the town's spring election."We are all concerned about the direction the town is taking, particularly the lack of progress on improving the appearance of Main Street," said Bruce Greenberg, owner of several properties in the town's business district.

Sykesville officially took over the Gatehouse last week when the state signed and returned a $1-a-year lease to the town."We are now the proud lessors of the building and all its varying problems and unfinished heating system," said Mayor Jonathan Herman.The town has been negotiating with the state for nearly two years in the hopes of renting the two-story building on Cooper Drive for a nominal fee.With help from volunteers, the town Historic Commission wants to renovate the Gatehouse, once part of the Springfield Hospital Center complex, and make it into a museum for its extensive collection of antiques and town memorabilia.

A door is coming between two county agencies.Mary M. Grayson is trying to show it's not an open and shut case.Armed with old photos and historical documents, Grayson invited County Commissioners to tour the town with members of the Uniontown Historic Commission Thursday to make her point.Grayson's daughter, Letty, 45, made changes two years ago to her 130-year-old home in thehistoric district along Uniontown Road. The Historic Commission wanted Letty to retain a door. Letty wanted it gone.

The building without a face will soon have one, with a nod from the Westminster Historic Commission.As part of its transformation to office space, the old J. C. Penney building at West Main and Bond streets will get a new facade reproducing the Flemish-style masonry of the original, said David Max, owner and developer."

To the untrained eye, the windows and other dressings adorning the homes and businesses in downtown Annapolis' historic district may seem perfectly appropriate. But upon closer inspection, some city activists say, there are glaring no-no's: vinyl replacement windows, fiberglass columns and faux-wood doors. In a letter to Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer, Ben Purcell, a local builder, pointed to what he said are egregious violations of the city's historic preservation ordinance and warned of a "slow erosion of the historic fabric that makes our town so unique."

To the untrained eye, the windows and other dressings adorning the homes and businesses in downtown Annapolis' historic district may seem perfectly appropriate. But upon closer inspection, some city activists say, there are glaring no-no's: vinyl replacement windows, fiberglass columns and faux-wood doors. In a letter to Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer, Ben Purcell, a local builder, pointed to what he said are egregious violations of the city's historic preservation ordinance and warned of a "slow erosion of the historic fabric that makes our town so unique."

The first time Kendall and Vicky Lemmon saw the old farmhouse was when they pulled into the driveway. They promptly turned around and drove away. When they returned for a second visit, they looked closer at the land and the old farmhouse. This time they looked beyond the dilapidated structure to what the property could be, and decided to buy it. "I would never consider a new house over an old one," Vicky Lemmon said. "I love the character, and old houses feel more like a home." The Lemmons' home is one of four featured on the Carroll County Historic Preservation Commission's Historic Homes Tour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 20. The tour was started by the historic commission, formed to provide advice about preservation in Uniontown, a historic district northwest of Westminster with 85 buildings that date to the 19th century.

The serene and picturesque park that surrounds Mount Vernon's Washington Monument has become a battleground as those who favor preserving it exactly and those who want it more accessible to the disabled fight over rehabilitation plans. Officials with Baltimore's Department of Recreation and Parks say that the park, four separate squares of green that radiate from the monument, must be made more inviting to those in wheelchairs or who are otherwise impaired. In the northernmost piece, they plan to replace steps into the park with a sloping ramp.

The Historic District Commission of Howard County will hear testimony at the end of its meeting tomorrow on proposed revisions to operating procedures and the zoning code pertaining to the commission. Since Howard's first historic district was established in 1974, the commission has been charged with protecting the character of the historic districts in Ellicott City and Lawyers Hill in Elkridge. The commission must review and grant approvals before construction, demolition or alterations to the exteriors of properties in the district can take place.

The Ellicott City Historic District Commission voted 4-1 yesterday to approve plans to renovate the old firehouse on Main Street. Developers plan to make two additions to the 8,080-square-foot vacant brick building in the hopes of attracting either a bank or retail store. They are unsure of when construction could begin. Built in 1939, it formerly housed Ellicott City volunteer firefighters. While Commissioner Richard Taylor, who cast the lone dissenting vote, and several preservationists argued that the project would disrupt the character of Main Street, Commissioner Anita Gallitano said, "You still get the feel of the firehouse."

Howard County officials say the Historic District Commission's power to reject subdivisions isn't nearly as broad as members thought. The county's Office of Law has issued an opinion that the commission has no authority to turn down this type of development based on the number of houses proposed. The issue isn't theoretical: Developer Michael L. Pfau wants to construct 15 houses on 6 acres in historic Ellicott City, surrounded by 14 acres of woods. He needs a certificate of approval from the commission before building.

There was a time not so long ago when siding was siding and wood was wood, and anyone on a Sunday drive through the neighborhood could tell the difference. That was before HardiPlank. Tomorrow night, the Howard County Historic District Commission will tackle a question faced by preservationists everywhere: whether to allow sophisticated new wood substitutes in neighborhoods where synthetic siding has always been anathema. To hear those involved tell it, Ellicott City's historic charm might well hang in the balance.