Posted 9:58 pm Thursday, January 03, 2013
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Preservation board OKs modification to home
An Azalea District homeowner will be able to replace the wooden windows in his 73-year-old historic home with vinyl, although his home will no longer be considered a landmark after the work is done.
The Tyler Historical Preservation Board approved the request from homeowner John Sanders partly because Sanders already had purchased the replacement windows.
Sanders’ son-in-law attended the meeting on his behalf Wednesday.
Board members expressed frustration at recent numerous requests from homeowners in the Azalea District in Tyler to replace wooden windows instead of trying to preserve them.
“This is a major no-no for historic properties, and the house wouldn’t qualify as a landmark,” board member Ellen Musselman said. She added that historic district homeowners should discuss their plans or bring any questions they may have before the board first.
The Azalea District was placed on the national register of historic places by the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service in 2003.
City Planner Heather Nick suggested finding a way to alert owners of historic homes to the advantages of having a trusted professional look at their homes and make recommendations about how to proceed.
The Tyler Historical Preservation Board approved the request from homeowner John Sanders partly because Sanders already had purchased the replacement windows.
Sanders’ son-in-law attended the meeting on his behalf Wednesday.
Board members expressed frustration at recent numerous requests from homeowners in the Azalea District in Tyler to replace wooden windows instead of trying to preserve them.
“This is a major no-no for historic properties, and the house wouldn’t qualify as a landmark,” board member Ellen Musselman said. She added that historic district homeowners should discuss their plans or bring any questions they may have before the board first.
The Azalea District was placed on the national register of historic places by the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service in 2003.
City Planner Heather Nick suggested finding a way to alert owners of historic homes to the advantages of having a trusted professional look at their homes and make recommendations about how to proceed.
Most requests met the criteria in 2012 and were administratively approved, she said.
“Exterior modifications are reviewed as part of the historic review process. Interior modifications or remodels are not subject to the review,” Ms. Nicks said. Any improvement that can be seen from the street is subject to approval by the Historical Preservation board, she said.
“If the proposed modification or addition meets the Secretary of Interior Standard for Rehabilitation, the Historic Preservation Officer can administratively approve the review,” Ms. Nicks said, adding that if someone owns a home in a historic district, it is worth checking with the city’s planning department before exterior changes are made.
The city’s historical preservation board approved three new Half Mile of History markers at its meeting. The markers will honor longtime White House reporter and Tyler native Sarah McClendon, who died in 2003; Mattie Jones, who died in 1944 and for whom a Tyler elementary school is named. Another marker will honor Tyler Commercial College, which gave birth to the first licensed radio station in the city, WOAF.
Ms. Nicks said the markers were not yet scheduled for presentation.
For a complete list of standards from the National Park Service for rehabilitating historic homes, go to: http://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/rehabilitation/sustainability-guidelines.pdf.
“Exterior modifications are reviewed as part of the historic review process. Interior modifications or remodels are not subject to the review,” Ms. Nicks said. Any improvement that can be seen from the street is subject to approval by the Historical Preservation board, she said.
“If the proposed modification or addition meets the Secretary of Interior Standard for Rehabilitation, the Historic Preservation Officer can administratively approve the review,” Ms. Nicks said, adding that if someone owns a home in a historic district, it is worth checking with the city’s planning department before exterior changes are made.
The city’s historical preservation board approved three new Half Mile of History markers at its meeting. The markers will honor longtime White House reporter and Tyler native Sarah McClendon, who died in 2003; Mattie Jones, who died in 1944 and for whom a Tyler elementary school is named. Another marker will honor Tyler Commercial College, which gave birth to the first licensed radio station in the city, WOAF.
Ms. Nicks said the markers were not yet scheduled for presentation.
For a complete list of standards from the National Park Service for rehabilitating historic homes, go to: http://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/rehabilitation/sustainability-guidelines.pdf.
