Early April Preservation Board Agenda Contains Two Proposed Demos

Click here for a link to the agenda, which does not yet contain the Cultural Resources individual staff reports.

On the chopping block this month is a two-family structure in Shaw on the 4100 block of DeTonty. Based on the description provided, this could be the corner structure (4100 DeTonty) or the next actual structure located all the way down at 4158 DeTonty. Both are attractive, historic buildings. The block, though, is almost entirely vacant lots. The proposed 11 new single family homes and 4 town house units would be great for Shaw. Millennium Restoration still owns these lots.

Millennium applied for demolition of two structures in the middle of this now mostly empty block back in 2006. Click here for that CRO report.

This is under the "Background" section of that 2006 report:

The original applicant for this site was McBride and Son, who proposed to construct 15 single family houses using designs created for the Botanical Heights subdivision in the McRee neighborhood, a few blocks north. At its meeting of September 26, 2005, the Preservation Board found that both 4118 and 4126 DeTonty Avenue are structurally
unsound and rehabilitation is not feasible. The Board also required that revisions be made to the design of the proposed buildings to make them compatible with the historic buildings in the neighborhood. Subsequently, McBride chose not to make the required revisions and withdrew from the project.

The current applicant, Millennium Restoration and Development, proposes 17 new
houses in place of 15, with detached garages at the alley.

Apparently, plans have changed a bit. The proposed 17 units has gone down to 15 once more.

Here are the buildings that were ultimately demolished (pictures are captures from the Cultural Resources Office reports):

From Preservation Board

From Preservation Board

And here are the two buildings that were spared before, one of which, likely 4100, that may get demolished after all:

From Preservation Board

The renderings for the original project are also contained on that 2006 agenda:

From Preservation Board

Is Millennium still on this project? Do these renderings still stand? What will the town house units look like? Once we answer these questions, we can begin to critique this demolition.

While I am not so much a fan of purely historicist new construction, Millennium certainly have shown themselves capable creators of a historic aesthetic in new construction.

Again, I'll have to reserve judgment for when I see the (potentially new) designs for this site. In the meantime, here are Millennium's older renderings that are available on their web site.

The second proposed demolition is an LRA property at 2125 Farrar in Hyde Park.

The city doesn't seem to think this address exists on its city data website. The application for demolition is for a "2-story, single family brick structure." Since odd-numbered addresses are on the north side of the street, and since the north side of the 2100 block of Farrar is a large industrial complex, I don't know where this property is. It could, of course, be a typo.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.