12-E-25-HZ

Level II: Mechanicsville H

Approved With Conditions

Recommendation

Staff recommends approval of Certificate 12-E-25-HZ, subject to the following conditions: 1) replacement door and siding selections to be submitted to staff for approval; 2) final replacement windows to replicate original 2/2 pane division and be true divided lights, with 1/1 double-hung windows to be allowed on rear elevation where non-historic windows have been installed.

Applicant Request

Doors; Porch; Siding; Windows

- Siding and trim: Replacement in-kind of wood lap siding on all elevations. Replacement in-kind of exterior wood window trim. Removal of non-historic ceiling on rear porch and removal of non-historic wood posts, with new materials within design guidelines. Repair to existing wood porch elements.
- Doors: repair to existing wood multi-light doors on right side of façade. Removal and replacement of non-historic front door. Removal of non-historic door on second-story of rear elevation, removal of metal exterior stairs.
- Windows: removal of all windows, which include 1/1 double-hung wood windows, 2/2 double-hung wood windows, 3/1 double-hung wood windows, and some non-historic vinyl replacement windows. Removal of non-historic rectangular storm windows on façade. Proposed installation of one-over-one, double-hung wood windows in existing openings. Overall window size and location will remain the same.
- Conditions per 12/18/25 HZC meeting: 1) replacement door and siding selections to be submitted to staff for approval; 2) final replacement windows to replicate original 2/2 pane division and be true divided lights, with 1/1 double-hung windows to be allowed on rear elevation where non-historic windows have been installed.

Mechanicsville H

- Style: Italianate, c.1880
  - Two story frame with weatherboard wall covering. Hip and gable roof with projecting two story hexagonal hipped roof bay, and asphalt shingle roof covering. Projecting octagonal one story full front porch with bracketed cornice, and chamfered wood columns with sawn wood brackets. Double hung two over two windows with applied lintels on second story windows, and full arched windows with applied keystones surrounding central entry. Two additional side entries with French doors on front porch. Concrete block foundation. Irregular plan.

Applicable Guidelines

Mechanicsville Design Guidelines, adopted by the Knoxville City Council on September 20, 2011.

- Windows
- 1. Original windows must be reused if possible. It is much less expensive and much better historically to retain the original windows. It is inappropriate to replace them with new windows that differ in size, material, or pane division.
- 2. If replacement windows are necessary, they must be the same overall size as the originals with the same pane division and the same muntin depth, width, and profile. They must be the same materials as the original windows, which are generally wood.
- 3. True divided lights shall be used in replacement window sashes with more than one pane. True divided lights consist of glass panes, whether single glass or double insulated glass that are completely separate units, separated by the window muntins. Double-insulated glass that uses interior and exterior grids to suggest pane divisions is not a true divided light window, although some manufacturers refer to them by a proprietary description of "tru (sic) divided light." If true divided lights are not available, non-divided lights (one over one sashes) may be substituted if windows must be replaced and no alternative exists.
- Entrances
- 3. It may be appropriate to design or construct a new entrance if the historic one is completely missing. Any restoration shall be based on historical, pictorial, or physical documentation, if available. It must be compatible with the historic character of the building or with adjacent buildings.
- 4. A new entrance or porch must be compatible in size, scale, or material.
- 5. Service entrances may not be altered or made to appear to be formal entrances by adding paneled doors, fanlights, transoms, or sidelights.
- 6. Secondary entrances must be compatible with the original in size, scale, and materials, but clearly secondary in importance.
- Wood Wall Coverings
- 1. Synthetic siding is inappropriate and is not allowed either as replacement siding on existing buildings or new siding in new construction.
- 2. Do not use destructive paint removal methods, such as propane or butane torches, sandblasting, or water blasting, that can damage historic wood. Blasting with any material - sand, water, glass beads, walnut shells, etc. - is an abrasive technique, and therefore should not be used.
- 3. Replacement siding must duplicate the original. Replacing trim and patterned shingles must also duplicate the original material.
- 5. Wooden features shall be repaired by patching, piecing-in, or otherwise reinforcing the wood. Repair may also include limited replacement with matching or compatible substitute materials, when elements remain and can be copied or when materials are no longer commercially available.
- 6. Wood features that are important in defining the overall historic character of the building shall not be removed.
- 7. Replace only deteriorated wood. Reconstructing in order to achieve a uniform or "improved," "new" appearance is inappropriate because of the loss of good historic materials.
- 8. An entire wooden feature that is too deteriorated to repair or is completely missing must be replaced in kind. If features are replaced, the materials they are made from must be compatible with the original in size, scale, and material. Replacement parts should be based on historical, pictorial, and physical documentation.