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Design Review Board

Level 2: Major alteration of an existing building/structure

4-C-22-DT

Staff Recommendation

Staff recommends approval of Certificate 4-C-22-DT, subject to meeting City requirements related to rear property line, with minor modifications to rear doors to be approved by staff.

Location
418 S. Gay St.
Applicant Request
General exterior rehabilitation work and modifications to the rear entry fronting the Promenade. Exterior rehabilitation work on the façade includes repair to damaged trim, new paint, and replacement of existing light fixtures with new LED fixtures of the same style and size.

Rear elevation currently consists of multiple metal storefront systems, some featuring transom windows and some topped by swaths of exposed CMU. The exterior brick wall will be painted, and the CMU sections will be infilled with new brick and painted to match. The existing storefront systems will be removed. The rear elevation will contain six bays, with new single-light, aluminum clad windows topped by multi-light transoms with new precast sills and 6" trim on the first and last bays. The interior four bays will be new full-light, aluminum-clad wood doors (installed in the existing openings) topped by multi-light transoms, with trim.
Staff Comments
The Phoenix Building is a contributing resource to the Gay Street Commercial National Register Historic District, so the Historic Resources section of the guidelines applies. The guidelines also include specific recommendations for the Promenade, but those are related to signs only.

Rear elevation storefronts were not part of the original design of the building, and were added when the Promenade was built. Original window openings were infilled with brick or expanded to create doorways and storefronts when the Promenade was constructed. The proposed scope of work is similar to work completed on the rear of 410 S. Gay Street (Maple Hall) in 2016 (6-A-16-DT).

The windows, doors, and transoms will be similar in design. This proposal requires minimal modification to the original brick, as several of the fenestrations are existing. The proposed new doors and windows are compatible with historic door and window proportions, placement, and designs. The aluminum-clad wood windows and doors have been approved for similar projects on Gay Street.

All basic exterior rehabilitation scopes on the façade meet the design guidelines. The design guidelines discourage painting historic masonry which has never been painted. The façade is painted currently. On the rear elevation, the brick is patched in multiple places and infilled with CMU in others. It is also discolored from efflorescence or previous stains. In this instance, painting what remains of the historic masonry may be appropriate, provided the paint selected is compatible with older bricks.

Modifications to door placement (ie, recessing doors slightly) may be necessary to resolve encroachments over the property line into City right-of-way on the Promenade. If the modifications are minor and meet the design guidelines, they could be approved by staff.
Applicant

McMahan

Planning Staff
Lindsay Lanois
Phone: 865-215-3795
Email: lindsay.lanois@knoxplanning.org
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