7-C-22-DT

Level I: Kress Building - Frothy Monkey Sign

Approve Subject To Conditions

APPROVE Certificate 7-C-22-DT, subject to the following conditions: 1) attach the projecting sign to the storefront through the mortar joints of the terra cotta tiles, or through existing holes, if they exist. Staff may approve an alternative if it is shown that connecting solely through the mortar joints is not possible; however, installation should be completed to damage the tiles as minimally as possible; 2) meeting all applicable requirements of the City Sign Code.

Case File

Recommendation

Staff recommends approval of Certificate 7-C-22-DT, subject to the following conditions: 1) attach the projecting sign to the storefront through the mortar joints of the terra cotta tiles, or through existing holes, if they exist. Staff may approve an alternative if it is shown that connecting solely through the mortar joints is not possible; however, installation should be completed to damage the tiles as minimally as possible; 2) meeting all applicable requirements of the City Sign Code.

Applicant Request

Level I: Sign

- New illuminated projecting sign. Round sign to measure 48" by 48" (16 sq ft) and feature aluminum faces with push-through letters. The sign is proposed for the top of the left center storefront pilaster, at a height similar to the existing projecting sign on the right storefront. Sign to be mounted via a 22" by 8" metal mounting plate attached to the pilaster.

Property Notes / Work to be Completed

- The Kress Building is a contributing resource to the Gay Street Commercial Historic District, so the Historic Resources section of the design guidelines applies.
- The projecting sign is 16 square feet, which exceeds the 9 square feet recommended in the guidelines. The adjacent sign at Fat Tuesday is 10.5 sq. ft. The Board may choose to discuss the overall size of the sign. Internal illumination has been reviewed and approved by the Board on Gay Street in instances where illumination is limited to push-through letters or individual elements on a sign, and on a case-by-case basis.
- The proposed location of the projecting sign on a pilaster between storefront windows meets the design guidelines. Installation of the sign should be completed in a manner that does not harm the historic terracotta tiles on the façade; whether installing via the existing joints or using any existing holes which may have been previously drilled. The sign should be installed in a manner that if removed in the future, the individual terracotta tiles are not destroyed or could be replaced in-kind.

Applicable Guidelines

Downtown Design Guidelines

- C. Historic Resources
- 7. Recommended Signs
- 7a. Locate signs above storefront windows, below second-story windows on the sign board, or on the storefront windows themselves (30% is maximum coverage), or off the front of the building as a projecting sign (maximum size: 9 square feet).
- 7b. Create signs that are proportional to the building where they are located.
- 7c. Do not light signs internally.
- 7e. Preserve signs that are historic elements of buildings.
- Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation
- 9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property.
- 10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.

See Guidelines

Meeting Date