The Historic District

Manalto wrote:Here's an update on the Alabama house. I was surprised to learn that my house is in the historic district (I was surprised - and pleased - to learn there was a historic district in that dinky town!) and subject to the Commission's guidelines, including paint colors, of course. The trouble is, I already bought the paint (Memorial Day sale on Behr Premium Plus Ultra at Home Depot)so I submitted my chips for approval. Fingers crossed because my time there is limited. I've spoken to the Building Inspector and the president of the Historical Commission and, because my colors are sedate (ivory, warm gray and moss green), seem to be willing to consider my choices. In fact, they assured me that there's "probably" a match in the approved colors. I also sent them a Seroco (Sear, Roebuck & Co.) paint brochure from 1918 that offered colors quite close to those I chose.

I'm driving down to Alabama on June 17 to paint the house and/or do some inside work. Painting the outside is a top priority in this case because I'll be away so much - I want to make it clear to the neighborhood (and the powers that be) that I care about the house and property and want to make a positive contribution to the community. Also, it will be satisfying to see the place with a fresh coat of paint.


James

Historic catalogs always help you argue a case before a Historical Commission, as you would be surprised at how little some of the members know about historic architecture (or at least that's how it is in Baltimore). Or, you might have a panel full of experts on all things Victorian, but know little about early 20th Century elements.

Just make sure you get the brochure back. I could see them wanting to keep it!!

Manalto, great to hear your in a district. The bennifits of knowing all your neighbours have to maintain to a standard offsets the little inconvenience you have to deal with. Your efforts will not be diminished by neglected buildings or exesive deferred maintenance by others in your area.

1918ColonialRevival wrote:Just make sure you get the brochure back. I could see them wanting to keep it!!

I sent them a scanned copy in an email, so they can keep it. (ha, ha) I agree with you about the spotty knowledge of the so-called experts. Their hearts are in the right place though, and they do seem to recognize my good intentions and want to accommodate. (When I was on the phone with the president of the Commission, I told her I would have preferred that the stucco were unpainted. I could swear I heard her coo when I said that.) Right down the road in Mobile, I was surprised to learn that they don't have official historic colors. "As long as it's not something outrageous" the person I got on the phone said. It makes sense, really. With all the paint companies that existed in the past and the variety of results that people got - sometimes mixing their own, or having the painters do it, there is no logic in restricting paint choices to a limited range of colors, as long as they were possible to achieve - and not hideous.

Gothichome wrote:Manalto, great to hear your in a district. The bennifits of knowing all your neighbours have to maintain to a standard offsets the little inconvenience you have to deal with. Your efforts will not be diminished by neglected buildings or exesive deferred maintenance by others in your area.

I agree. In fact, it almost always makes decisions easier when you know your boundaries. Enforcement of the standards in my little (~700) town is not strict, however. When I get on Google Street View, I see plenty of siding, satellite dishes and those godawful plastic shutters screwed to the house. I still have to salute the Commission for their efforts to maintain a higher standard. Who knows what the place would look like without them?

James

I'm going to go against the grain here. The Historic District Commission here in Maryville is VERY strict. My boss lives in the district and put up a dish. He got a letter from the district telling him he had to move it. The dish guy came out to move it and said it was already in the only place he would be able to get reception. If it were in his back yard, the trees would interfere with the reception. He's been fined by the district. I'm all for standards, but reasonable ones, and I'm constantly hearing about disputes. A church in the district wanted to put up a steeple, and the district barred them from doing so. For the same reason I wouldn't live in a planned community with an HOA, I wouldn't live in the Historic District. There's a fine line between setting standards and telling people what they can do with their own property. Like we were saying on another thread, you may not agree with the choices people make for their old houses, but it's their house.

We're in a historic preservation district. We've not really had any significant issues with them, but we've tried to preserve the character of the house.

There are several people in our neighborhood who had plans approved and then didn't follow the plans. They don't like that and will make your life miserable thereafter...

awomanwithahammer wrote: There's a fine line between setting standards and telling people what they can do with their own property. Like we were saying on another thread, you may not agree with the choices people make for their old houses, but it's their house.

Bonnie, as far as I can tell, there isn't any line at all. If you move into a historic district (or HOA) it's no secret there are rules to abide by, whether they seem reasonable to you or not. Moving into a historic district and complaining about the rules is like moving to Seattle and complaining about the rain. I agree that some zoning regulations, whether they be in historic districts or not, seem nuts, but if you leave people to their own devices, they'll be sure to startle you with their poor choices. In recent years, the neighborhood where I now live has seen people parking their cars on their front lawns and basketball hoops set up in the street. Beautiful, warm spring day? Open the doors and windows, right? Treat yourself to hours (I'm not exaggerating) of basketballs slamming on the street, a short lull and then someone else slamming a basketball in the street - this only stops if it's raining. Before you decide I'm just an old grouch, I counted eight basketball hoops nearby that the neighborhood kids can use without even crossing a street, two of them on school property right behind my house (and out of earshot, mostly). Complaining to the police and Public Works has been fruitless. There is no restriction in this town against basketball hoops set up in the street. All this is to say when you can't trust people to be considerate and reasonable, you have to make rules, or live with the consequences. Legislating good judgment is a minefield fraught with situations like your boss' satellite dish. What if you like to dry your laundry on a clothesline? Nope, that's tacky. The list goes on. I suspect the leisurely attitude of Mobile's Historic District Commission is a smokescreen for other methods Mobilians have for keeping those with questionable judgment in line - the Magnolia Mafia!


James

Oh, how awful to have to listen to basketballs bouncing all day long! Something like that can definitely interfere with your quality of life. I just think that they go too far in some cases. People have to live in these houses. If satellite dish is your only option and there's only one option for placement, then what does it matter if somebody else doesn't want to look at it? It's not interfering with their quality of life. And the whole thing with the clotheslines is hypocritical; if it's a historic district, those houses didn't have dryers when they were built. I know of HOAs that don't allow them, but I haven't heard of a historic commission that wouldn't allow them.

And, yes, you are right about being aware of restrictions when you move in. But I'm not sure it's possible to be aware of every little detail of every little rule. Especially if the issue doesn't arise until later.

Anyhoo, not wanting to argue, just that I'm not a fan of the often overzealous commissions, and as I said, I personally wouldn't buy a house in a historic district. But that's just me!

Hope the "Magnolia Mafia" approves of your house colors!

I don't want to argue either; restrictions are a balancing act. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone were always considerate and had perfect judgment? I ain't holding my breath for that day.

My house is just outside of our Historic District. But I treat my house as if it were in the district.

There are a lot of houses outside of the district that are older than some of the houses in the district. Some of these older homes were placed in what was once farmland or suburban subdivisions, now incorporated into the city. The woman that is in charge of the district lives just north of me, actually further from the district than I am, house built in 1914, on 2 acres, city says 1947.

So, although I did want to be in the district, and we looked at two Craftsmans within our budget, the houses were on zero lot lines and needed a lot of work.

We ended up with one of those original and historic farmhouses, on a larger lot, 3 blocks from the district. There is a nearby street and a road named after the family that owned our house.

It looks like you've got a nice, tranquil spot with some elbow room, Nicholas. I'm impressed with the amount of work you did on the place.