chapter IV: DESIGN GUIDELINES

The Historic District Zoning Code, Section 112-53.A, states “The provisions of this Article shall be applied to all land, buildings and structures which are viewed or may be viewed from a public way within the boundaries of the West Chester Historic District” (italics added for emphasis). In practice, the HARB is less stringent in its review of proposed alterations or new construction that are visible only from an alley. For purposes of these guidelines and the HARB’s review of applications, facades that are only visible from an alley are considered secondary facades, and facades that are visible from streets and sidewalks are considered primary facades (Figure 32). The side walls of buildings are also considered primary facades, unless the distance between buildings on adjacent lots is less than eight feet.

A. GENERAL GUIDELINES
The following guidelines are applicable to all contributing historic buildings within the West Chester Historic District, including outbuildings such as carriage houses, stables, and garages.

1. Preserving Architectural Character
The historic architectural character of structures should be maintained or restored.

2. Building Changes
Significant changes to a historic building take place over time and are evidence of its history. Therefore, historically significant changes should be preserved (Figure 33).

3. Primary Facades and Secondary Facades
The Design Guidelines are intended predominantly to be applied to the primary facades. The guidelines will be less stringently applied to secondary facades (See Figure 32).

4. Repair and Restoration versus Replacement
It is preferable to retain existing original materials and significant components wherever possible, by stabilizing, repairing, or matching them with compatible new materials rather than by replacing them.

5. Reversibility
Proposed changes to historic buildings should be reversible whenever possible.

6. Deteriorated and Missing Components
Deteriorated or missing significant architectural components should be replaced or recreated with materials that replicate the historic design, color, texture, and other visual qualities of the components. Efforts should be made to substantiate the original design of the component through physical evidence or historic pictorial evidence of the building. If the original design is unknown, a component that is appropriate to the type and style of the building’s architecture should be used.

7. Precedent
Designs and changes approved or rejected elsewhere in the Historic District do not necessarily act as a precedent for a design or change under consideration. All proposals will be considered individually based on their own merit and unique situation within the district.

8. Anchoring Devices
When attaching new items such as signs, sign brackets, light fixtures, door bells, security equipment, building identification numerals, awnings, flagpole brackets, and other devices to existing historic building materials, care should be taken to minimize permanent damage to the historic building materials. Attachment to plain wood surfaces is preferable to attachment to masonry, because at a future date when the item is no longer required, the anchor or fastener can be removed and the resultant hole patched and repainted without harm. When attachment to brick or stone masonry walls is necessary, anchors should be embedded in mortar joints wherever the joint width accepts the anchor without damaging the edges of the brick or stone. When existing brick is laid up with less than 1/4 inch wide joints (“buttered joints”), anchors should be placed in the brick at least 3/4 inch away from the mortar joint to prevent damaging two bricks at each anchor (Figure 34).

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