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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1984-06-06 HISTORIC DISTRICTS COMMISSION June 6, 1984 A meeting of the Historic Districts Commission was held on Wednesday June 6, 1984, in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, Lexington. Present were Commissioners John L. Davies, Chair, Roland B. Greeley, John E. Ryan, and Linda B. McAulay and Associate Commissioner Walter S. Pierce. At 8:05 PM Ms. Carolyn Creelman appeared on behalf of Lexington Square Trust with respect to the erection and display of signs. The signs all conformed to the sign vocabulary that had been adopted by the owner and approved earlier by the Commission. The first would read "ORIENTAL RUGS" in 10 in. "Goody Oldstyle" gold leaf letters and would be centered over a window, aad begin not less than 2 ft. from the corner of the building. The second sign would read "ORIENTAL RUG IMPORTERS, INC." and be incised letters, gilded, on a signboard of "Morristown Red" with a black frame. This signboard would be 15 ft. long and 22 5/8 in. high. The letters "ORIENTAL RUGS" would be 10 in. high and the other letters smaller, both in '!Goody Oldstyle". The third sign would read "LEXINGTON VISION CARE" in 10 in. high gold leaf "Carolus" style letters, mounted on the brick, and centered over the middle window of the three at the easterly end of the Massachusetts Avenue elevation. The fourth sign would also read "LEXINGTON VISION CARE", and would have a group of not more than two words in smaller type at the ends of the signboard. The sign would be incised letters, gilded, "Carolus"' style, with the larger letters 11~ in. high and the smaller letters not more than 5~ in. high. The signboard would be "Morristown Red" and the frame black. There was discussion of the fourth sign, which was originally proposed to have two lines of copy at each end. The proposal was VOTED as described above, with Mrs. McAulay against. The proposed second sign for "Software City" was withdrawn. At 8:50 PM Mrs. Patricia Brandes appeared on behalf of the Waldorf School at 739 Massachusetts Avenue to describe improvements to the portion of the school's site which is immediately behind Follen Church. The proposal would include the construction of a fieldstone wall parallel to the driveway, a strip of granite block paving along the wall, the installation of a granite block paved semicircular walkway within the parcel, and the construction of a three-quarter round cedar bench around a tree. After discussion of the purpose of the granite block paving along the wall, the proposal was VOTED with Mr. Greeley voting against. I At 9:00 PM Mrs. Anne Grady appeared on behalf of Mr. Norman Trudeau with ~ respect to architectural changes at the former Garrity House at 9 Hancock Street. Page 2 June 6, 1984 She described the changes which would consist of the removal of one carriage house window and its installation on the easterly wall of the kitchen wing, the removal of a small window from the easterly wall of the kitchen wing and its installation on the easterly wall of a second floor bathroom, and the replacement of the existing asphalt shingles with red cedar shingles. In each case where a window is removed, its opening shall be sided to match the existing siding. There was general approval of the proposal and it was VOTED. At 9:05 PM Mr. Dean E. Nickelson appeared on behalf of the Sack Theater at 1794 Massachusetts Avenue and 10 Muzzey Street. With him were Mr. William Glazer and Mr. Mark Reis as well as Mr. Kenneth Sawyer and Ms. Lenore Yegendorf from the University Brink Sign Company. Three signs were presented: The first, the internally illuminated marquee sign over the Massachusetts Avenue entrance, would be the existing sign with three 8 in. translucent white numerals on a black field at the left end of the sign. The numerals, "1", "2", and "3", would be 8 in. high, the same size as the movable letters, and in the character- istic Sack logo typeface. The black field would be about 3 ft. tall and 1 ft. wide. There was discussion of the proportions of the numerals and the black field, but the design as proposed was ultimately agreed to. The second sign, the transom sign over the Massachusetts Avenue door, would have the Sack logo in red 6~ in. high and the words "SACK CINEMA" in black. The sign backboard would be white plastic in the existing frame. After discussion it was concluded that this sign may not be internally illuminated. The third sign, at the rear of 10 Muzzey Street would be the existing sign except that three black panels would be added, each the same height as the white band containing the movable letters and 12 in. wide. Each panel would carry a numeral, "1", "2", or "3", in white with a white arrow under it indicating the appropriate direction to the various theaters. The letter style would be the characteristic Sack logo. Mr. Giller in the audience commented that the signs appeared to be an attempt to adapt shopping mall signage to a traditional main street. Mr. Pierce expressed the wish that the original building portal could be exposed, rather than working with the existing marquee sign. After further discussion, and with the condition that the transom sign may not be internally illuminated, the proposal was VOTED. At 9:45 PM Mrs. Fanette H. Luhrs, Ms. Marion and Mr. Jack Powell, Katherine Donahue and Margaret Kennedy appeared on behalf of the Hancock School condominiums. With them was Mr. Hadaya of New England Window Systems. They presented an aluminum replacement window with molded aluminum panning, finished in white baked enamel. The windows would be double hung and double glazed, with a permanent exterior aluminum muntin grid. In all but the largest open- ings the sash would be the same size as the existing one. In the largest open- ings they would be divided into two separate windows. Mr. Davies and Mr. Pierce pointed out that white windows are not characteristic of buildings of the Han- cock School period. A number of examples were discussed, including several phot- ographs of Harvard buildings which Mr. Hadaya had brought. Mr. Hadaya said bronze and white were standard colors, and other colors were available at a cost Page 3 June 6, 1984 premium. He did not know the magnitude of the premium but would check. There was general consensus among the commissioners that white or a very light color should be avoided, but the residents expressed a preference for white or cream as an interior color. It was agreed to meet informally at the site on Satur- day morning, June 9, to view samples in context and in daylight. The hearing was accordingly continued until June 20. Payments to Beacon Communications in the amount of $63.70 and to Miss Barbara Gilson in the amount of $90.70 were DOTED, and the meeting was adjourned at 11:00 PM. John L. Davies Chairman I