7_pl_l-14-00130_nomination_staff

LAWRENCE HISTORIC RESOURCES COMMISSION

ITEM NO.6: L-14-00130

STAFF REPORT

A. SUMMARY

L-14-00130 Public hearing for consideration of placing the structure located at 1100 Massachusetts Street on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places.

B. HISTORIC REGISTER STATUS

1100 Massachusetts Street is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Register of Historic Kansas Places.

C. REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

1) History Summary

See National Register Nomination Section 8.

2) Architectural Integrity Summary

See National Register Nomination Section 7. The structure maintains integrity of location, design, materials, and workmanship to make it worthy of preservation.

3) Context Description

The Douglas County Courthouse an excellent example of high-style courthouse architecture that was influenced by the Richardsonian Romanesque Style. The Courthouse was constructed during the historic context associated with the development of Lawrence-- Quiet University Town 1900-1945-- as defined by the Historic Resources of Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF). According to the MPDF, the first two decades of the twentieth century were years of relative prosperity and growth and included the construction of the Courthouse (1904), the Carnegie Public Library (1904), and the Post Office (1912).

The Courthouse is sited on a large lot with setbacks on all four sides of the structure. To the north and west is the downtown commercial district; to the south is South Park; and to the east is a landscaped garden and the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center.

4) Planning and Zoning Considerations

1100 Massachusetts Street is zoned GPI, General Public and Institutional Use District. The GPI District is a special purpose base district primarily intended to accommodate institutional uses occupying significant land areas. The current use of the property is as the Douglas County Courthouse.

The area surrounding 1100 Massachusetts Street is a mix of zoning and uses. To the north and west is zoned CD – Downtown Commercial District with commercial and office uses. Directly to the northwest is the Watkins Community Museum zoned GPI. The property to the south, South Park, is zoned OS – Open Space. The property directly to the east is the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center zoned GPI. To the east of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is residential zoning and uses.

At the time of construction and throughout the historic period of significance, the property fronted the main commercial area of Lawrence.

5) Fiscal Comments

There are no monetary benefits directly associated with nomination of a structure to the Lawrence Register of Historic Places at this time. However, Chapter 22 of the Code of the City of Lawrence does identify mechanisms for financial incentives. If these programs become available in the future, structures listed on the Lawrence Register will be eligible for participation.

Listing on the local register does help preserve built resources important to Lawrence's history and helps to maintain streetscapes in older neighborhoods through environs reviews.

The original information submitted with nominations for properties to the Lawrence Register is kept on file in the City Planning office for public review and consultation with regard to development projects within the notification area. This type of information is useful, for example, if present or future property owners seek nomination to the State or National Register of Historic Places.

6) Positive/Negative Effects of the Designation

The positive effect of designation is the creation of a permanent record of the historical significance of an individual property, for its architectural quality or its association with a significant local individual or event. This provides the local Historic Resources Commission with pertinent historical data which can help to provide an ‘historic' perspective to property owners when they desire to improve, add on, or redevelop a property within an older section of the City.

The public accessibility of this information is also a resource as it can be used by realtors, builders/developers, and others in the community prior to a property's resale, redevelopment or rehabilitation. In a more general sense, this information can be used by the Chamber of Commerce and existing businesses and industries to ‘identify' one of the facets that makes up Lawrence's Quality of Living.

Additional effects of designation are the creation of an arbitrary, 250' environs notification and review area. Within this 250' circle, projects which require city permits, e.g., demolition, redevelopment, renovation or modification, require review by Historic Resources staff or the Commission. These environs reviews permit scrutiny of proposed development/redevelopment by individuals sensitive to historic preservation.

A Certificate of Appropriateness or a Certificate of Economic Hardship is required to be issued by the Historic Resources Commission before a City permit can be issued for the proposed project. If the Historic Resources Commission denies a Certificate of Appropriateness or a Certificate of Economic Hardship, the property owner can appeal to the City Commission for a new hearing. The City Commission can uphold the decision of the HRC or it can grant the proposed development over the Historic Resources Commission's action. Certificates of Appropriateness or Economic Hardship are required for a project within the 250' radius of a Local Register property.

Examples of projects which would require review and approval are: projects involving the exterior building which are considered ‘structural' changes, demolitions or partial demolitions. Minor changes which require a city permit can be administratively approved by the Historic Resources Administrator.

7) Summary of Applicable Designation Criteria

Chapter 22, of the City Code is the Conservation of Historic Resources Code for the City of Lawrence. Section 22-403 of this code establishes criteria for the evaluation of an application for nomination to the Lawrence Register of Historic Places.

D. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION AND DESIGNATION - Section 22-403

Nine criteria are provided within this section for review and determination of qualification as a Landmark or Historic District. These criteria are set forth below with staff's recommendations as to which this application qualifies for:

(1) Its character, interest, or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the community, county, state, or nation;

The Douglas County Courthouse is significant to the political and social history of Douglas County.

(2) Its location as a site of a significant local, county, state, or national event;

(3) Its identification with a person or persons who significantly contributed to the development of the community, county, state, or nation;

The Douglas County Courthouse was designed by architect John G. Haskell with Frederick C. Gunn.

(4) Its embodiment of distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style valuable for the study of a period, type, method of construction, or use of indigenous materials;

(5) Its identification as a work of a master builder, designer, architect, or landscape architect whose individual work has influenced the development of the community, county, state or nation;

The Douglas County Courthouse was designed by architect John G. Haskell with Frederick C. Gunn.

(6) Its embodiment of elements of design, detailing, materials, or craftsmanship that render it architecturally significant;

The Douglas County Courthouse retains a high degree of integrity and is an example of high-style courthouse architecture that was influenced by the Richardsonian Romanesque Style.

(7) Its embodiment of design elements that make it structurally or architecturally innovative;

(8) Its unique location or singular physical characteristics that make it an established or familiar visual feature;

Since 1904, the location of the Douglas County Courthouse and the architectural details of the structure, primarily the clock tower, have combined to create a significant visual landmark for the City of Lawrence.

(9) Its character as a particularly fine or unique example of a utilitarian structure; including, but not limited to farmhouses, gas stations, or other commercial structures, with a high level of integrity or architectural significance.

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The HISTORIC RESOURCES CODE establishes a procedure to follow in the forwarding of a recommendation to the City Commission on applications for listing on the local register.

"Following the hearing the commission shall adopt by resolution a recommendation to be submitted to the city commission for either (a) designation as a landmark or historic district; (b) not to designate as a landmark or historic district; or, (c) not to make a recommendation. The resolution shall be accompanied by a report to the city commission containing the following information:

The Historic Resources Commission needs to formulate its recommendation in response to the following subsections section 22-404.2 (b):

(1) Explanation of the significance or lack of significance of the nominated landmark or historic district as it relates to the criteria for designation as set forth in section 22-403;

(2) Explanation of the integrity or lack of integrity of the nominated landmark or historic district;

(3) In the case of a nominated landmark found to meet the criteria for designation:

(A) The significant exterior architectural features of the nominated landmark that should be protected; and,

(B) The types of construction, alteration, demolition, and removal, other than those requiring a building or demolition permit, that cannot be undertaken without obtaining a certificate of appropriateness.

(4) In the case of a nominated historic district found to meet the criteria for designation:

(A) The types of significant exterior architectural features of the structures within the nominated historic district that should be protected;

(C) A list of all key contributing, contributing and noncontributing sites, structures and objects within the historic district.

(5) Proposed design guidelines for applying the criteria for review of certificates of appropriateness to the nominated landmark or historic district.

(6) The relationship of the nominated landmark or historic district to the on-going effort of the commission to identify and nominate all potential areas and structures that meet the criteria for designation.

(7) A map showing the location of the nominated landmark or the boundaries of the nominated historic district.

E. RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends the Douglas County Courthouse located at 1100 Massachusetts Street for designation as a Landmark on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places pursuant to Criteria #1,#3, #5, #6 and #8 as described in Section 22-403.

If the Historic Resources Commission recommends this property for local nomination, the Commission should adopt a resolution for recommendation to be submitted to the City Commission for designation as a landmark. In addition to the resolution, the Commission should direct staff to prepare a report to accompany the resolution including the information set forth in Section 22-404.2(1) - (7) and the environs definition.

Staff recommends the following for the report to the City Commission:

(1) Explanation of the significance or lack of significance of the nominated landmark or historic district as it relates to the criteria for designation as set forth in section 22-403;

The Douglas County Courthouse is significant for its association with the growth and development Lawrence and Douglas County, its association with John G. Haskell, its architecture, and its visual presence in Lawrence.

(2) Explanation of the integrity or lack of integrity of the nominated landmark or historic district;

The structure maintains significant integrity of location, design, materials, and workmanship that make it worthy of preservation.

(3) In the case of a nominated landmark found to meet the criteria for designation:

(A) The significant exterior architectural features of the nominated landmark that should be protected; and,

The windows, clock and clock tower, stone carvings, entrance details, metal railings, and metal finials should be protected.

(B) The types of construction, alteration, demolition, and removal, other than those requiring a building or demolition permit that cannot be undertaken without obtaining a certificate of appropriateness.

Alterations to the windows, stone carvings, clock tower and metal railings should require a Certificate of Appropriateness.

(5) Proposed design guidelines for applying the criteria for review of certificates of appropriateness to the nominated landmark or historic district.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, published in 1990, and any future amendments, in addition to any criteria specified by Chapter 22 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, Kansas.

The HRC may also adopt An Analysis of the Environs for 1100 Massachusetts Street and delineate how environs review will be conducted in relation to the listed property.

A primary goal of the HRC is to build a Register of properties which show the diversity and growth of Lawrence since its inception. The nomination of this property is another step toward registering a wide variety of historic properties which together present a visual history of Lawrence’s past. The goal of the Lawrence Register of Historic Places is to represent all socioeconomic strata; businesses and industries which illustrate the diversity that has been prevalent in Lawrence since its inception.

(7) A map showing the location of the nominated landmark.

See attached