HPO Recommends Approval For Moving a Cleveland Park House

• November 19, 2018

by Nena Perry-Brown

Earlier this month, UrbanTurf reported on a proposal to rotate a house on Wisconsin Avenue in the Cleveland Park Historic District, convert it into two units and construct a six-story, 14-unit addition. Now, the project has been given a nudge towards approval.

The Historic Preservation Office (HPO) report on the development recommends the Review Board find the concept compatible with the district, while also offering suggestions for a more refined design to be resubmitted for the Board's consideration.

Considering that the single-family house at 3219 Wisconsin Avenue NW (map) used to have more single-family neighbors when first constructed, relocation of the house toward Macomb Street simply makes sense, the HPO finds.

"Turning the building to face Macomb Street would return the house to a more compatible context while remaining associated with its original lot and the Oak View subdivision," the HPO report states. However, HPO also recommends that the full-length front porch be retained in order to preserve as much of the house as possible. 

As for the six-story addition, HPO staff thinks the Teass\Warren Architects design can be refined further and made more compatible. The report recommends the new construction be pulled back away from the house by a few feet and that the projecting bays be reconsidered in order to minimize their impact along Macomb Street and accentuate them more along Wisconsin Avenue. It is also recommended that the bays start one floor lower in order to reduce the appearance of height, and that the team explores other ways to make the design more site-specific.

The Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) is expected to consider the case on November 29th. 

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/hpo-recommends-board-approve-moving-cleveland-park-house/14713