At its July 1 hearing, the IHPC approved a petition by Evan West to build a single-family residence with detached two-car garage at 2128 N. Alabama St. in the Herron-Morton Place neighborhood.

The 2½-story house will be a frame structure with cement-board siding on the second level and brick veneer on the first – a common architectural feature on that particular block, according to IHPC staff. The front porch will be brick to match the brick on the first level.

The last time IHPC was asked to approve a new project, either residential or commercial, was in August 2008.

Following are Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission actions taken at full commission hearings and  administrative hearings since publication of the previous issue of Urban Times. The commission meets the first Wednesday of each month. Administrative hearings, with an IHPC staff member serving as hearing officer, are scheduled every Tuesday. Approval for projects generally comes in the form of Certificates of Appropriateness.

Herron-Morton Place

July 1 IHPC hearing

- Herron High School was granted approval to place two temporary modular classrooms at 1701 N. Pennsylvania St., and also received a variance to provide for a 35-foot front-yard setback from the centerline of Pennsylvania Street to allow for placement of the structures on parking lots flanking the building.

Herron High School, which is adding one grade level of students a year, had originally planned to use space in the Annex Building, which is immediately north of the Museum Building, which faces 16th Street and has been used the past two years by the charter school. The Annex Building is expected to be restored and renovated in the upcoming year, but student body growth required the use of the modular units.

Herron High School is also in negotiations to purchase the Fesler Building, the third building formerly used by the Herron School of Art.

Staff recommended in favor of the petition because, among other reasons, the effect on the historic area would be insubstantial because of the temporary nature of the classroom structures, and because their use would not damage the historic material of the primary buildings on the site. Staff also noted that without the temporary classrooms, the school would be required to rent space off-site, leading to logistical and safety issues involving students.

The loss of parking spaces on the Museum Building site can be addressed by the additional parking lot to the north of the main building, staff added.

The approval for use of the modular classrooms will expire in two years.

June 30 administrative hearing

- Matthew Lutz received approval to install a flagpole in the front yard at 1615 N. Delaware St.

June 23 administrative hearing

- Bill Brannon received approval to remove old concrete slabs for  utility connections at 1826 N. Alabama St., and replace with gravel.

June 16 administrative hearing

- Bill Brannon received approval to remove a retaining wall on the south side of the property at 1826 N. Alabama St.

St. Joseph

July 1 IHPC hearing

- Woodland Realty Co. received approval to build a rear-yard privacy fence at 1025-27 N. New Jersey St., and a variance to allow for five off-street parking spaces where nine are required. The property is currently used by Downtown Doggie Boardwalk, a business which provides dog daycare and overnight boarding.

The petition, which had six previous continuances, does not include a variance to allow for an outdoor dog run. That element of the proposal was withdrawn.

IHPC staff recommended in favor of the parking variance because of, among other reasons, the limited number of employees and customers which typically come and go, and the existing on-street parking along 11th Street and both sides of New Jersey Street adjacent to the property.

The building in question is a cement-block warehouse containing two tenant spaces, one of which is a photography studio. The property is zoned CBD-2.

The petition in its final form was endorsed by the St. Joseph Historic Neighborhood Association.

June 23 administrative hearing

- DLS & Associates received approval to replace an inappropriate glass block basement window at 1101 N. Delaware St. with a new wood window containing a sump pump.

Lockerbie Square

July 1 IHPC hearing

- David Gibson, for Tom and Jeanne Gaunt, received approval to install a driveway and “porte-cochere” on the south side of the house at 228 N. East St. (Details, including an illustration was featured on The Lockerbie Letter page of the July issue of Urban Times.) Approval also included construction of a one-car garage at the rear of the historic home.

Woodruff Place

July 1 IHPC hearing

- Farinella Construction, for Kevin Harris, received approval to remove a two-story rear addition at 989 East Drive, and construct a new addition. The approval also includes repair of windows, siding and trim, and repair and replacement of gutters and downspouts. The 1891 house was built as a rental property, with the first floor of the u  urear addition built sometime before 1915 and the second level added sometime after 1956.

Staff supported the petition because the second-floor addition was not well-designed and appears awkward, because the additions do not contain any outstanding or original details, and because the condition of the addition is generally poor and significant repairs are needed.

The new addition will feature a shed roof like the existing first-floor addition, with four-inch wood lap siding to match the house. Salvaged brick will be used in the foundation.

Ransom Place

July 14 administrative hearing

- Greater Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church was granted approval to amend previously approved plans to build a detached garage at 902 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St.

July 7 administrative hearing

- Kyle Schoeler received approval to build a detached two-car garage at 822 Camp St.

- A petition by Donald Yates to place a paved parking area in the rear yard of 2128 N. Pennsylvania St. was continued to the Aug. 5 IHPC hearing. The petition also includes installation of a six-foot dumpster enclosure and variance to allow fewer off-street parking spaces than required.

- A petition by Kurt Flock to remove a one-story rear addition at 2143 N. Delaware St. and reconfigure the rear elevation, including a new roof structure and deck, was continued to the Aug. 5 hearing. The petition also includes alteration of door and window openings, and installation of new sidewalks.

- A petition by Randall Tyson to demolish the historic house at 2043 N. Delaware St. was continued to the Aug. 5 hearing.

Fountain Square

July 1 IHPC hearing

- A petition by White Rabbit Cabaret for a variance to allow for a “drinking place” (tavern, bar, cabaret, night club) at 1116 E. Prospect St. was continued to the Aug. 5 hearing.

Fletcher Place

July 7 administrative hearing

- John Venezia and Jersey St. Properties received approval to install a metal door on the rear elevation at 660 Virginia Ave.

Chatham Arch/Mass Ave

July 1 IHPC hearing

- A new wing-like canopy will be erected at the Tista Oil service station at 239 E. Michigan St. following IHPC approval. The petition by Robert Dalton, on behalf of Anees Saleh, also included a variance to allow the total square footage of the canopy to exceed 25 percent of the primary structure, which sits at the corner of Michigan and Alabama streets.

The new canopy will be made up of two new self-supporting structures above and adjacent to the existing angled canopy to private coverage to all three gas pumps along Michigan Street.

The original petition had asked for removal of the existing canopy, an idea which IHPC staff resisted because of its design, typical of “Phillip 66 Bat-Wing” stations of the late 1950s and mid-1960s. The district’s historic preservation plan does not consider the building to be “contributing” because it was not built during the period of significance of most of the other architecture in the district. However, the structure does have elements of the mid-century modern period which is becoming increasingly important to preservationists.

The final proposal was the result of a collaboration by the petitioner with both IHPC staff and the Mass Ave Urban Design Committee.

- A petition by Riley Area Development Corp. to demolish the primary structure at 875 Massachusetts Ave. was continued at the petitioner’s request. The petition also includes construction of a new four-story multi-family and mixed-use building (to be known as “Trail Side on Mass Ave”), and a variance to allow for less parking and loading areas on site than required in the CBD-2 zoning district.

June 16 administrative hearing

-  Harvey White was given approval to retain a water fountain-bird bath installed without approval at 836 Broadway St.

The Old Northside

July 14 administrative hearing

- Michael and Mary Burger were given approval to build a three-car garage at 1220 N. New Jersey St.

- A petition by Keith Samuels to repair a deteriorated exterior stairway in front of the house at 1524-26 Bellefontaine St. was continued to the July 21 hearing. The petition also asks to replace a missing handrail in front of the house.

IHPC is located in Room 1801 of the City-County Building at 200 E. Washington Street. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (although staff is typically gone to lunch between noon and 1 p.m.) Persons with appointments are advised to allow extra time to park and get through building security.

The general office number for the IHPC is 327-4406; the FAX number is 327-4407.  A list of staff members telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and biographies can be found at www.indy.gov/eGov/City/DMD/IHPC/ Pages/home.aspx.

The terms of five members of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission expire at the end of this year. A year ago, that event would have required the mayor to fill those vacancies, either through reappointment or by naming someone new.

This year, however, the City-County Council is in the equation, although at this writing no one is quite sure how the council’s role will play out when decision day comes. For that, we have the Indiana General Assembly to thank, because the General Assembly passed legislation this spring to change the way the IHPC was constituted. Before, the mayor was responsible for all nine appointments; now, the mayor names five members, while the City-County Council names four. The legislation (House Enrolled Act 1358) does not, however, stipulate which five members belong to the mayor, and which four belong to the council.

So, come Dec. 31, when the terms of James T. Kienle, George Geib, W. Bruce Stauffer, Betty Cockrum and Alan Lobley end, it appears likely that the City-County Council will have a say in who fills at least a couple of those slots. Without legislation direction, the details will need to be hammered out between the mayor and the City-County Council.

There is nothing wrong, per se, with the legislative change. Some onlookers fear that involvement with the City-County Council will make the appointments “more political.” The mayor, however, is a politician, too, and there’s nothing intrinsic in this process which will increase, or lessen, the chances that any given appointment is political.

Of more concern is how the General Assembly saw fit to change the original legislation which established the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission in 1967. Regular readers of this column might remember: Last summer, City-County Councilor Benjamin Hunter went to bat for an Irvington woman who had circumvented the IHPC when she replace the windows in her historic home. And even though the IHPC compromised significantly when it responded to the woman’s actions, Hunter objected that the commission’s ruling gave the woman no route of appeal, other than civil court.

Based on his comments from last summer, Hunter would have preferred that the General Assembly amend the city ordinance to give the City-County Council the final say over any IHPC decision. He did not get that. Nor, I suspect, would many of his fellow councilors want the council exposed to that kind of responsibility and work load. Imagine: Everyone who isn’t completely satisfied with IHPC rulings appealing those rulings to the council; better clear out a few more hours on Channel 16.

What Hunter did get was council say on the IHPC members. It remains to be seen how that plays out, but here’s the disingenuous part of the argument, as heard by some within the halls of the Statehouse: That adding City-County Council involvement will increase the professionalism of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission.

That thought ignores this fact: That three of the current eight commissioners (one seat is vacant) are not only architects, but are fellows of the American Institute of Architects. That’s a big deal in architectural circles. Furthermore, Kienle – also a long-time resident of Lockerbie Square – specializes in historic renovation and has a national reputation for his work. Kienle has been president of the IHPC for the past several years, serving with two noted colleagues, William Browne and Diana M.H. Brenner. (Also credentialed in the general field is W. Bruce Stauffer, a project manager with a construction company who holds a degree in urban planning.)

Previously, legislation suggested that the mayor appoint at least one architect. The new legislation suggests that one of the mayor’s five appointments and one of the council’s four appointments be architects. But the IHPC already has three architects. You do the math.

Furthermore, the new legislation requires (as did the original legislation) that one member of the IHPC be a resident of an historic district. The current IHPC has three members who fit that category – Kienle; Susan Williams, a resident of Chatham Arch; and Betty Cockrum, an Old Northsider. Williams’ further credentials include many years of service on the City-County Council.

The new legislation suggests, but does not require, that both the mayor and the council appoint people nominated by Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana and the American Institute of Architects. It also recommends that a member of the Metropolitan Development Commission be appointed.

Why the IHPC’s current roster sparked the Indiana General Assembly to action defies logic. The big worry is that Hunter’s effort to “reform” the IHPC isn’t done. The good news: The 2009 legislation created no “court of appeals” for disgruntled citizens who don’t get their way with the commission. Also, the final legislation was amended from its original form, in which any commissioner could be dismissed from IHPC without cause. At least the legislature knew better than to hang a Sword of Damocles over every commissioner’s head.

What’s next? It is time for people living in historic preservation districts – and who understand the role IHPC has played in making those neighborhoods what they are today – to start paying attention. Further threats to IHPC’s authority could emasculate the entire historic preservation effort, and allow developers to do previously unimaginable things to the city’s most treasured neighborhoods. Worst-case scenario, yes, but every so often worst-case scenarios happen.

IndyParks officials are working on a plan to establish a “BARK PARK” near the Frank and Judy O’Bannon Soccer Fields, using land which sits under Interstates 65-70. That report appeared as part of the Old Northside newsletter, The Keyhole, on page 45 this month. The report indicated that, on the shorter term, IndyParks officials are looking at establishing a temporary “bark park” at Spades Park, while they work through the bureaucracy involved in the larger plan.

Add that fact to the list of reasons Urban Times readers should pay at least some attention every month to our neighborhood pages. Another reason can be found on page 36, where the Meridian Park Mirror features the city’s noise ordinance, verbatim. Might be good to know, when your neighbor gets out of control.

Occasionally, I put on my curmudgeon hat to rail against life’s daily irritants. A couple of my friends would have me play curmudgeon monthly, with cell phones as my constant target. Worrying about the “cry wolf” syndrome, I politely decline.

The cell-phone users still stir my hackles, especially when they think they can drive their SUVs through intersections without worrying about the red lights (or my personal safety). But, today, another group of travelers are in my crosshairs: BICYCLISTS who ride the wrong way along one-way streets. How did so many people get the idea that’s the thing to do?

This is not a tirade against bicyclists. I am one. But bicyclists who flaunt the laws of safety and common sense are making it harder for “us” to be accepted by our auto-wielding fellow citizens. Ride with traffic, not against it. And don’t ignore traffic signals. If you’re on the pavement, you’re subject to the same laws as everyone else. Ride the right way, or walk.