Wood in the form of clapboard siding or droplap siding is the most common exterior finish material in local historic districts. Wood is used extensively for exposed structural elements such as beams, lintels, and columns, as well as a wide variety of decorative trim such as brackets, cornices, parapets, handrails, door surrounds, soffits, and fascias. The details of wood finishes on a building are very important in identifying the style and age of that building. The Commissions' policy is generally to not allow any changes in the original wood detailing on the portions of rated building under its jurisdiction. Exceptions to this policy are detailed below.
The Commissions encourage the careful maintenance of original wooden building fabric. The best means to insure the ongoing preservation of exterior wood is to keep it properly attached to the building and painted. While the Commissions do not regulate the color of a building, they do encourage a property owner to keep the exterior wood of a building in good repair and painted. See the "Demolition by Neglect" section of the Guidelines for more information regarding the Commissions' requirements for minimum maintenance.
The Commissions encourage the retention of original building material to preserve the authentic historic appearance of a building. Any work to maintain existing wood siding, structure or trim wood must match the original in material and detail. Applications to maintain wood on the exterior of any rated structure can be approved at the staff level. All replacement wood must be painted.
Any application to remove exposed wooden structural elements or trim from a rated structure must be reviewed by the Architectural Review Committee and the Commission. Where similar missing or exposed structure or trim is to be replaced, the staff may approve such applications using new material whenever existing records (either photographs or fragments on the building) document the size, shape, or design of the replacement item. Where no documentation exists, the staff may approve replacement millwork on all green, red, and gold-rated structures, assuming that they feel the proposal is appropriate. On purple and blue-rated structures, any undocumented replacement millwork must be approved by the Architectural Review Committee and the full Commission. All applications for replacement millwork must be supported by drawings which accurately describe the work proposed. The staff may request that the replacement work be shown in the context of the entire building elevation as well as in detailed drawings.
Perhaps the form of alteration most commonly requested is for the application of artificial siding. Artificial siding includes any substitute siding such as aluminum, vinyl, or composition wood board. The Commissions strongly discourage the use of artificial siding on rated structures in the local historic districts. However, the installation of artificial siding may be approved by the Commissions as follows:
1. On buildings rated purple, blue or those buildings rated red that could be upgraded to blue if properly renovated, artificial siding will not be allowed on any exterior surface regulated by the Commissions.
2. On buildings rated green, gold or those buildings rated red that could be upgraded to green if properly renovated, the installation of artificial siding will not be allowed on any street facade, but may be allowed on any other facade only at the discretion of the Commissions.
3. On unrated buildings, the installation of artificial siding may be allowed provided the installation does not cause the appearance of the building to detract further from the historic district.
4. In all cases where artificial siding will be allowed, the installation must follow an installation technique approved by the Commissions.
5. In all cases where artificial siding will be allowed, such siding must conform to the Commissions' requirements regarding type, size, finish, detailing and color.
In the case where artificial siding already exists on a building, the Commissions encourage its removal, subject to compliance with all applicable fire and building codes. A property owner may maintain existing artificial siding and use material which matches the existing exactly in size, detail and color. All work to remove or maintain artificial siding must be approved by the staff before it is begun.