The Historic District Landmarks Commissions have jurisdiction over all work performed on those portions of the exterior of existing buildings which are visible from the public street. City Council Ordinances #5992 and #6699 M.C.S, specifically cite the following areas where work must be approved in advance by the Commissions: "Structures or edifices including fences, boundary walls, signs, ...." The ordinances continue by stating that the jurisdiction of the Commissions extend to all "exterior architectural features, and shall include but not be limited to the architectural style, general design, and general arrangement of the exterior of a structure including the kind and texture of building materials, the type and style of all roofs, windows, doors and signs."
The Commissions have established the policy of encouraging the retention of all original historic fabric in a building of architectural or historical importance. Where it is necessary to repair the historic fabric, the Commissions through their jurisdiction encourage owners to perform work which matches the original in material and detail. When work is to be performed on a portion of a building which has previously been altered, the Commissions encourage the owner to do work that will return the building to its original appearance. Where no illustrations exist to show the appearance of the building prior to its remodeling, the Commissions, with proper documentation, allow the use of renovation by analogy. In this technique, buildings of similar age, type, style, and material are referred to as examples for the possible appearance of the altered building. This technique will be discussed in more detail in the following sections.
The Commissions can also allow the retention and maintenance of altered portions of a building. The Commissions do not have the authority to force a property owner to restore or renovate his property. As an example, if a building had aluminum windows prior to the creation of the historic district, the owner of the property is allowed to maintain those windows, or replace them with identical units. The staff and the Commissions may allow some modification of non-conforming work to bring some aspect of an alteration to an appearance more in keeping with the original. Using the example of the aluminum windows, although an owner is allowed to replace the window unit with a new aluminum one, he will be encouraged, but not mandated, to perhaps return the window to the original size and number of panes.
Color.
The Commissions do not have jurisdiction over the color that the exterior of a building is painted. The Commissions require that all new wood placed on a building of architectural or historical importance be primed and painted to protect it from the elements. The staff of the Commissions is prepared to assist a property owner in selecting colors which are appropriate to the age and style of the building. The Commission does regulate the color of brick. The staff is always pleased to provide free color consultations to any applicant.
The accompanying sections address regulations for particular building parts. Each section contains the criteria used in making approvals for maintenance and alteration work. While these sections attempt to be exhaustive in discussion of all possible application types, these guidelines in no way intend to limit the type of work or the material applied for use in a historic structure. New and innovative solutions may be explored, and if appropriate for the particular situation, approved by the Commissions.
In many cases the type of work allowed or the level of authority where the approval can be made (staff, Architectural Review Committee, or full Commission) depends in many cases on the architectural or historical importance of a building. The architectural or historical importance of a building is communicated through a color rating system. These color ratings are discussed in more detail in another section of the Guidelines.
The color ratings of all structures under the jurisdiction of the Commissions are recorded on maps on display in the Commissions' offices at 830 Julia Street. Similar maps are also available for inspection at the main branch of the New Orleans Public Library, 219 Loyola Avenue. Briefly, the color ratings are as follows:
Purple - Buildings of national importance
Blue - Buildings of major architectural or historical importance
Green - Buildings of local architectural or historical importance
Red - Altered buildings that if restored would be Green or Blue-rated
Gold - Buildings which contribute to the scene
Grey/Black - Buildings which have no architectural or historical importance