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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 03-03-2015 - 5aORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: March 3, 2015 Action Agenda Item No. 5 -a SUBJECT: Joint Public Hearing with the Historic Preservation Commission Regarding the Proposed Designation of the White Cross School as an Orange County Local Historic Landmark DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, Parks PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) Yes and Recreation (DEAPR) ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: 1) Local Landmark Application and Report for the White Cross School Peter Sandbeck, 245 -2517 2) Letter from State Historic Preservation Office 3) Minutes of the October 22, 2014 Meeting of Orange County Historic Preservation Commission Documenting Approval of Proposed Landmark Application 4) DRAFT Proposed Landmark Ordinance PURPOSE: To conduct a joint public hearing with the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) to receive public comment on the application and proposed ordinance to designate the White Cross School as an Orange County Local Historic Landmark. BACKGROUND: In 1991, Orange County adopted the "Ordinance Creating the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) of Orange County ", also referred to as the "Historic Preservation Ordinance." In 1997, the County adopted the Local Landmark Program, a voluntary program allowing the HPC to designate properties of local historic and /or architectural significance, as authorized by NC General Statute 160A- 400.1- 400.14. One of the HPC's duties is to recommend properties to the BOCC for local landmark designation. Properties must meet a high standard of historic and /or architectural significance to be designated as an individual landmark. The higher standard is appropriate since landmark property owners are eligible for a 50 percent property tax deferral as provided by state law, as long as the property is preserved and retains its historic character. The historic landmark designation process, outlined in Article 3 of the County's Historic Preservation Ordinance, involves several steps culminating with the adoption of an ordinance by the BOCC for each individual landmark. At its October 22, 2014 meeting, the HPC accepted a Part 2 application from Ms. Danielle Sunde to consider her property, the White Cross School, for designation as an Orange County Local Historic Landmark, thus initiating the application process (Attachment 1). Ms. Sunde's application materials were submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for review and comment as required by state law. The HPC received a favorable response from the SHPO staff (Attachment 2). The HPC concurred with the SHPO's evaluation that the White Cross School was worthy of consideration for local landmark designation. The HPC voted unanimously to request a joint public hearing with the BOCC, as required by Section 3.7 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance. Built in 1933, the White Cross School is one of only three brick consolidated schools to survive in rural Orange County. The property consists of the 1933 brick school, built in the Colonial Revival style, along with the cafeteria wing added in 1948. Both portions retain a high degree of architectural integrity, with most of its original historic exterior and interior features still preserved. The White Cross School played a pivotal role in the social and cultural life of lower Bingham Township until it closed in 1961. It now serves as the home for a privately- operated preschool. This is a routine joint public hearing required by state enabling legislation and the county's Historic Preservation Ordinance. Following this joint public hearing, the BOCC and the HPC will take into consideration any public comments in preparing the final ordinance. The HPC will then return the final version of the proposed ordinance back to the BOCC for the Board's consideration and adoption this spring. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact associated with this public hearing. Should the Board adopt the proposed ordinance designating the White Cross School as a Local Landmark, the owner of the property would be eligible for a 50- percent property tax deferral. A detailed breakdown will be provided with the materials for that meeting. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board: 1) open a joint public hearing with the Historic Preservation Commission to receive public comment on the draft designation ordinance for the White Cross School, 2) close the public hearing; and 3) refer the draft designation ordinance back to the Historic Preservation Commission for its final review and recommendation. K Att. 1: Orange County Landmark Application for the White Cross School White Cross School 3501 Highway 54 West Bingham Township Orange County Landmark Application Part 2 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The White Cross School, constructed in 1933 to serve as an elementary school for the White Cross community west of Chapel Hill, is significant as one of only three remaining rural brick "consolidated" schools in Orange County erected by the Orange County Board of Education during the 1920s and 1930s.' This period was a time of amalgamation and regulation in North Carolina schools and the consolidation movement served as the impetus for the improvement and reconstruction of rural schools throughout the state. Additionally, new regulations introduced by the North Carolina legislature in the 1930s expanded the school year and required school attendance, thus increasing enrollment, and allocated state funding for schools and school supplies .2 The present White Cross School is the second structure to be erected on this site during the consolidation era and the fourth structure to house an institution that played a pivotal role in the social and cultural life of lower Bingham Township from the late nineteenth century through its closure in 1961. The White Cross School is also significant architecturally as an example of a school plan produced by the State Department of Education that prioritizes natural lighting and eliminates interior hallways in favor of less expensive exterior porches. The four- classroom -with- auditorium plan is typical for small rural schools of the 1920s and 1930s and was enlarged in 1948 with the construction of a cafeteria, a common addition in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The school retains a high degree of architectural integrity with the original layout of four classrooms around a central auditorium intact along with the front and rear porches, providing circulation. Additionally, with Colonial Revival -style elements, the White Cross School illustrates a national style and architectural movement in the context of a rural community in the Depression -era twentieth century. The exterior features Flemish garden wall bond brickwork, an unusual treatment not seen elsewhere in the county. The original paired front doors remain in place, along with original wood windows and frames generally arranged in bands, a treatment made popular by Rosenwald Schools of the period. The interior maintains original floors, trim, and doors as well as a raised stage on the east end of the auditorium, and several original light fixtures. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION The White Cross School, a one -story brick - veneered building, stands on the north side of Highway 54 West, in the White Cross community approximately eight miles west of downtown Chapel Hill. The building is set back from the road on a slight rise with a grassy lawn that extends down to the road. It is accessed by a gravel drive that encircles the building with a gravel parking lot at the rear of the building and a small amount of gravel parking on the west side of the building. The construction of fencing and the installation of playground equipment in front of the building have partially obscured the building from view from the The 1923 Murphy School and 1931 St. Mary's School remain, while the Aycock, Caldwell, Carrboro, Efland, and Orange Grove schools have all been demolished. 2 Ward, Michael E. "History of Education in North Carolina." Raleigh: State Historic Preservation Office, pg. 7. road; however, these features are not attached to the building itself and could be removed in the future. M The school, standing on a 2.69 -acre parcel, retains its rural context. The eastern portion of the original 7.98 -acre parcel is now occupied by a modern steel utility building housing a stone fabricating shop, located near the road and separated from the school by the gravel driveway (named Everett Lane) that they share. Behind the school to the north, seven small houses were constructed in the late 1960s on the former playing fields and wooded area behind the school and also share the gravel drive, though none are visible from the street. The three southwestern -most houses remain on the same parcel as the White Cross School, but are not included in this designation. The parcels containing the other four houses have been split off from the original 7.98 -acre parcel. Land on the adjacent parcel to the west of the school is wooded. The one -story school is symmetrical and H- shaped in plan with a central, side - gabled auditorium flanked by two, slightly lower, front - gabled classroom wings on each end. The building has a brick veneer laid in Flemish garden wall bond, with soldier- course brick watertable, header - course windowsills, and soldier- course lintels. It has an interior brick chimney and an asphalt - shingled roof with shallow eaves, wood soffits and fascia, and shallow gable returns. The school retains original nine - over -nine wood -sash windows throughout, paired in the front gables and in groups of six on the side elevations of each classroom. The auditorium features groups of three six - over -six wood -sash windows on the fagade, flanking the entrance, with groups of four nine - over -nine wood -sash windows on the rear elevation. Storage and bathroom spaces at the rear of each classroom wing have six - over -four wood -sash windows. There are rectangular louvered vents in the front gables and triangular gable vents on the auditorium wing. The classroom wings project beyond the fagade of the auditorium by 19' with an engaged shed - roofed porch extending the full width of the auditorium between the two wings. The porch has a low front -gable centered on the fagade, though now largely obscured by the crape myrtle trees. It is 6'9" deep and is supported by square columns with a low railing with square pickets. It has a concrete floor, beaded -board ceiling, and is accessed by a central stair as well as stairs on each end of the porch, adjacent to the classroom wings. Paired five - panel doors with a six -light transom are centered on the auditorium. A five -panel door with four -light transom on each end of the porch opens directly to the front classroom of each wing. At the rear of the building, the classroom wings project 28'1" beyond the auditorium, owing to a 10'10" storage and bathroom space at the rear (north) of each classroom wing. Engaged shed - roofed porches extend, not along the central auditorium, but rather along the projecting, classroom wings. The full depth porches are supported by square columns and have railings matching those on the fagade porch as well as concrete floors and beaded -board ceilings. An accessible ramp has been constructed parallel with the porch on the east wing, while the west porch retains its original center stair. Each porch contains an entrance to the auditorium space as well as to the rear classroom space, each door being a five -panel door with four - light transom. A 1948 cafeteria addition to the rear of the west classroom wing projects slightly beyond the west elevation, but is flush with the east elevation of that wing. It is 54'2" deep and contains two rooms. Exterior finishes, including brick veneer and header - course windowsills match the original building, though the addition does not have a soldier- course watertable or lintels. Single windows on the front room are eight- over - twelve wood -sash windows, while those on the rear room are six - over -nine wood -sash windows. The addition is not connected to the classroom wing, nor to each other, internally, but rather there are three five -panel doors to the exterior. The front room has an exterior door on both the east and west elevations, while the rear room has an exterior door in the gable -end, north elevation. Each door is sheltered 2 by a small shed or flat roof supported by brackets with the east entrance sheltered by a flat roof on a square column. Sometime after 1948, a shed - roofed frame room, measuring 16'8" wide by 144" deep was added to the west elevation of the cafeteria wing. This room features an asphalt - shingled roof, horizontal metal sheathing, metal storm windows, and an entrance on the south elevation. It is not connected to the cafeteria wing on the interior. The interior of the school is arranged in an H- shaped plan with the auditorium in the center and classroom wings, each featuring two classrooms and a storage /bathroom space at the rear, on each side. The classrooms each open directly onto the auditorium as well as to the front and rear porches without hallways. The left (west) wing was extended to the rear in 1948 with the addition of two additional rooms, each accessed only from the exterior. The auditorium measures 37'8" wide by 22'8" deep. It features original hardwood floors, plaster walls and ceilings, and original pendant lighting. Exterior doors, as well as doors to each classroom are all five -panel doors with four -light transoms and have flat -board surrounds. Windows also have simple flat -board surrounds and aprons, but with an applied rectangular molding around the outside edge. The space has 8" baseboards with a molded shoe molding. A stage at the east end of the space measures 16'2" wide by 9'3" deep. It has a hardwood floor, two steps each on the north and south ends, and a V- groove tongue -and- groove apron. The stage is framed by square columns that support a beam that extends the full width of the room. Temporary steps are located at the front (west) end and temporary bookshelves lining the front of the stage separate a small office from the remainder of the space. A chimney centered on the west wall protrudes slightly into the space. Each classroom measures 34'6" wide by 21'10" deep and has hardwood floors, plaster walls and ceilings, and door trim, window trim, and baseboards matching those of the auditorium. Most doors, with the exception of the exterior doors, are modern replacements and there is picture molding on some walls of the classrooms, but not throughout. The southeast classroom is slightly smaller than the others, as approximately 8' on the north end of the classroom was constructed as a teacher's office, accessible from the northeast classroom. The southeast classroom also has a replacement hollow -core door, but retains the historic transom. A restroom with partial- height, drywall walls, modern Dutch door, and modern molded trim has been added to the northeast corner of this classroom. The northeast classroom has a modern Dutch door, a door opening with transom to the teacher's office, now a storage area, and a double -wide door opening at the northwest corner that opens to a small storage space with a door to the exterior. To the east of the storage space, along a narrow hallway, are two small bathrooms. The southwest classroom features a door on the north wall that opens to a later bathroom, as well as a later door that opens to the northwest classroom. It has been modified slightly with the addition of a bathroom at the southeast corner (accessible from the southwest classroom) and storage along the north wall. The bathroom and storage both have partial- height drywall walls and modern doors and trim. The storage area on the north wall has been converted to a kitchen with vinyl flooring. At the left rear (northwest), a 1948 cafeteria addition features concrete floors, painted brick walls, and a plaster ceiling in the south room. This room has exterior entrances at the northwest and southeast corners, each a five -panel wood door. A small "window" opening on the north elevation opens to the north room, and a hollow -care door in the center of the north wall connects the spaces. The north room has been divided with a hallway running north - south through the space and small rooms off of that corridor. The spaces all have concrete floors, drywall- covered exterior and partition walls, and dropped acoustic -tiled ceilings. Trim is very plain flat -board trim with rubber baseboards and doors are hollow -core wood doors. A five -panel wood door at the north end of the hall opens to the exterior. ARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT An important component of the early twentieth century school consolidation movement in North Carolina was the establishment of the state's Division of Schoolhouse Planning in 1920. The Division of Schoolhouse Planning provided minimum standards for educational facilities and aided local school boards in selecting sites, plans, and designs for their modern schools .3 Recommendations from the Division of Schoolhouse Planning and the publication of school plan books in the 1920s led to noticeable similarities in rural school architecture. Many of the school designs were born of the necessities and challenges that rural schools presented and are strikingly similar to the Community School Plans published by the Rosenwald Fund. Large windows lined the school buildings, providing much - needed light and the height of ceilings and the location and placement of blackboards, desks, and other classroom features were such to maximize the effects of daylight. The school designs provided directions indicating how the building should be sited, so that classrooms received east or west light in order to maximize this effect. Brick was regarded as a desirable building material for a number of reasons, including its low maintenance, fireproof nature, and the clay -rich soil of the Piedmont was conducive to brick- making. 4 Additionally, seeing the need for formal places for the community to gather, the schools often included a meeting space or auditorium separate from the classrooms .5 Superintendent Brooks noted that "[a] school auditorium in the country is one of the best assets of a community. It affords an opportunity for the people to meet in large assemblies and for young people to have entertainment and a richer social life. As a result of this type of building, the school is becoming the community center. ,6 The White Cross School is typical of early twentieth - century, brick school construction, utilized a plan ( #5 -A) published by the Division of Schoolhouse Planning and illustrates many of the design principals promoted by the State Department of Education, and retains a high degree of material and architectural integrity. Comparable examples in Orange County include the 1923 Murphey School (3717 Murphey School Road-- OR0467) and the 1931 St. Mary's School (7500 Schley Road-- OR0657). The 1923 Murphey School, listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, is more decorative than the White Cross School, it's Spanish Mission style reflected in the pressed - metal shingles, meant to imitate clay tiles, covering the roof and the arched windows on the projecting entrance bay and on the side elevations of the auditorium wing (which was added in 1936). The front - gabled auditorium wing has a pedimented front - gabled portico with Doric columns and a half -round window in the pediment. The building retains a high level of architectural and material integrity on the interior as well as the exterior with wood floors, original doors with transoms, and original wood trim. After its listing to the National Register, it was fully restored to house the Just Right Academy in the classroom spaces and the Shared Visions Retreat (and event space) in the auditorium. It was designated an Orange County Landmark in 2011. s Sumner, Jim. "The Development of North Carolina's Public School System through 1940." Unpublished (on file with the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office), pg. 13. 4 Sullivan, Patricia A. North Carolina Public Schools Pre -1941. Thematic National Register Nomination. 1989, pg. 1. s `Bear Grass School." National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2005, pg. 13. 6 Sumner, "Development," pg. 8. 11 7 The St. Mary's School is similar in form to the Murphey School, with a classroom building dating from 1931 connected by a hyphen to a front - gabled auditorium wing added in 1936. However, the brick structures are simpler in design and detail, and retain less historic fabric. The present main school building, which replaced the earlier school destroyed by fire in November, 1930, retains its original form but has replacement front doors and windows that are not the full height of the window opening. The largely- intact exterior of the pedimented auditorium wing is notable for its full range of brick pilasters featuring simple limestone bases and caps rising from a stone water table.' The interior of the school has carpeted floors, dropped ceilings, and the main hallway through the center of the building has been subdivided. While the White Cross School site has been modified with the installation of fencing and playground equipment in front of the building, these changes are not connected to the building itself and are ultimately reversible. Further, the installation of additional bathrooms and temporary partition walls in the northwest classroom do not negatively impact the historic integrity of the structure nor detract from the understanding of the historic floor plan and are also reversible. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW A nineteenth - century mining and milling town, White Cross (originally called Gath, then Teer), was given its present name for the pristine white clay that runs through the area. As early as the late 1880s, the private White Cross Academy was in operation, though its exact location is not known. By 1917 -1918, the first White Cross School, a structure was erected about a mile to the southeast, on present -day Carl Durham Road in Bingham Township. The school was an all -white school that accepted both male and female students. By the early 1920s, the need for a new school had become apparent and the school board began visiting potential sites in April of 1922.$ Meanwhile attendance continued to rise with enrollment reaching 11 high school students and 52 elementary school students by 1923. On July 9, 1924, the Orange County Board of Education purchased 7.98 acres on the north side of NC Highway 54 West in Bingham Township from Fred J. Eubanks.9 That same month, the School Board awarded A. R. Davis, a contractor from Burlington, the contract for the construction of the six -room brick building.10 The building was completed and received by the Board of Education in March 1925, at which point smaller schools in the area were consolidated into the White Cross School with the children transported by bus to the new school. By 1927, the new school had an enrollment of 59 boys and 73 girls. This first building burned in early 1933, forcing the Board of Education to pass a motion on February 6, 1933 calling for a special meeting with the insurance adjuster "for the purpose of agreeing on the amount of insurance for the White Cross School Building," as the first step toward rebuilding the lost facility." In April of 1933, a delegation from the White Cross community approached the Board of Education to request that they rebuild the school. The Board did not take action until May Orange County Board of Education Minutes, Nov. 5 and 12, 1930, and Jan. 9, 1931 document the fire and the efforts of contractor J. H. Liner of Cedar Grove to rebuild the school within a few months; also Nov. 4, 1935 and Dec. 7, 1936, when the Board hired Atwood and Weeks to serve as architects for a major school improvement campaign funded by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (later PWA) that included new auditoriums at Murphey and St. Mary's schools. s Orange County Board of Education minutes, April 10, 1922. 9 Orange County Deed Book 83, Page 309. 10 Orange County Board of Education minutes, July 28, 1924. 11 Orange County Board of Education minutes, Feb. 6, 1933. The fire appears to have occurred after January 2, 1933 as there was no mention of the White Cross School in the board's minutes of that meeting. (after new members were in place), but then moved to rebuild the school as soon as possible. Further, they voted to "get copies of the plans and specifications for the building from the State Department of Education". 12 In June 1933, the Board elected to use plan #5 -A from the State Board of Education with minor modifications to be made by Chapel Hill architect H. D. Carter. 13 In July 1933, they awarded the construction contract to the Home Construction Company of Durham for $9400, the plumbing and heating contract to Paschall Brothers of Durham for $1459, and specified the use of brick from the Trollinger Brick Company in Mebane, North Carolina. 14 Construction continued through the fall of 1933 with the Board pproving the purchase of 225 auditorium chairs from the Carolina School Supply Company.' Additionally, in September 1933, the Board voted to include concrete walks and porch floors on the building instead of the wood porch floors previously specified. 16 The Board also voted to include a Delco light plant (a type of generator) that supplied electricity to the building. 17 Construction appears to have been completed by the late fall of 1933. According to information compiled by one of the current teachers, two bathrooms were added in 1937, one in the "sunhouse" and one in the "kitchen ". While no principals' reports were available for the school for 1933 -34 or 1935 -36, the report from 1940 -41 indicates that the school had four classrooms, an auditorium, four fountains, and five lavatories. The report also indicated that just seven years into its use the school was already overcrowded. With four teachers and 137 students in grades 1 -7 the report notes "too few teachers for too many PUP ils ,,.18 In comparison, St. Mary's School had three teachers with 64 students.19 An eighth grade was added in 1943 and overcrowding continued throughout the 1940s with 124 students enrolled in grades 1 -8 and four full -time and one part-time teacher on staff in 1947 -48.20 Conversely, the Murphey School had an enrollment of 89 students with three teachers during the same year .21 The White Cross School also had no lunchroom or cafeteria, a problem that was remedied by the 1948 -49 school year.22 The school continued to serve students in grades one through eight until the fall of 1957, when students in the 7th and 8th grades were reassigned to the Carrboro School . 23 The following year, the Carrboro School was absorbed into the Chapel Hill City Schools .24 Thus, by 1959, as a result of the ongoing consolidation and restructuring of elementary and high schools in the county, enrollment in the school had dipped slightly to 94 students in grades 1 -6. In 1959, the White Cross School became part of the Chapel Hill City Schools .25 However, the school remained open until 1961 when, as the final phase of its consolidation into the Chapel Hill City School system, the White Cross School was closed permanently. The building and 7.98 acres were sold in 1967 to A. C. Shearer and Austin Watts, then to Everett and Ruby S. Blackwood in 1968. The houses behind the school were constructed soon after. The property 12 Orange County Board of Education minutes, May 29, 1933. 13 Orange County Board of Education minutes, June 5, 1933. 14 Orange County Board of Education minutes, July 3, 1933. 15 Orange County Board of Education minutes, July 20, 1933. 16 Orange County Board of Education minutes, September 4, 1933. 17 Orange County Board of Education minutes, October 2, 1933. 18 Division of Institutional Services, Elementary and Secondary Education Section: Elementary and High School Principals' Annual Reports, 1924 -1949, Department of Public Instruction, Raleigh: State Archives Research Room. t9 Ibid. 20 Ibid. 21 Ibid. 22 Ibid. 23 Orange County Board of Education minutes, May 23, 1957. 24 Orange County Board of Education minutes, August 28, 1958 25 Orange County Board of Education minutes, June 1, 1959. 31 sold again in 1988 to Whisnant/Phillips Partnership, who formed the White Cross Partnership and subdivided the parcel. The school building served a variety of functions including a community art space, writer's space, and furniture store until 2008, when Our Playhouse Preschool began leasing the building. In 2011, they purchased the building and continue to use the building for their preschool. The owners replaced the asphalt - shingled roof in 2014. Future work plans for the building include restoring the original wood windows and trim while removing lead paint from all woodwork and refinishing the wood floors. 7 9 Attachment 2 10 V C� North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources State Historic Preservation Office Ramona M. Bartos, Administrator Beverly Eaves Perdue, Governor Linda A. Carlisle, Secretary Kevin Cherry, Deputy Secretary October 10, 2014 Peter Sandbeck, Cultural Resources Coordinator Orange County Historic Preservation Commission P.O. Box 8181 Hillsborough, N.C. 27278 Office of Archives and History Division of Historical Resources David Brook, Director Re: Local Designation Report for White Cross School, 3501 Highway 54 West, Chapel Hill vicinity, Orange County Dear Mr. Sandbeck: Thank you for the report on White Cross School, which is being proposed for local designation. We have reviewed the information in the report and offer the following comments in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 160A- 400.4. White Cross School is a 1933 brick Colonial Revival -style consolidation -era school, constructed using the North Carolina Division of Schoolhouse Planning's #5 -A school plane The building is remarkably intact. Separate guidance has been provided to commission staff regarding revisions to the report. We believe that the report will be sufficient to allow an informed decision by the governing board once those revisions are made. A copy of the report with any revisions would be appreciated by this office. Landmark designation means the community recognizes a property as an important historic resource worthy of preservation. Any substantial exterior design changes to a designated landmark are subject to the design review procedures of the Orange County Historic Preservation Commission. The owner may apply for an annual deferral of fifty percent of the property taxes for as long as the property is designated and retains significance and integrity. If the local governing board wishes to extend the commission's design review authority to significant features of the interior, the owner must give written consent. The designation ordinance must specify the features and describe the nature of the commission's design review authority over them. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to comment on the report. Our comments are advisory only. Once the governing board has received a recommendation from the Orange County Historic Preservation ComnIlSSlon and has proceeded in the same manner as would otherwise be required for an amendment to the zoning ordinance, the governing board may proceed with the designation decision. Once the designation decision has been made, please return the completed designation confirmation form, enclosed. Location: 109 East Jones Street, Raleigh NC 27601 Mailing Address: 4617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh NC 27699 -4617 Telephone /Fax: (919) 807 - 6570/807 -6599 11 Peter Sandbeck October 10, 2014 Page 2 of 2 Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding our comments. Sincerely, Jessica Dockery National Register and Survey Specialist enclosures Attachment 3 12 ORANGE COUNTY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Meeting Summary October 22 "d, 2014 Old Orange County Courthouse 106 East King Street, Hillsborough Approved Dec. 10, 2014 MEMBERS PRESENT: Todd Dickinson (Chair), Rob Golan, Jaime Grant, Bob Ireland (Vice- Chair), and Grace White MEMBERS ABSENT STAFF PRESENT: Susan Ballard (excused) Peter Sandbeck GUESTS: Stan Lewis, Fred Stewart ITEM #1: CALL TO ORDER Chair Dickinson called the meeting to order at 7:06 pm, and recognized guest Stan Lewis, owner of a property that adjoins the White Cross School. ITEM #2: CHANGES OR ADDITIONS TO AGENDA: None. ITEM #3: APPROVAL OF MINUTES (September 24th meeting): Golan moved to accept the minutes; seconded by Ireland; motion passed. ITEM #4: ITEMS FOR DECISION: a. Chatwood COA: follow -up review of proposed work: Chair Dickinson recognized guest Fred Stewart, project architect. Staff presented an overview of the house and the proposed work, noting the major work covered in our review of the COA at our May meeting. The items to be discussed tonight are to provide clarification of specific details relating to a proposed new roof and dormer, a geothermal well system and related insulation, as conditioned in our prior COA approval. This is not a new COA request. Discussion followed about wall insulation and the discovery of older fiberglass insulation found in the wall cavities. Wall insulation is not formally governed by the HPC as it is considered interior work not visible from the public right -of -way. Fred Stewart described the current proposal to install 1" of rigid insulation board above the existing roof sheathing. This may slightly alter the roof edge detail as viewed on the exterior. This would be covered by new white aluminum drip edge similar to what is there. Members viewed a sample of the proposed roofing metal for the color. The request is to approve the roof material and color (gray metallic color somewhat like a weathered terne- coated roof), the dormer detail drawing, and the proposed insulation above the roof deck. Discussion followed. Ireland moved to approve the work as submitted, specifically the roof color and proposed insulation detailing, and the dormer on the east slope of the roof of the one -story wing; seconded by Golan; motion passed. Staff will send an approval letter. b. Local Landmark Application: White Cross School, final review of Part 2 Application Staff presented an overview of the concepts of landmark designation for Mr. Lewis. This application is being presented again so that the HPC can review the final draft of the Part 13 2 application, which incorporates review comments required by the State Historic Preservation Office. Dickinson opened the public hearing. Mr. Lewis explained that he was attending the meeting to express his concerns about the maintenance of a new well that the owners of the school built on his property. Dickinson swore in Mr. Lewis as a member of the public who wished to speak. Mr. Lewis described his difficulty in getting the owners of the school to do some work on the shared well as promised. He is very much in favor of the landmark designation and preserving the school but has these concerns. Dickinson thanked him for his comments, then asked for a motion to approve the Part 2 application. White moved to approve the final draft of the Part 2 application for the White Cross School for recommendation to the Board of Commissioners for designation as an Orange County Local Historic Landmark, based on the special significance described and detailed therein; seconded by Golan. Motion passed. ITEM #5: DISCUSSION ITEMS a. Overview of Orange County historic resources for future publication: Staff presented a PowerPoint program to provide an introduction to the process we will go through as we review and evaluate our historic properties to determine which should be recommended for inclusion in the future publication; The current Local Landmarks and NR properties were viewed and described. Staff planned to show some of the Study List properties, to highlight those deemed most important as a result of the 1992 -93 survey. However, there was not enough time to view these at this meeting. Staff needs to check on the tax status of the Faucette Mill House now that it is divided from the Chatwood property. The Study List properties will be reviewed at the December meeting. ITEM #6: UPDATES AND INFORMATION ITEMS a. Survev Update Proiect status: Staff has been working with the most qualified bidder and the State Historic Preservation Office to confirm the final scope and develop a suitable contract. We hope to be able to sign a contract and the project underway in the next couple of weeks. b. Report from meeting with Hillsborough HDC re: historic resources book project Dickinson reported on the outcome of our presentation to the Town's HDC at their Oct. 1St meeting, asking them to join us in our book project. The feedback was positive. The HDC requested that Town and County staff develop a plan to give them a better overall sense of the project before they can make a final determination about participating. c. Plans for a tour of the Hackney House Staff offered some options for scheduling a tour for interested members. Members agreed that Saturday would be preferable, probably in the morning. Staff will follow up. d. Colonial Inn Update Staff met earlier today with several interested citizens about this. The Town Board of Adjustment upheld the HDC's decision. The owner may decide to take this to court. e. New proposal for state financial incentives for historic preservation: Staff referred members to Attachment 2, which outlines a new proposal for a state grant incentive rather than a tax credit. This may run into the same opposition as last year. ITEM #7: ADJOURNMENT: Chair Dickinson adjourned the meeting at 9:05 pm. Meeting summary by Peter Sandbeck, DEAPR staff 2 ORD- 2015 -004 lAttachme nt 4 AN ORDINANCE OF THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS DESIGNATING THE PROPERTY KNOWN AS THE WHITE CROSS SCHOOL IN ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA AS A LOCAL HISTORIC LANDMARK 14 Whereas, all of the prerequisites to the adoption of this ordinance prescribed in Part 3C, Article 19, Chapter 160A (Historic Districts and Landmarks) of the General Statutes of North Carolina and an Ordinance Creating the Historic Preservation Commission of Orange County (the "Historic Preservation Ordinance ") have been met; and Whereas, the Orange County Board of Commissioners has taken into full consideration all statements and information in the application and the designation report prepared by the Orange County Historic Preservation Commission and presented to the Board of County Commissioners on the 3rd day of March, 2015, on the question of designating the property known as the White Cross School as a historic landmark; and Whereas, the property known as the White Cross School, located in Bingham Township in the County of Orange and more particularly described in Exhibit A attached hereto, is significant as one of only three brick consolidated schools still standing in the County; and Whereas, the original building constructed in 1933 and enlarged in 1948 retains a high degree of architectural integrity, with most of its original historic exterior and interior features still preserved; and Whereas, the White Cross School played a pivotal role in the social and cultural life of lower Bingham Township until it was closed in 1961; and Whereas, the White Cross School is an important and increasingly rare example of a rural school built according to the plans promoted by the State Department of Public Instruction to provide modern, well -lit and sanitary facilities for students; and Whereas, the Orange County Historic Preservation Commission has recognized the historic, architectural and cultural significance of the property known as the White Cross School 15 and has recommended that the property be designated a "historic landmark" as outlined in Article 3 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance; and Whereas, the State Historic Preservation Office, an agency of the Office of Archives and History of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, has reviewed and commented on the findings of the Orange County Historic Preservation Commission, and has approved the White Cross School for designation as a local historic landmark; Now, therefore, be it ordained by the Board of County Commissioners of Orange County, North Carolina that: Section 1. The property known as the White Cross School, located in Bingham Township, Orange County, North Carolina jurisdictional area, consisting of approximately 1.4 acres more particularly described in Exhibit A, is hereby designated a historic landmark pursuant to Part 3C, Article 19, Chapter 160A of the General Statutes of North Carolina and the Orange County Historic Preservation Ordinance. Section 2. The owner(s) and occupant(s) of the property known as the White Cross School be given notice of this ordinance as required by applicable law, and that copies of this ordinance be filed and indexed in the office of the County Clerk, Orange County Register of Deeds, Orange County Tax Supervisor and Orange County Department of Environinent, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation, as required by the applicable law. Section 3. In accordance with Part 3C, Article 19, Chapter 160A of the General Statutes of North Carolina and the Orange County Historic Preservation Ordinance, the exterior and site features of all historic landmarks are always under the purview of the Historic Preservation Commission's Certificate of Appropriateness provisions. The jurisdiction of the Historic Preservation Commission may also extend over interior spaces with the consent of the owner. The HPC shall determine Certificates of Appropriateness for the White Cross School based on the HPC's approved design standards, with reference to the designation ordinance, the application materials and the designation report. Section 4. All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict. Section 5. Any part of this ordinance determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be in violation of any law or constitutional provision shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the validity of the remainder. Section 6. This ordinance shall become effective immediately upon its adoption. 16 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners does hereby officially designate the White Cross School as an Orange County Local Historic Landmark. This the [AAj!d day of [month] 2015. Earl McKee, Chair Orange County Board of Commissioners Attest Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board EXHIBIT A The White Cross School, located at 3501 Highway 54 West, Bingham Township, is referenced in Orange County Land Records as Parcel Identification Number (PIN) 9749402837, containing 2.69 acres more or less. Only the portion of this parcel that contains the historic school and associated grounds is being designated, consisting of approximately 1.4 acres. The property is owned by Big Show Properties, 100 Floral Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. (see attached parcel map /aerial photo) 17 EXHIBIT F i White Cross School 3501 Highway 54 West, Chapel Hill, NC Plat of subject property showing • ,. *° }4`�` portion of parcel included in Orange County Local Landmark designation (approx. 1.4 acres) PIN: 9749402837:, ' a t a Yi Z` Ri } { lLl 5._ WI A- LO ry CX z - hi e Cross Lr ' chop.` , t dr " ' f -7 Y , � —r,y .•; it _ 1 i.'tr' Highway 54 West b