HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC Minutes 092618 Attachment 1
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Orange County
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Meeting Summary
September 26th, 2018
Old Orange County Courthouse
106 W. King Street, Hillsborough
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MEMBERS PRESENT: Todd Dickinson, Art Menius, Paul Noe, Steve Peck
MEMBERS ABSENT: Bob Ireland, Tom Loter, Becky Paxton
STAFF PRESENT: Peter Sandbeck GUESTS: None
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ITEM #1: CALL TO ORDER
Chair Dickinson called the meeting to order at 6:40 pm. He welcomed new member Paul
Noe.
ITEM #2: CHANGES OR ADDITIONS TO AGENDA: None
ITEM #3: APPROVAL OF MINUTES for June 27, 2018 (Attachment 1): Noe moved to approve
the minutes, seconded by Menius; motion approved.
ITEM #4: ITEMS FOR DECISION: None
ITEM #5: DISCUSSION ITEMS
a. Piper-Cox House (Piper-Dickson):
Chair Dickinson reviewed the message from Keith Nealson (Superintendent of Eno River
State Park) and explained the current status of the house. He would like to see the HPC
membership adopt a resolution in support of preserving the house. Staff showed photos of
the house and its site, and explained the history of the house and its evolution. In brief,
the state parks are not obligated to preserve historic properties unless they are listed on
the National Register. Their mission is to provide quality recreation facilities at the state
parks. There are hundreds of historic buildings on the various state park properties and so
the cost of preserving those is monumental. Thus, when the tree hit the front section of
the Piper-Cox House, the park superintendent understandably raised the question about
the future of that portion of the house. The front section of the house is architecturally
unusual in the county, with its low gable roof, center passage plan and high raised
basement—the latter only one of a few known in our inventory. The older rear log section
was built in the late 18th or early 19th century and has been entirely rebuilt due to log
deterioration. Dickinson did that work in the 1980s when he was a restoration contractor.
The front section was restored by the state in the late 1990s. It is now used only
intermittently for special educational programs for children. This is making it harder for the
park to justify making a large expenditure to repair the house. It is not clear if it is insured.
Having a viable use for the house will help ensure its preservation. Staff and Dickinson will
attempt to get permission to make a careful inspection of the damage and provide aplan
or set of recommendations to the park. Discussion followed. Chair Dickinson asked for a
motion of support. Menius offered the following motion: the HPC supports the preservation
and restoration of the Piper-Cox House and will provide expertise to assess the damage
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caused by the fallen tree and provide recommendations for restoration. This was
seconded by Steve Peck. Motion passed unanimously. Staff will prepare a letter and
circulate with members prior to sending out.
b. Property Evaluation Exercise: Troy and Roberta Andrews House, 600 Bolin
Brook Farm Road, Calvander vicinity:
Chair Dickinson provided an overview of the evaluation process and how this relates to
the HPC’s efforts to designate properties as local landmarks. Staff presented an overview
of the property, showing a map, an aerial photo, and a number of photos of the exterior
and interior. The house was designed in the 1950s by Franc Sidler, a Swiss architectural
student who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright. The owners kept the plans but did not
build the house until 1967. Local African American masons did all the stonework. It is
unique in Orange County and probably the state, with its dramatic roofline, stone exterior
and interior walls, handsome exposed roof timbers, massive central chimneys and waxed
stone floors. The adjoining property is also in the family, with a son living in the c. 1890s
farmhouse fronting on Union Grove Church Rd. There are also farm buildings and an
early log house that is used as a rental property. All the land has been in the Andrews or
Lloyd families since the late 18th century. There could be an argument for looking at a
landmark designation for the entire site, not just this house. Members completed their
evaluation forms after much discussion. This property illustrates how the evaluation form
we use tends to discriminate against modernist properties. Scores were totaled giving an
average final evaluation score of 63.375, which qualifies it for landmark status.
ITEM #6: UPDATES AND INFORMATION ITEMS
a. Book project status:
Staff provided a brief update on the progress. Our editor/author Laura Phillips continues to
make good progress on writing the property entries for the rural parts of the county. She is
still on schedule. We sent Catherine Bishir her contract with the Alliance to work on our
project as our editorial consultant; that should be signed by our next meeting. We continue
to have a problem getting research finished on individual properties so staff is searching
for a contract researcher. Ideas included looking at UNC history programs for grad
students. There are many online resources like Newspapers.com and all the online deeds,
so it can be done remotely. Staff will follow up and share research links.
b. Preservation NC Annual meeting:
If members are interested the meeting is still going to happen despite Florence, so let staff
know if you wish to attend any of the sessions. Staff will check and confirm that the
meeting will actually take place, and share links to the registration and agenda.
c. Other county project updates: None
d. Open Air Time for members to share information: None
ITEM #7: ADJOURNMENT: Noe moved to adjourn, seconded by Menius; meeting adjourned at 8:10
pm
Meeting summary by Peter Sandbeck, DEAPR staff