Because a classic misconception used to make people fear historic designation is "They're going to tell you what color you can paint your house," the Historic Preservation Commission in Hudson has always stressed that they do not opine on paint colors. When it comes to paint, the only time the HPC wants to be involved is when paint is being removed from masonry or being applied to masonry that has not been painted before, because both actions can damage historic materials. Although this is something the members of the HPC have agreed to among themselves, it doesn't seem to be well communicated to the general public or apparently to our new code enforcement officer.
At some time recently, 534 Warren Street, the location of Vero Handcrafted Coffeehouse & Market, a brick building that was not previously painted, was painted blue-gray. The plan to paint the building never came before the HPC.
If the HPC is serious about wanting to weigh in on the appropriateness of applying paint to formerly unpainted masonry or removing paint from masonry, they need to find a way to get the word out. The HPC typically relies on the code enforcement officer to determine what projects need to go before the HPC, but since painting a building does not require a building permit, painting projects, even those that involve putting paint on brick that has remained unpainted for more than a century, bypasses code enforcement and hence also the HPC.
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Well, for a city that has long been unable (or unwilling) to do something as simple as enforce its own code to keep our sidewalks in decent condition, this should come as no surprise. The devil is in the details. The fact that the code enforcement officer is so far from City Hall and Warren Street is no help, either. Too many details get overlooked, and not just by CEO.
ReplyDeleteThe entire upper section had been painted, so we are talking about the 4 small sections at street level. While I understand painting brick is not a great idea, the majority of the building was painted long ago. And I have heard from many people who purchased buildings that a member(s) of HPC have tried to lead them to believe they could control the colors. Not in official meetings, but in casual conversation. This also goes back a comment I made before about the HPC having no real teeth. What's the penalty for not getting approval? Same as Galvan's lime wash, nothing.
ReplyDelete534 was painted before. You can see the red paint flaking off in your pictures. Same red color as 530 Fabric Store. Also a lil story, the owner of 534 asked then BarBene if he could paint it the same color as their building. She was fine with it. All 4 buildings in the row painted the same year and same colors if you notice.
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