Restoring What Was

At the Historic Preservation Commission on Friday, plans for the rehabbing of 345 Union Street, which once served as the lobby for the Union Street Guest House compound, were presented for review. A welcome part of that proposal is making the window on the second floor, over the door, the same size as the other windows on the facade.

Scrutiny of the picture above suggests there is ample physical evidence that the window opening was once the same size as the others, but there are also these pictures, found on PhotobyGibson.com, which show the building in January 1977, after the building had been damaged by fire.

PhotobyGibson.com

PhotobyGibson.com

The pictures show, too, that the windows were originally taller than they are now. It appears the sills were raised at some point, probably to make the openings a standard size for the replacement windows that were installed after the fire. 

The pictures also provide the answer to the mystery of this strange feature on the facade.

In 1977, it was an opening for an air conditioning unit.

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