There are several defining characteristics that are identified with the NuLu Review Overlay District that help to shape the identity of the area. The NuLu District is situated in the Phoenix Hill Neighborhood and its history is preserved and portrayed through the commercial, residential, and religious structures located within the District's boundaries. The NuLu District is part of the Phoenix Hill National Register Historic District, and includes local landmark properties and other buildings of historical or architectural significance. Commercial structures and residences with distinctive architectural features assist in creating a unique contextual and eclectic environment. Several architecturally significant buildings, due to their location, height, mass and design serve as visual landmarks throughout the District and downtown.
East Market Street runs through the core of the District and serves as its primary connector with Downtown. The street is primarily bordered by two and three story Italianate commercial structures from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, along with modern infill structures that were constructed on vacant lots. The width of Market Street was historically a key element that allowed it to function as a market for selling goods; this feature remains a distinctive design feature today that enhances both pedestrian and vehicular movement.
Building height in the District ranges from one to five stories, with the predominance given to buildings between one and three stories in height. The overall design character of the area is that of building forms featuring both large and small scale massing, with a feeling of light and openness. Many buildings, particularly retail and related structures on Market Street, have both a well located and defined public entrance from the sidewalk. A majority of the District's structures are historic and utilize such materials as brick, wood siding, cast iron, and metal. Contemporary structures in the District highlight glass curtain wall and wall panel cladding systems. The District also includes historic churches, a mix of one-story residential shotgun style homes and shotgun homes with camel back additions, and a mixture of commercial manufacturing and warehouse storage structures.
(Lou. Metro Ord. No. 42-2015, approved 3-31-2015)