The relative portion of a building compared to neighboring buildings, or of a building to a pedestrian observer, or of a building to its surroundings in general, is the building’s scale. Scale does more to determine the visual impact of a structure than does any other single aspect of building design. Preserving a harmony and compatibility in scale among the buildings in the city’s historic districts focuses attention on several key dimensions, including building height, floor elevations, size, and massing.
(A) Building height.
(1) New and reconstructed buildings should not be erected to a height greater than 10% of the average height of existing buildings from the historic period on the same and adjacent blocks. In no case should any building in the Commercial District be erected to a height greater than the County Courthouse.
(2) Buildings should not be erected to a height greater than 10% of the average height of existing buildings from the historic period on the same and adjacent blocks.
(B) Floor elevations.
(1) On new and reconstructed buildings in the Commercial District, the first floor elevation above the street curb, the entrance door sill elevation, and the floor-to-floor elevations within the buildings should reflect the average of comparable elevations of existing buildings from the historic period on the same and adjacent blocks.
(2) In the event the applicant successfully demonstrates, pursuant to Title 11 of this code of ordinances, the economic necessity of altering the original elevation of an interior floor or ceiling, such reconstruction shall be done in a manner that retains the original historic appearance, design, detail, and modeling of the building’s street-facing facade(s).
(C) Size and scale.
(1) (a) The size and scale of new or reconstructed buildings should be about equal to the average of similar types of existing buildings from the historic period in the district.
(b) Special care should be given to following the building-height-to-building-width ratio of front building facades on adjacent buildings from the historic period.
(2) The size and scale should be about equal to the average of similar types of existing buildings from the historic period.
(3) In the event it is necessary to construct or reconstruct a building in such a manner that its size and scale will be inconsistent with that of adjacent buildings from the historic period, the front facade of such new or reconstructed buildings should be broken into smaller masses or bays of a size and scale that is consistent with that of adjacent buildings from the historic period.
(4) Out-of-scale buildings should be broken into smaller masses or bays of a size and scale that is consistent with adjacent buildings from the historic period.
(D) Massing.
(1) New and reconstructed buildings in any historic district should avoid designs that result in a single, monolithic appearance that is not relieved by variations in massing. When possible, new and reconstructed buildings should be broken into varied masses and forms such as are characteristic of or compatible with typical existing buildings from the historic period.
(2) Building designs should avoid a monolithic appearance.
(E) Rhythm.
(1) Architectural rhythm is the ordered recurrent alteration of building masses and spaces across a single facade or along an entire block.
(2) Special care should be given to preserving and continuing the rhythm of solids to voids on street-facing facades and the rhythm of spacing of buildings along streets.
(3) The rhythm of solids to voids on street-facing facades and the spacing of buildings along streets should be preserved and continued.
(F) Walls of continuity.
(1) Physical elements, such as brick walls, wrought iron fences, evergreen landscape masses, building facades, or combinations of these also contribute to the character and feel of the architecture of a historic period.
(2) The design of any new or reconstructed building should seek to preserve or maintain such character-defining walls of continuity whenever possible.
(3) Walls of continuity should be maintained.
(Prior Code, § 12-8-4) (Ord. 492, passed 7-14-1987)