HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-17-2022 Fairhope Historic Preservation Committee Meeting Minutes. ,. ...
Fairhope Historic Preservation Committee
Monthly Meeting Notes
August 17 , 2022 9 :30 a .m . Fairhope History Museum
Attendance: Gary Gover, Mara Hunter, Skip Jones , museum liaison Gabriel Gold-Vukson
(Museum Liaison). Guest: Hannah Jane Hill
Not Present: Jay Robinson
Call to order: Gary Gover, 9:31
Old Business
1) Introduce special guest and prospective member Hannah Jane Hill.
2) Approve April meeting minutes (see attached).
3) Renew Appointments to the Committee.
4) Updates on old business :
a) Lewis House: Gary Gover attended the Planning meeting . The proposed plan for 309
Ingleside did not include or reference the historic property. GG presented the historic
nature of the property advocating its preservation . The developers stated that it would
cost 40-100 thousand dollars to relocate the building , and at that cost it was not feasible
for the project to do that. Corey M. and developer subsequently discussed they would do
something to memorialize the building . The planning commission and staff agreed to
make that a condition for approval. At the city council meeting that occurred shortly
thereafter, a community member advocated preservation. The city council voted to
approve preliminary approval of the planned project provided an appropriate historic
memorial was put in place.
i) Question : If the house is slated for demolition , could an agreement with the
developers be reached that would allow descendents to salvage any valuable or
sentimental architectural details , such as a fireplace mantle? And after that , could
materials of the house be made available to anyone from the community
interested in salvaging wood , etc . for renovating other historic properties?
■ Response : SJ will communicate with the developers.
ii) Question$40-100 thousand seems not such a large cost for a project of that
scale , also a cost that could be offset , and/or met with a go fund me campaign .
Can the house physically be moved?
■ Response : SJ agrees to investigate. [postscript from SJ : "Gabe and I
visited the Lewis house yesterday to get an idea of the type of
construction and the general feasibility of moving it. The house is frame
construction on piers with a large , u-shaped porch on the front that is built
on a concrete slab. It appears to have been added after the house was
built. There is a double central brick fireplace with a single ch imney and
another brick chimney at the rear of the original structure that probably
vented a heater. There appears to have been two or three additions to the
"
rear of the origina l house. Moving the house wou ld involve demolishing
the front porch and slab , demolishing the two fireplaces and chimneys ,
removing the rear add itions and , due to the dimensions of the original
house , cutt ing it in ha lf to enable it to be moved on the adjacent streets.
Cutting it in half would involve removing most of the metal roof. It would
appear that right-of-way and utility infrastructure can be dealt with , so the
house could be moved to a relatively near-by site . A careful assessment
of the cost of moving and reconstruction should be undertaken before
decisions are made."].
b) the Summit Inn : Skip will connect with the owner to determine whether our committee
can help with that process .
c) The May Event was a success . Two speakers from t he Alabama Historic Commission
presented a slide show at the Baldwin County Campus St. James facility to an audience of
20-30 people . Topics included what AHC does , CLGs , tax breaks for small businesses ,
non-profits , design review processes , and so on.
New Business
5) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) -House slated for sale .
6) The Land Use Plan. Historic Preservation is discussed pp. 49-53 . Discuss how to promote
Historic Preservation , what activities we can organize that gel with the plan.
7) Set provisional agenda and activities for AY 2022-2023.
a) Expand membership . Hannah will help.
b) Gary will speak with mayor this afternoon .
c) K-1 center will be an incubator, will become part of a program known as hatch . Last
survey of K-1 in historic district , on national register. Once had banner and shield. Need
to ensure facade is respected.
8) Wrap-up .
Pot e nt ial Eve nts
• K-1 Hi story
• African American History
• Land Use Plan
• History Day : Highschool
Meeting Ended 10:32