HomeMy WebLinkAbout04 Narrative_07212021July 21, 2021
Paul & Jillian Bertelli
616 W Story Street
Bozeman, MT 59715
Historic Neighborhood Certificate of Appropriateness - Narrative
Application 21-206
The residence at 616 W Story in Bozeman is a historic brick structure designed by architect, Fred
Willson and is a contributing structure in the Cooper Park Historic District. The house was originally built
in 1932, for the Chambers family and faces Cooper Park. The design is in the Neo-French Chateau style,
with a brick facade and steep pitched roofs. The use is a single-family house that has had changes to the
interior throughout the years to serve several owners' family needs. Our goals are to preserve and protect
the original design of the building while adapting the use to include one level living. To protect and
prolong the life of the original historic structure, improvements include inspection and repair to the
footings and foundation walls, removal of hazardous materials and removal of original knob and tube
wiring.
Upon initial review large trees that have grown close to the building for many years may have
damaged original footings and foundation walls. The footings and foundation walls for the building are at
different levels, with the east end of the building offering a full basement, while the south and west end of
the building are shallow footings creating only a crawl space. An initial building permit for footing and
foundation repair has been submitted to the City of Bozeman Building Department and is needed to
protect the structural integrity of the original historic structure.
Our further improvements are to remove hazardous materials from the house that were included
in the original 1932 building. Review by environmental engineers has determined the original building
materials contain asbestos wrapping the existing ducts, and vermiculite above the ceiling. Improvements
and updates to the existing electrical system will be included, as there is live knob and tube wiring that is
serving existing outlets from the basement into the ground and second floors.
We plan additions to the original structure that will preserve the significant features and form of
the original building and be differentiated from the historic building. The new additions will be
compatible with the neighborhood forms within Cooper Park, and include an 8:12 pitch roof with wood
shingles, and painted lap siding for exterior wall finish. Painted colors will be a neutral medium gray, so
the original brick material and color palette will stay dominant on the site.
• An addition to the east encloses an existing breezeway and connects the house to the
existing garage and will hold the laundry and pantry functions.
• An addition to the west will include a main level bedroom, bath and closet.
• An addition to the south, in the rear yard, includes a glass sunroom.
Deviation: The west side yard setback is 15'-0" and we request a 20% deviation, 3'-0", into this set-back.
This deviation will allow a more historically appropriate connection of the new addition to the original
building by allowing a void or notch between the original brick structure and the new clapboard sided
addition. This notched separation will be 3’-9” west and 4’-0” south of the original brick structure. This
notched connection at the roof’s eave will allow the original roof to finish and turn the corner, creating a
completed brick and shingle roof eave on the NW corner. This deviation will allow a west side yard
setback of 12'-0"on the corner of 7th and Story and will have minimal effects to the adjacent side yard,
sidewalk, streetscape and neighborhood. There is an approximately 20'-0" high mature lilac hedge
between the sidewalk and the west side yard that will be maintained and protected. The reduction of the
side yard setback of 15'-0" to 12'-0" will continue to assure the protection of public health, safety, and the
general welfare.
In response to City of Bozeman Planning Corrections letter, dated June 29, 2021 we have
adjusted the design to include and accommodate all concerns, listed below:
1. As an additional bedroom is being proposed, we are showing parking locations on the site
plan. Two parking spaces in the garage, one on the parking pad in the rear yard, and as
the site is on a corner, there is one space on 7th Avenue and one on West Story. A
traditional bedroom on the second floor is being opened to the stair, and will not have a
closet, so one bedroom will be removed from the upstairs calculation. This leaves two
bedrooms upstairs, one on the ground floor and one in the garage apartment. Four
bedrooms and five parking spaces are shown.
2. To further reduce impacts of the addition to the original structure, the revised design
shows the west addition wall moved to the north 18 inches. The notch will provide
separation, 3’-9” west and 4’-0” south of the original brick structure, and the north wall
of the addition is placed 18”south.
3. The design of the windows on the rear, south elevation has been revised to include
window scale and size traditionally used in the neighborhood. The sunroom windows
have been separated by wood columns, and the windows on the bedroom addition have
had the sill raised to 3’-6” above the floor. Traditional wood trim is shown around all
windows in the west addition.
The design of the additions has continued to evolve since the May NCOA application, and all
updates are shown in plan and elevations, dated 07182021. Changes from the original submission
have been highlighted in yellow in both elevation and in plan. We appreciate your review and
comments and look forward to realizing this design.
Respectfully,
Paul Bertelli, Design Principal, JLF Architects
Jillian Bertelli, AIA