Historical December 1989 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
As a companion to Nancy Farmer’s article on the upcoming door-to-door building inspections, the following will try to clarify building permit issues and historic district standards.
While the inspections are not due to be performed until the spring, this endless fall seems to be a good time for owners to assess their property and start work if necessary.
The same information will be made available in late winter/early spring as the actual inspections are being done.
There are quite a few historic districts throughout St. Louis City.
Each has its own set of standards which are enforced by the Heritage and Urban Design Commission (HUDC).
In all districts, required building permit work must go through this special branch of the Building Division.
With proper plans and photographs, the amount of additional time required to receive a building permit is minor—ten days for staff review and a bit longer if full commission review is required. Specific issues relating to Skinker-DeBaliviere are outlined below.
Boundaries:
Our neighborhood’s historic district boundaries are basically DeBaliviere, the City limits, Delmar, and Lindell.
There are areas such as Kingsbury Square which are not included.
What work requires a building permit?
Almost all exterior changes within the district require permits, including but not necessarily limited to: 1) Window and door replacements; however, storm doors and windows do not require permits if they are color finished. 2) Roofing—If new roofing material is not identical to the old roof covering, i.e. if clay tiles or slate shingles are being replaced with asphalt shingles; if more than 25% of the roof sheathing is replaced; if the roof being applied is the third layer or more. 3) Removal, replacement, or alteration of any architectural detail, such as cornices, soffits, brackets, porch railings, columns, original ornamental iron work, chimneys, window trim, etc. 4) Any demolition work, including frame or brick garages, porches, building additions. 5) Any permanent closure of windows, doors, porches, and commercial store fronts. 6) Painting of any previously unpainted brick or stone surfaces. 7) Construction of any permanent structure 18 inches or more high including: fences, decks, porches, garages, storage sheds (over 35 square feet), and retaining walls (such as in front yards with railroad ties, as an example). Building permits are required to protect a property owner or tenants from poor design and construction practices.
In historic districts, there is also the need to maintain architectural integrity.
In addition, the requirement for permits for fences and new construction can spot any property line or easement encroachment.
The amount charged for a permit is based on the cost of the work, and is quite moderate. (A $10,000 addition would cost about $45 in permit fees.)
Standards:
1. Materials: when visible from the street, exterior building materials should be of the type originally used when the neighborhood was developed; brick, stone, stucco, wood, and wrought and cast iron. Aluminum and vinyl siding as well as artificial masonry are generally not acceptable. 2. Architectural details (see #1 and #3 above) should be maintained or replicated whenever possible.
The Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood was built at a time when such craftsmanship was at its peak and our buildings represent a variety of examples. 3. Fences: when visible should be wood, stone, brick, brick-faced concrete, ornamental iron, or dark-painted chain link.
But it is not visible from the street!
There has been a long-standing misunderstanding in the neighborhood concerning work which is not visible from the street.
The S.D. historic district ordinance only requires that permit work has to be reviewed when visible from the street; however, neighbors have been frustrated when doing work on garages, porches, decks, etc. Several items require clarification: 1) Even though the work isn’t visible, it still requires a permit; 2) the building division cannot determine when they take a permit application whether or not the porch or deck or garage is visible or not; 3) the citywide ordinance which enabled the passage of the individual historic district ordinances requires that all permit work must be reviewed by the HUDC. What that means to property owners is that permit work on the rear and sides must be reviewed by the HUDC staff but not the full commission.
If all paper work and photographs are submitted in a correct fashion, the permit should be issued within ten days of application after being reviewed by the HUDC staff.
The only additional requirement for these permits are rear and front photos of the property.
The same plans and specifications are required whether or not a property is in a designated district or not.
This is a brief outline of the district’s fairly flexible standards.
The Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council, 862-5122, the Historic District Review Committee, myself as chair-727-6377, and the Heritage & Urban Design Commission, 231-6566, are available to help interpret guidelines and permit requirements.
The Historic District Review Committee has a responsibility to act as an advocate for property and other appropriate situations.
The committee as well as the SDCC and HUDC also have the responsibility to protect the safety and the architectural integrity of the neighborhood.
To that end, work that is being done without the necessary permits will be reported to the building division for appropriate action.
Please feel free to call Nancy Farmer or me if you have any questions or problems with this process.
One of the desirable qualities of this neighborhood is its architecture. Skinker-DeBaliviere is an excellent representative of early twentieth century craftsmanship, design, urban planning, and materials.
It is important to preserve these qualities while providing the necessary amenities which will take the area into the next century.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, December 1989.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1989_12.pdf, printed page(s) 1, 6; PDF page(s) 1, 6.
