It is my understanding, from watching the infamous Healy block come back
together that the requirements for historic districts happen when and if you
have to change the outside of the house. For example, if you have to
reconstruct your porch then it has to be reconstructed back to the original
plan. So, if say a tree fall on your front porch and caves it in and you or
a previous owner has enclosed it, then the enclosure has to go and the porch
returned to the way it looked in 1899 or 1912 or whenever. If you decide to
replace the asbestos siding, it has to go back to clapboard.
Wizard Marks, Central
Barbara Nelson wrote:
> Per Russell's remarks -- why stop there? why not create 1) some type of
> "district" for all the 2) "grand" boulevards?
>
> 1) My understanding is that "historic district" means certain things
> and
> makes upkeep very expensive. So perhaps some other designation and
> historic street lamps or something to alert the passers by that there is
> something special about these places, but avoid the pitfalls of
> "historic" designation.
>
> 2) Re all the grand boulevards. It's my understanding that the early
> city
> planners designated certain streets to be "grand boulevards", to
> encourage development in those directions. Examples are Park and
> Portland Avenues, Kenwood Boulevard, Hennepin Avenue etc. I don't know
> the whole list, but maybe one of our resident history buffs could supply
> that info?
>
> Development, especially privately financed, in Phillips is exciting.
> Franklin Avenue has sagged in the middle for a long time. Let's hope
> that space will be as vibrant there as it is now, on both the east and
> west ends.
>
> Barbara Nelson
> Seward
