The Providence Historic District Commission (PHDC) is considering easing the standards for window replacement in Local Historic Districts (LHDs), shifting the objective toward retaining a historic aesthetic rather than insisting on the preservation of original materials when it comes to window replacements.
The conversation was part of a broader discussion about revising the PHDC’s standards and guidelines on the evening of Sep. 23. The Commission reviews applications to modify structures in LHDs on a case-by-case basis with consideration to architectural and historical significance.
A few issues — including the matter of replacing windows with lead paint to comply with state law — prompted a discussion of how and whether the PHDC has standards and guidelines. The commission discussed the importance of considering individual circumstances, but acknowledged that “we need to come up with a clear definition and specification for what is an acceptable window replacement in the vast majority of buildings,” PHDC Vice Chair Ted Sanderson said.
The Commission resolved to create a subcommittee that can work out definitions and standards as they relate to modifying historic structures, particularly when it comes to non-wood window replacements.
Preservation Planner Jason Martin said he has been receiving three to four inquiries about window replacements a day. “I’ve got owners coming to me freaking out,” he said at the meeting.
But Martin said that the Commission is moving toward focusing more on the architectural context than the material of a window itself. “At this point, we don’t really care what the window is made of,” he said, rather “how architecturally well it represents what’s supposed to be there.”
They’re striving to get “something that is the best representation of what should be on the building” at the time it was constructed, he added.
With the PHDC subcommittee, Martin said he hopes that the group could “advise big comments, propose changes, and then we will get a document that I can bring back to you in October to discuss whether or not you want to adopt something.”
By Katy Pickens / Planning and Preservation Writer / kpickens@ppsri.org