BHAC Unanimously Approves Application for 56 Beacon St.

By Dan Murphy

The Beacon Hill Architectural Commission unanimously approved a design review application for 56 Beacon St. at the commission’s monthly public hearing, which has held virtually on Thursday, June 26.

Architect Guy Grassi then detailed the proposed work, which includes enlarging the length of the opening of a 1950s garage door from the previously approved 8 feet by 4 inches on each side to bring its total new length to 8 feet, 8 inches, as well as replacing the overhead lintel.

The proposed work also includes installing a new elevator override, which would rise 3½  feet above the roof and  replace existing air conditioner units and a visible headhouse located behind a copper railing. (Grassi noted the commission had previously denied an elevator headhouse proposed for the building.)

Another component of the design review application proposes replacing the “sagging” front steps, using salvageable materials, including parts of the existing railing that can be repurposed, said Grassi.

Staff (Nicholas Armata) noted the proposed work here is “particularly sensitive” because former President Theodore Roosevelt was photographed descending the front stairs of the building in 1916.

A motion to approve this design review application as submitted was unanimously approved by Vice Chair Arain Allen and Commissioners Maurice Finegold, Edward Fleck, Annette Given, and Sandra Steele.

The commission also voted unanimously to approve as submitted a design review application for 41 Phillips St., #20, which proposes the installation of a retractable awning system on the upper-level terrace to screen an existing deck and provide shade there in summer.

Grassi, the architect for this applicant as well, noted that only a corner of a mockup now in place would be minimally visible from a vantage point one block away, and only then when there no leaves on the surrounding trees.

The commission unanimously approved a motion to approve this application as submitted, put forth by Commissioner Finegold, with ‘friendly’ amendments that staff review the color of the new awning; that any penetrations be made in mortar joint, rather than through the masonry; and that conduits not be visible from any public way.

Likewise, the commission unanimously approved as submitted a design review application for 55 Phillips St. to convert an erstwhile glass storefront at the corner of Anderson Street into a second egress for a proposed studio apartment.

In another matter, the commission unanimously approved a design review application for 35 South Russell St., which proposes refurbishing the existing front door and changing its paint color from black to red.

The commission also voted unanimously on a design review application to replace an existing wooden flagpole with an aluminum flagpole above the ‘faux’ front doors of the Firehouse at 127 Mt. Vernon St., which serves as the base of operations for Hill House, the neighborhood’s long-standing, nonprofit community center.

This determination came with provisos that the existing hardware be salvaged and reused to the greatest extent possible in consultation with staff; and that the length of the proposed flagpole remain the same as the existing fixture.

As a matter of formality, the commission unanimously approved a design review application for 5 West Cedar St. for the in-kind replacement of a deck fence, to be painted black. (The replacement fence has already been built, but its approval still needed to be formalized via the commission.)

A motion to approve a design review application for 27 Brimmer St., with proposed work including refurbishing the existing front door and installing new door hardware, as well as installing a new railing descending from the front door, was approved by Commissioners Finegold, Fleck, Given, and Steele. Vice Chair Allen cast the only dissenting vote on this application, citing her uncertainty surrounding a new architectural feature proposed for the foot of the front steps.

The design review application for 27 Brimmer St. also included the proposed installation of new light fixtures at the front door, but the applicant was advised they would need to resubmit a new application to the commission for this work.

On a design review application to replace 10 existing non-historic, six-over-six, windows with 10 all-wood, double hung, true divided light windows, with no low-e glass, at Suffolk University’s building at 148 Cambridge St., the commission voted unanimously to form a subcommittee comprising Commissioners Finegold, Fleck, and Steele to further review the matter.

The commission also deliberated on a design review application for the historic Granary Burial Ground – one of 16 properties managed via the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department’s Historic Burying Grounds Initiative.

Work proposed for the cemetery includes the repair of the John Hancock, Franklin, and Mosely Family Monuments, as well as the conservation of 100 Gravestones in ‘Section A’ of the cemetery and the cleaning and resetting of all 500 gravestones in ‘Section A.’

A motion to approve this application as submitted, put forth by Commissioner Finegold, was unanimously approved by himself, along with Commissioners Fleck, Given, and Steele. Vice Chair Allen recused herself from deliberating on this application due to her personal ties with the abutting Park Street Church.

Moreover, the commission reviewed a violation at 41 Phillips St. for the ratification of an unapproved Butterfly intercom system.

The applicant, Louis Comeau of Comeau Property Mgmt., said they have submitted plans for a brass-box enclosure to obscure the existing intercom system’s visible LED lighting. A vendor is currently manufacturing the casing, said Comeau, and the job is expected to be completed within the next couple of weeks.

Armata reiterated that the commission has adopted a ‘de facto standard’ based on previous approvals in the Beacon Hill Historic District for conditions that would qualify for a brass box-covered intercom.

When determined appropriate, the commission would consider such proposals, provided the location selected meets all of the following criteria: that the location of the cover (and intercom system) shall not be on a wall facing the street;  that the property has more than two units; that the property has no plans for major internal renovations; that the location is recessed in a door vestibule;  that there are not two sets of double-doors, where a device could potentially be located within, and thus exempt from commission review; and that the proposed cover wouldn’t obscure trim or any other existing architectural detail.

Armata also noted that the commission has not approved, nor would it ever approve, any Butterfly intercom units with illuminated LED screens mounted on facades facing the street, if the units themselves were visible.

Per his staff recommendations for 41 Phillips St., Armata said the metal trim should be removed from the intercom, and the system should be mounted evenly between the existing architectural details.

Furthermore, staff recommended mandating that the job be completed within 90 days, added Armata.

The commission voted unanimously to ratify the violation and approve the new application as submitted, with the aforementioned staff recommendations as provisos.

A design review application for 78 Beacon St., with proposed work including the restoration of the front curb and stoop, and replacement of two light fixtures, also appeared on the agenda, but that matter ultimately wasn’t heard by the commission due to the applicant’s absence at the hearing.