By Dan Murphy
The Beacon Hill Architectural Commission voted by a majority on a motion to approve a design review application for signage for a longstanding women’s clothing boutique, which is relocating to another location on Charles Street, during the commission’s monthly public hearing held virtually on Thursday, Sept. 18.
DressBoston, which is moving from the Charles Street Meeting House at 70 Charles St. to its new home at 62 Charles St., intends to relocate its existing projecting blade sign and bracket from the old location to the new one, as well as to add the business name in vinyl lettering to two storefront windows and the front door, said Jason Parillo of Woburn-based Bluebird Graphic Solutions.
Commission Chair Mark Kiefer suggested that while buildings in the Historic Beacon Hill District are typically allowed only one blade sign per building and one belt sign per business, the combined impact of DressBoston’s three sets of vinyl lettering would actually be smaller in size than a belt sign.
“In terms of its visual impact, it’s perhaps even less,” he added.
Also, Chair Kiefer noted that 62 Charles St. is a unique larger building in the neighborhood with multiple storefronts on the ground floor, like the Charles Street Meeting House or The Lincolnshire building, which were consequently both granted exemption from the commission’s general signage guidelines.
Commissioner Maurice Finegold made the motion to approve this application as submitted, which was supported by himself, along with Chair Kiefer and Commissioners Ralph Jackson and Sandra Steele.
Vice Chair Arian Allen, who cast the sole dissenting vote on the motion, wondered why one set of vinyl decals on one window wouldn’t suffice for the business’s needs.
In another matter, the commission unanimously approved a motion, again put forward by Commissioner Finegold, to approve as submitted an application for 48 Beacon St., which proposes the installation of a small, copper-covered conduit along a party wall for an HVAC compressor on the roof.
The commission also unanimously approved a motion to approve a design review application for an 1841 Greek-revival building located at 34 West Cedar St.
The proposed work includes changing the paint color on the front entry ceiling to Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue HC-143 semi-gloss, as well as repainting the front entry in an existing Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee OC-45 semi-gloss and repainting the front door in an existing Benjamin Moore Dahlia 319 high gloss.
In this matter, the applicant was advised that at their own discretion, they may select another historically appropriate, brighter shade of blue paint for the front entry ceiling, which then must be approved in advance by staff (Nicholas Armata).
The commission denied without prejudice (with Commissioner Jackson abstaining) a motion to accept a design review application for 20 Louisburg Square, which proposes the installation of a painted steel rail above the rear dormer, where a number of HVAC condensers are presently located.
Chair Kiefer, who made the motion to deny this application without prejudice, asked the applicant to move the railing on a mockup 3 feet in both the easterly and northerly directions in an effort to minimize the visual impact from a public way. After determining the resulting impact from this change, the commission could then look to re-adjudicating the matter at next month’s public hearing, added Chair Kiefer.
On a design review application for 9 Louisburg Square, where the homeowner intends to redesign a large, fifth-floor addition made in 1949, the commission unanimously denied without prejudice the proposed modification of a front-facing dormer, asking the applicant to return with a new design that retains the structure’s original shape with a modified window fenestration configuration. Via the same motion, other aspects of the application were approved, however.
Meanwhile, a design review application to replace an existing front door at 104 Chestnut St. appeared on the hearing agenda but was “withdrawn at the last minute” by the applicant, said Armata.