By Dan Murphy
The Beacon Hill Architectural Commission voted unanimously to approve an application as submitted to replace a broken store window at Simmons Liquors on Cambridge Street during the commission’s monthly public hearing on Nov. 21, which was held virtually.
The proposed, new window, which would have approximately the same dimensions as the old window, would comprise six separate panes of double-insulated glass, with a “horizontal split” across the middle to provide more stability, inside an aluminum frame, said Patty Shubert of Dorchester-based Boston Glass & Boarding Service.
“The frame itself will look cohesive as one piece,” said Shubert, who added that the old window, which, along with the old frame, is currently in a state of disrepair, after falling prey to vandalism.
Commissioner Alice Richmond, who made the motion to accept the application as submitted, noted that this application came amid the passage on July 3 of a new law expanding the Beacon Hill Historic District to include all of the North Slope via the addition of an approximately 40-foot-wide area running from Charles Circle to Bowdoin Street along Cambridge Street on the Beacon Hill side. Prior to this expansion, Simmons Liquors at 210 Cambridge St. was located outside the Historic District and therefore not subject to its restrictions and regulations.
Commissioner Richmond’s motion was supported unanimously by herself, along with Chair Mark Kiefer, Vice Chair Arian Allen, and Commissioners Maurice Finegold and Edward Fleck.
A proviso on this motion that a spacer bar be installed in the new window was delegated to staff (Nicholas Armata).
On an application for signage proposed for a new Brazilian restaurant, Oliviera’s Express at 204 Cambridge St., the committee voted by a majority to approve it as submitted; this determination came with several provisos, including that sign material be either wood or metal, rather than the HDU foam material proposed by the applicant; that the current treatment resembling wood be either removed or replaced with actual wood; and that both proposed signs (i.e. band signs on both the front and one of the sides of the building) have a height of no more than 28 inches.
(As was the case with the prior application, the site of Oliviera’s Express is a recent addition to the Beacon Hill Historic District per the recent expansion.)
Bill Loiacano of Gloucester-based Seaside Graphics had been before the commission at its virtual Sept. 19 monthly hearing, when he proposed the new signage as front lit, with channel letters in a raceway. That application was denied without prejudice by a majority, including Commissioners Finegold, Fleck, Ralph Jackson, and Richmond. (Vice Chair Allen cast the sole dissenting vote against this motion.)
Chair Kiefer described the revised application as a “huge step in the right direction, as well as a “big departure from what you had before”
This time, the motion to approve the revised motion, with several provisos, put forward by Chair Kiefer was supported by himself along with Vice Chair Allen and Commissioners Fleck and Finegold. Commissioner Richmond, who said she felt the applicant “had been caught in the middle of a transition,” abstained on this matter.
On an application to install a new intercom system with a brass cover at 65 Anderson St., the commission unanimously approved the proposed work as submitted.
While this application met the criteria for the approval of an intercom system covered by a brass box, as well as for an exemption from the guidelines on intercom systems in the Historic District, Armata noted 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 are visible.
Armata previously said 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, according to Armata.
In another matter, the commission unanimously approved an application as submitted for 121 Mt. Vernon St. to replace an existing, low, steel gate with a new, higher wood gate standing 8 feet, 7 inches tall, which would be painted black.
Paul Elias, landlord and a trustee of the Charles Street Meeting House at 70 Charles St. said the gate is located at the end of a narrow alley, which runs back about 30 feet between the Meeting House and the abutting building.
The alley, which is now cluttered with gas meters, non-historic window grills, and myriad cables, has become a destination for people who sleep there, among other undesirable activities, said Elias.
“We’re eager to close [the alley] off with a somewhat taller and opaque gate,” said Elias, who added that old insurance maps show that a structure similar to what’s proposed previously existed at this same location.
The motion for this application, submitted by Commissioner Fleck, came with a proviso that the door hardware (i.e. both the handle and keyhole) be rendered in metal of the same color.
Meanwhile, an application submitted by December Thieves at 122 Charles St. to install a new blade sign appeared on the agenda for the hearing, but the matter ultimately wasn’t heard due to the applicant’s failure to appear as scheduled.