Frederick Historic Preservation Commission Hearing and Workshop - April 9, 2026
Frederick Historic Preservation Commission Hearing and Workshop - April 9, 2026
The Frederick Historic Preservation Commission met on April 9, 2026, for a hearing and workshop. The commission approved minutes from March 26, 2026 (5-0), and received an administrative report noting that 24 applications were processed. Key discussions included a demolition review for an ice house at the city-owned golf course and multiple certificate of appropriateness applications. The commission voted on several cases and deferred workshop items for additional documentation.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of March 26, 2026 hearing and workshop minutes (5-0).
- Administrative approval report: 24 applications reviewed and processed.
Discussion Items
Demolition Review: HPC 26-107 DR – 8415 Gas House Pike (Clustered Spires Golf Course Ice House)
Staff presented a request to demolish a circa 1850 stone ice house, the last remaining structure of the McMurray Farm Complex. The property is on city-owned land and had been reviewed for designation in 2014-2015 but not advanced. Staff recommended against pursuing designation due to lack of significance and integrity. Commissioners supported the ice house's historical value, calling it rare and significant for interpreting Frederick's agricultural heritage, while acknowledging its deteriorated condition and public safety hazard. The commission voted 5-0 to initiate a zoning map amendment to apply a historic preservation overlay for the ice house structure.
Case HPC 25-382 – 331 North Market Street
Applicant Sal proposed roofing, gutter, HVAC, composite trim, gooseneck lighting, masonry repairs, painting, and window film on a 1959 non-contributing commercial building. Staff recommended approval with conditions. The commission approved the application 5-0 with conditions: gooseneck lighting installed into mortar joints, double-leaf entry doors of wood or aluminum-clad per product literature, blackout window film with non-mirror finish, masonry repairs limited to stone caps, and any additional work requiring staff review.
Case HPC 26-20 – 337 West Patrick Street
Staff recommended the commercial building be found a contributing resource to the Fredericktown Historic District, consistent with the 2021 National Register nomination. The agent concurred. The commission voted 5-0 to find the resource contributing.
Case HPC 26-50 – 53 East All Saints Street (Commissioner Kinsey recused)
Applicant Jane Bodrin proposed installing a gas meter on the front elevation of a circa 1947 concrete block building. Staff noted site limitations and supported a deviation from guidelines, recommending the meter be painted to match the wall. The commission approved the application 4-0 with the condition that the gas meter be painted to match adjacent wall color.
Workshop Case HPC 26-34 – 179 West All Saints Street
Applicant Brandon Jim presented plans for masonry repairs (rebuilding sections of the front wall and side walls), roof reconstruction with a standing seam metal roof, chimney work, and window reinstatement. The structural engineer's report was not submitted. Staff and commissioners requested a clear scope of work, marked photographs with notes, product literature for the roof, and documentation of all work areas. No vote was taken; resubmission deadline set for the following Monday.
Workshop Case HPC 26-43 – 153 West Patrick Street
Co-owners David Mussolino, Brennan Gaminer, and Kathy Troxel proposed painting previously unpainted masonry on the rear section (circa 1930, possibly altered later), replacing window panes in metal frames with insulated glass, widening a side entrance for new mahogany double-leaf doors, and adding an ADA-accessible sidewalk. Extensive discussion centered on the rear wall's historic status and evidence of prior paint. The applicant demonstrated insulated glass samples fitting existing frames. The commission requested additional photographs, historical research on the rear wall, and a clarified scope of work. No vote was taken; resubmission deadline set for Monday.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes from March 26, 2026 (5-0).
- Advanced historic preservation overlay for the ice house at 8415 Gas House Pike (5-0).
- Approved HPC 25-382 with conditions (5-0).
- Determined 337 West Patrick Street as a contributing resource (5-0).
- Approved HPC 26-50 with condition (4-0).
- Deferred workshop cases HPC 26-34 and HPC 26-43 for additional documentation; resubmission due April 13, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, welcome to the April 9th uh session of the City of Frederick Historic Preservation Commission hearing and workshop. Uh call this hearing to order. Um just a note if anybody wants a printed copy of the agenda, it's over on the side table at the uh door, you can get a printed copy as well as a sign-in sheet. Uh if you're presenting or sorry, if you're presenting tonight, don't necessarily need to sign in, but if you're a member of the public who wishes to speak, it helps to uh have your name so we can get that record accurate. Also, if anybody has any problems uh with hearing uh any portion of the hearing tonight, there are listing devices. You can see Tansy over here on the side table. And she has uh uh hearing aids devices that can help. The Frederick City Historic Preservation Commission uses these guidelines adopted by the mayor and city council and the secretary of interior standards for rehabilitation published by the US Department of Interior, National Park Service. And these guidelines are made a part of each and every case. So answer I do. It is the purpose of the historic preservation commission to safeguard the historical and cultural heritage of the city of Frederick by preserving sites, structures, or districts that reflect elements of cultural, social, economic, political, archaeological, or architectural history to stabilize and approve property values of such sites, structures, or districts, to foster civic beauty to strengthen the local economy, and to promote the preservation and appreciation of such site structures and districts for the education and welfare of the residents of the city of Frederick. In order to be eligible to vote on an application, the commissioner must first have made the required site visit and attended any and all meetings at which such an application was discussed. In the event a commissioner is absent from any such meeting, a commissioner may satisfy the attendance requirement by reviewing a record of that meeting. It is presumed that if the commissioner makes no statement at this time, they have done so and are prepared to vote on the agenda this evening. That being said, are there any commissioners with statements of eligibility? Mr. Kinsey? Yep. On the final case to be heard, um, HPC 26-50, 53 All Saints Street. I will be recusing myself and uh abstending myself from the hearing room. Which one? Charlie. The final case. Um 53 All Saint Street. East All Saint Street. Which is uh HP C 26-50. All right. Are there any announcements this evening? Yes. Excuse me. I did have one announcement. Um April 13th, the City of Frederick in partnership with Plumundan Hospitality Partners and the Maryland Room at the Seaburts Burr Arts Library will be hosting the seventh annual digging local event at 6 p.m. in the community room. Uh this is in celebration of Maryland Archaeology Month. This year we're highlighting the exciting research at the site of the Frederick Hotel and Conference Center where the Byerley Tannery once stood and the work of the archaeological conservancy, which has an office here in Frederick. Okay, thank you. Any other announcements? Moving on to approval of the minutes for the hearing on workshop. Any corrections, commissioners. I second the motion. Motion made and seconded for approval of the March 26, 2026 hearing and workshop minutes. All in favor, raise your hand. Motion carries five to zero. Thanks. Under HPC business, we have administrative approval report. Thank you. I want to enter the entire administrative approval report into the record and acknowledge that 24 applications were reviewed and processed last month. Never stops, does it? Next item under HPC business demolition review HPC 26-107 DR, located at 8415 Gas House Pike. And Mr.
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