Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting - May 20, 2026
Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting - May 20, 2026
The Rochester Heritage Preservation Commission held a regular meeting on May 20, 2026, starting at 5:13 PM. The commission approved a certificate of appropriateness for window replacements, added the Struve's Paint Shop building and its iconic clock and paint can signs to the historic inventory, and authorized the creation of a new awards program. Public comments focused on commitments for the old Lourdes High School site, landmarking of Indian Heights Park, and preservation of the Struve's property.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of the April 28, 2026, meeting by unanimous consent.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Barry Skolnick requested a list of HPC priorities and a review of the Certified Local Government program, urged the commission to follow up on Mayo Clinic’s commitment to build a linear park with artifacts from the demolished Lourdes High School, and suggested the awards program be kept within the HPC rather than farmed out.
- Barb Hudson sought direction from the commission on how community members can support the landmarking of Indian Heights Park and inquired about the status of a grant application for that project.
- John Kreusel urged the commission to adopt an action plan regarding the Lourdes High School artifacts and expressed concern that the Struve's Paint Shop facility could be demolished within two to three years if not placed on a preservation path.
- Jim Frost spoke on behalf of himself and neighbors, encouraging the city to hold Mayo Clinic to its promise regarding the Lourdes park.
Discussion Items
- Certificate of Appropriateness – Window Replacement at 421 9th Avenue (Item 5.A): Staff presented a request to replace four front windows and one rear window with new inserts. Citing minimal changes to materials and features, and consistency with adopted design guidelines and Secretary of the Interior Standards, the commission unanimously approved the certificate.
- Old Lourdes High School Site (Item 7.A): Staff provided a timeline of the property’s removal from the historic inventory and the city council’s decision not to designate it. Commissioners discussed the city’s ongoing review of the site development plan, including a required landscape plan due by the end of June. Community Development Director Irene Woodward noted that a performance bond is in place to ensure construction of the linear park. No formal action was taken, but several commissioners expressed interest in potentially inventorying individual artifacts from the demolished building.
- Struve's Paint Shop & Signs (Item 7.B): Staff presented phase one reports for the building (built in multiple phases: 1950, 1953, 1961), the clock (present by 1957), and the paint can sign (circa 1956). After debate, Commissioner Aleida Koestler moved to add all three to the historic inventory: the building under criterion 8, and the clock and paint can under criteria 5 and 8. The motion passed 6–3, with Commissioners Shabel, Poirier, and Tator voting no.
- HPC Awards Program (Item 7.C): The subcommittee proposed three award categories: Public History Ambassador, Community Education & Engagement, and Historic Restoration or Rehabilitation. After discussion, the commission voted unanimously to authorize the subcommittee to announce the creation of the awards program, with further details to be finalized.
Key Outcomes
- Approved (unanimous) the consent agenda and the certificate of appropriateness for window replacements at 421 9th Avenue.
- Approved (6–3) the addition of the Struve's Paint Shop building, clock, and paint can sign to the historic inventory.
- Approved (unanimous) a motion authorizing the awards committee to publicly announce the new HPC awards program, noting May as Preservation Month.
- The next regular meeting is scheduled for June 23, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, hopefully she's gonna that will work out of your recording recording events, which she started. Yes, everyone, yes. I think so. Okay, I think we're ready. Okay, hello and welcome everybody to the May 19th Heritage Preservation Commission meeting. Before we call to order, we start each meeting with a 15-minute public open comment period. This is an opportunity for the public to comment to the commission regarding items that do not have a public hearing on today's agenda. Each speaker has up to four minutes. The commission will not discuss or respond to any comments made during this time. Please be concise and mindful of your time during your remarks so that everybody wishing to speak has the opportunity to do so. Will the first speaker please step forward? We're gonna have you up here in front of this uh table and state. Oh but uh state your name, make sure you're signed in on the sheet, and then you will have four minutes. Okay. All right, thank you. Um I have a bunch of things to talk about, so I'll just start. Uh number one, I was hoping for a list of the priorities for the HPC to look at the potential the potential list and move it forward because we have you haven't worked with that many committees this year. I mean, I'm in the uh individual buildings this year, so I was just hoping you could have that list ready for this meeting. I don't know what happened to it. Hopefully, Molly can talk about it later in the meeting. Um I was also hoping for a review of the Rochester participation in the COG certified local government program. This would give us 30 to 40,000 a year on in grant if we belong to it, and it would mean more staff working on it, more contractors could do it, and we could move things forward a little bit better, and we wouldn't be 10 years behind or more. Um I was I was also hoping that um Molly would give a status report uh on when all of these things will be implemented. Um I know later in the meeting we're gonna be talking about uh lords and at the uh March 18th, 2024 City Council meeting, the council called for Mail to build a 34th linear park with features um from the uh saved artifacts, including both external and internal ones into a park honoring lords and uh not only with a few artifacts but with a much higher number to really honor Lords and the building that was uh demolished and to help mayor because Mount Mail basically promised that we want to help them to do what they promised they would do, and hopefully you'll pass a resolution to do that. Uh on the awards committee issue. Um, I'm just I think that if you I think you should do it within the HPC. I don't think you should farm it out to other people uh be a staff or other organizations. I think it'd be too cumbersome to set that up and work with it on a continuing basis. So I would hope that you wouldn't do that and just leave it within the realm of HPC and the people around HPC and not go all over the place working to sort of combine it with other groups. Uh I just think that's a way again way too cumbersome. Anyway, good luck tonight. There's a lot of mutant. Hopefully, you can get something to approve and pass. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Skullnik. Will the next speaker please step forward and state your name. Hello, my name is Bart Hudson. I have been um giving some presentations uh in the community about Indian Heist Park. And some of the questions I've gotten from the community is what can we do to help uh promote the landmark status of Indian Heights Park. And the questions that I've gotten, I really don't know how to answer them. Um they want to know if they should contact you, the members of the Heritage Preservation Commission. If they should contact a city council. So I'm looking for direction from the Heritage Preservation Commission on what to tell them. Um, they'd be happy to call you if someone wants to be a spokesperson to for them. I can forward their names and emails or phone numbers to you, or I can uh take those calls. I just don't know what answers to give them. Um, I've gotten some questions from the people at History Center as well. So if you can just give me some direction, I know that we have heard that there's been some grant funding applied for. Um, they've asked me where we stand with that.
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