The Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission met on Thursday, September 8, 2022, at 5:32 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Skyline Center, 929 North Front Street, Wilmington, NC, and adjourned at 6:13 p.m. The commission considered a public hearing for a local landmark designation, an evidentiary hearing for an after-the-fact fence installation, and received the annual staff report.
Good evening, everybody. We're going to begin the meeting tonight. Welcome to the September 8th meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission. Hearings before this commission are quasi-judicial in nature. This is a design review process to determine whether a proposed project is congruous with the special character of the historic district or landmark in which it's located. Decisions of the Commission are based on the record of these proceedings, the Wilmington design standards for historic districts and landmarks, and the Secretary of Interior standards for rehabilitation. Evidence submitted to the Commission for review will become part of the record. Appeal of a commission decision must be submitted to the Wilmington Board of Adjustment within 30 days of the date of the Commission's action. Further appeal must be submitted to Superior Court. Evidence pertaining to an agenda item must be presented during the evidentiary portion of that item. Individuals who wish to address the commission will be sworn in as witnesses to present material and substantial evidence. My name is Kathleen Egan. I'm the chair, and my fellow commissioners will please introduce yourselves. Stephen Sulkey. Christopher Yermal. Ron Wilson. Michael Smith. Thank you. We will now swear in those present who wish to present evidence related to an agenda item. If I can have all staff applicants and anyone in the public in the audience who will be speaking this evening, to please stand up and raise your right hand. Do you swear that the testimony you're about to provide is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Thank you. The last part of the administrative portion of the meeting is review of the minutes for any suggested edits or corrections of the draft minutes from our last meeting. Please bring them to our attention. We're good. All right. Can I have a motion then to approve the minutes? I so move. Second. Second. All in favor? Aye. Now we'll move to the evidentiary portion of the meeting. And the first item on the agenda tonight is a public hearing with respect to 1406 Orange Street and 213 South 14th Street. Um as a landmark designation. Good evening, Commissioners. Today we have a public hearing for an application for the designation of local landmark at 1406 Orange Street and South South 14th Street. 213 South 14th Street. 1406 Orange Street and 213 South 14th Street are adjoining lots located on the south side of Orange Street and the east side of South 14th Street. The property is located within the Westbrook Ardmore National Register Historic District. The Westbrook Ardmore National Register Historic District Report notes that the area that makes up the district was purchased in 1922 by the home reality company. The development of roads, sidewalks, the divisions of lots, and the construction of new dwellings began almost immediately following. While a large part of the area was completely developed by the mid-1920s, construction continued well into the 20th century. A 1926 article from the Wilmington's Morning Star stated that Ardmore was the last subdivision which would be placed on the market within the present city limits. The Great Depression brought most construction to a halt, but the area saw a resurgence post-World War II, leading to further growth. Here in this slide, you'll see ads and a development plan for areas in and around Westbrook Ardmore. Also included is an ad for the Crescent Heights, which was a development of Budding Westbrook, specifically designed for the black community of Wilmington. 1406 Orange Street and South and 213 South 14th Street are referred to as the Decover House in the district report. The house was built in 1929 and is the pink dot on this map shown in the gray historic district. The Decover House, the Cover family never owned the home but rented the house until sometime before the 1940 census.