SALT LAKE CITY HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION Minutes of the Meeting
Held at 451 South State Street, Room 126
A field trip preceded the meeting and was attended by Thomas Cerruti, Billie Ann Devine, Maren Jeppsen, William Littig, Rob McFarland, Robert Young, Joel Paterson, Elizabeth Giraud, and Lisa Miller.
Present from the Historic Landmark Commission were Thomas Cerruti, William Damery, Susan Deal, Billie Ann Devine, Wayne Gordon, Maren Jeppsen, William Littig, Rob McFarland, Sarah Miller, Elizabeth Mitchell, Lynn Morgan, Craig Paulsen, and Robert Young. Dina Blaes was excused.
Present from the Preservation Planning Staff were Joel Paterson, Supervisor, Elizabeth Giraud and Lisa Miller, Planners. William T. Wright, Planning Director, was also present.
The meeting was called to order at 4:07P.M. by Acting Chairperson, Susan Deal. Ms. Deal announced that each item would be reviewed in the same order as listed on the agenda. She said that she would acknowledge the Commission members who had visited the site of the subject property or properties which would be reviewed at the meeting. Further, she asked that members be recognized by the Acting Chair before speaking during the meeting.
Ms. Deal continued by saying that after hearing comments from the Commission, the meeting would be opened to the audience for comment, after which the meeting would be closed to the public and the Commission would render a decision based on the presented information.
A roll is being kept with the minutes of all who attended the Historic Landmark Commission meeting. The minutes are presented in agenda order, not necessarily as items were presented at the Historic Landmark Commission meeting. Tapes of the meeting will be retained in the Commission Office for a period of one year, after which they will be erased.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
There was some discussion regarding the minutes of the September 17, 1997, meeting. Mr. Paulsen moved to approve the minutes, after the appropriate changes are made. It was seconded by Mr. Young. Mr. Cerruti, Mr. Damery, Ms. Devine, Mr. Gordon, Ms. Jeppsen, Mr. Littig, Mr. McFarland, Ms. Miller, Mr. Morgan, Mr. Paulsen, and Mr. Young unanimously voted "Aye". Ms. Deal, as Acting Chair, did not vote. Ms. Blaes and Ms. Mitchell were excused. The motion passed.
NEW CASE
Case No. 012-97, at Trolley Square. by Rich Porterfield of Hard Rock Cafe. Inc., requesting approval of signage for a new restaurant.
Ms. Elizabeth Giraud presented the staff report by outlining the major issues of the case, the findings of fact, and the Staff’s recommendation, a copy of which was filed with the minutes. She said that she had conferred with Larry Butcher, in the City's Building Services Division, regarding the signage issues, and the results were included in the staff report.
Ms. Giraud said that during the past several years, the Historic Landmark Commission had been consistent not to allow signage on the cornice or on the east or west exterior walls, as they were strong character-defining features of the buildings in Trolley Square. She said that the Staff recommended to approve the signage, with the provisions that were outlined in the staff report. She suggested that the applicant be referred to the Architectural Subcommittee, the full Commission for a final review, or work with the Staff on the dimension of the awning signs so that they could meet the zoning ordinance for administrative approval.
The applicant, Mr. Rich Porterfield, was present. He stated that his company was very committed to inner-city rehabilitation projects which would draw more tourism to those areas. Mr. Porterfield presented the following points of interest as he described the proposal: NORTH ELEVATION: 1) brass colored spheres would be placed on the parapet of the building; 2) replace the existing canopy over the entrance of the cafe with a flat canopy, supported on both sides, appliqued with the traditional "Hard Rock Cafe" logo; 3) awnings over the windows would have the appliqued traditional logo, with a GPA band trimmed with real copper; 4) additional signage would be placed over the front entrance, which would read, "All Is One" and "Save The Planet"; and 5) the "HRC" logo would also be placed over the front entrance. Mr. Porterfield said that he would be happy to work with the Staff to assure that the size and square footage of the signage would be appropriate.
EAST ELEVATION: 1) the same described awnings would be installed over the windows; 2) two "HRC" logos would be placed on the cornice of the building, and Mr. Porterfield said that the proposed neon lighting behind the logos would give a glow to the brick exterior of the building; 3) the existing doors, leading to the patio area, would be wood or brass; and 4) two wall sconces would be installed to add additional exterior lighting.
Mr. Porterfield continued by saying that the material proposed for the lettering would be a product called "GPA" which looked like brass, but would not tarnish like brass. A photograph of the material was included in the staff report. He displayed a sample of the awning material. Mr. Porterfield said that he was not in favor of backlit awnings, so an idea was developed with great success in other locations. He said that an advanced technology was used for the system of manufacturing the material, where the seams were joined by radio waves. He said the "HRC" logo would be welded onto the material. Mr. Porterfield said that when lit from the back, the only thing that would glow would be the logo. Mr. Porterfield said that there were only a few people in the country who manufacture that product and the awnings were specially made for the Hard Rock Cafes.
The following questions, concerns, and comments were made by the Historic Landmark Commission.
• Ms. Deal led the discussion by inquiring if all the proposed awnings would be made from the sample material. Mr. Porterfield was affirmative. He also talked about the band on the awnings. Ms. Deal asked how the awnings would be attached to the building. Mr. Porterfield said that they would be attached by screws to the wood section of the window frames and not to the brick.
• • Mr. Morgan discussed the intended spheres on the parapet. Mr. Porterfield said that they were proposed as an additional decor to highlight the northern facade. Mr. Morgan referred to the "Save The Planet" signage on the north elevation. Mr. Porterfield indicated that the signage would be slightly curved out. He said the attachment location for that signage would be the same location as the already existing awning for the Green Street Club.
• Mr. Littig inquired if the spheres were made out of the GPA material. Mr. Porterfield said that they were not; that they would be made out of brass or painted wood.
• Mr. Young talked about the wall sconce lighting on the east elevation. Mr. Porterfield said that the wall sconces would be the shape of a torch, which would be a smaller version of the lighting that already existed on the exterior of the building. He said that they would add an architectural lighting to accent the pilasters.
• Mr. Paulsen inquired about the doors on the east elevation which were shown on the drawing. Mr. Porterfield referred to the copy of a photograph of the east elevation of the building which was included in the staff report. He said that those doors already existed and used by the Green Street Club to access the patio area. He said that they could not be seen because of the raised patio directly in front of the east elevation. Mr. Porterfield added that to operate as a private club, there could only be one entrance, which would be on the north elevation. Mr. Porterfield indicated that the decision had not been made whether those doors would be brass or leave the existing wooden doors. Mr. Paulsen inquired if the main entrance doors would be real brass or the GPA material. Mr. Porterfield said that they would be made out of brass, and added that one of the problematic things about using brass anywhere above reach height was keeping it clean and shiny. He pointed out that the corporation had people who literally did nothing more in the stores but keep the brass clean. Mr. Porterfield added that in order to keep the workers off ladders, GPA was found to be an acceptable substitute material that looked like brass but would not tarnish so it would not have to be cleaned.
• Mr. Cerruti asked if the Staff had made a recommendation regarding the doors. Ms. Giraud said that a recommendation had not been made. She noted that after the field visit, her impression was that the existing doors on the north elevation were not original, so that her recommendation would be that brass doors would be acceptable. Mr. Littig asked if Staff had a position on the wall sconce lighting. Ms. Giraud said that they were too ornate for the original function of the buildings in Trolley Square. The discussion continued. Mr. Porterfield said that the wall sconces would be echoing what was already existing and that he was not aware that the exterior lighting was not original to the building. He said that he had no compulsion about the intended wall sconces. The discussion continued. Ms. Deal inquired if the Historic Landmark Commission, previously, had allowed an individual tenant to add lighting to the exterior of the building. Ms. Giraud said she had not found where that had been proposed since she had been working on the Planning Staff.
Ms. Deal opened the hearing to the public and asked if anyone wished to address the Historic Landmark Commission. Upon hearing no requests to address the Commission, Ms. Deal closed the hearing to the public. It was moved and seconded that the Historic Landmark Commission would proceed into the executive session portion of the meeting.
Executive Session
Ms. Deal acknowledged the members who had visited the site of the proposed Hard Rock Cafe, either on the field trip or on their own.
A discussion took place. Mr. Morgan suggested that holes would have to be drilled through the exterior brick of the building to attach the proposed lighting sconces. He Said if they were to be removed in the future, the holes in the brick would have to be repaired. He suggested that exterior lighting could be accomplished by either providing pole lights or light brackets attached to the fence surrounding the patio area. Mr. Morgan added that he thought the "HRC" logos would conflict with the original stamped concrete "Utah Light and Railroad Company" logos, which were a character-defining element of the buildings. Mr. Morgan further stated that he had no objection to the proposed brass doors. He said he realized that each tenant required a certain amount of identity and character. Mr. Morgan said that he believed that most of the exterior doors on the buildings in Trolley Square were not original.
Mr. Young introduced the issue of the total square footage of signage that would be allowed and inquired if the configuration, which was shown on the drawings, would be changed. There was some discussion regarding that issue, as well as the wording of a motion. Mr. Young also spoke of the damage to the brick if the proposed logos on the east elevation of the building were allowed to be attached. A comment was made about the existing clean surface on the east facade of the building.
Mr. Cerruti moved to approve Case No. 012-97, subject to the Staff's recommendation of issues that were discussed in this meeting, and subject to the redesign of the signage so that the square footage would come within the appropriate zoning ordinances and other appropriate ordinances.
The discussion continued. Ms. Sarah Miller asked for clarification as to the proposed spheres. Ms. Deal responded by saying that she thought that the spheres, the GPA "HRC" logos, and the wall lighting sconces on the east elevation, would not be part of the approval.
Ms. Deal said that she would like it stated in the records of this meeting, that the awning proposal for this project was not considered a traditional "backlit" awning, if approved. She said that she did not want a precedent set concerning backlit awnings. Mr. Gordon suggested to refer to the logos on the awnings as "translucent" logos. Ms. Deal was receptive to that suggestion. There were other expressions of concern regarding the right of the Commission to deny the wall sconce lighting, the signage issues, the damage that would occur to the brick exterior of the building by allowing elements to be attached, and other related issues.
After the specifics of the motion were discussed, Mr. Cerruti amended the motion
Mr. Cerruti moved to approve Case No. 012-97, with the exception of the "HRC" logos, the wall lighting sconces, which were proposed for the exterior of the building, and the spheres, which appeared on the parapet of the building in the drawings of the proposal. This approval would be subject to the Staff's recommendations as stated in the staff report, and subject to redesigning the signage so that the total square footage would meet the appropriate zoning and other City ordinances. Further, that the brass doors, to the entrance, as shown
on the submitted plans, be approved. It was seconded by Mr. Young. Mr. Cerruti,
Mr. Damery, Ms. Devine, Mr. Gordon, Ms. Jeppsen, Mr. Littig, Mr. McFarland, Ms. Miller, Ms. Mitchell, Mr. Morgan, Mr. Paulsen, and Mr. Young unanimously voted "Aye". Ms. Deal, as Acting Chair, did not vote. Ms. Blaes was excused. The motion passed.
Case No. 013-97, at Trolley Square. by Tim Chappelle, representing Pottery Barn, requesting approval to demolish the knee wall for a new tenant.
Ms. Lisa Miller said that this case was canceled at the applicant's request; that the applicant was agreeable to an alternative proposal.
OTHER BUSINESS
Mr. Cerruti made a motion to close this portion of the meeting. The subject of closed meetings was discussed. Mr. Wright recommended that the Commission not go into a closed session at this time, and consider scheduling a closed meeting on a future agenda, if the Commission wanted to do that, so the Commission would stay within the limitations of the "Utah Open Meetings Act". He explained that the Historic Landmark Commission did not have the authority to have a closed executive session at this meeting, which actually meant something different than what this Commission called an executive session. Mr. Wright said that by definition, an executive session was defined as a closed session where no public would be allowed to attend. He indicated that the "Utah Open Meetings Act" has a requirement that the agenda has to be posted at least twenty-four hours in advance to inform the public of a closed meeting. Mr. Wright added that he believed the Commission and the Staff would want to avoid any possible criticism by the public of violating the law. Mr. Wright inquired about the purpose of going into a closed session because he said the law is very limiting. After further discussion, regarding this matter, Mr. Cerruti said that in view of the circumstances, he requested that his motion be withdrawn.
There was a discussion regarding the memorandum that the Staff received from Mr. Lynn Pace, Assistant City Attorney, a copy of which was attached to the minutes of this meeting. A member of the Commission pointed out that Item No. 1 of that document, was not a legal opinion from the City Attorney's office, and needed further analysis.
Ms. Deal asked Mr. Paterson to relay this conversation to Mr. Pace.
A discussion took place of the synopsis of the Historic Landmark Commission's Education Subcommittee meeting, a copy of which was attached to the minutes of this meeting. The focal point of the conversation that followed was the public's perception of the purview of the Historic Landmark Commission, as was observed at a recent Avenues Community Council meeting. Mr. Gordon said that comments were made regarding the Einstein Bagel Vs Boston Market Restaurant building on the corner of South Temple and E Street, such as, "that the building was not made to look historical enough." He pointed out the importance of the presence of Commission members at Community Council meetings held in historic districts, and to inform the public of the advantages of residential historic districts. That suggestion was receptive to the members and would be pursued.
The discussion turned to the importance of the public's understanding of tax credits that are available to qualified property owners to help in the restoration of properties within historic districts and on landmark sites. Mr. Paulsen concluded by saying that he had called the Salt Lake Tribune, a local newspaper, with the suggestion of doing some educational articles regarding the value of preservation and the tax incentives that could be available to property owners.
Mr. Young moved to adjourn the meeting which was seconded by Mr. Gordon. It was a unanimous vote of approval by the Commission members and the meeting adjourned at 5:00P.M•