Board declines to approve second‑story deck at 126 Wall Street; applicant told to revise

The Madison Historic District Board of Review did not approve a certificate of appropriateness for a proposed second‑story walkout deck at 126 Wall Street, citing guideline language that discourages decks visible from public rights of way and that warns against adding new doors where none existed historically.

The applicant, Mike Estes, proposed a second‑floor deck and a new door opening above an existing porch. Staff and board members noted section 27 of the district guidelines, which advises locating decks on rear or side elevations to preserve historic streetscapes, and section 9.6, which discourages adding doors where none previously existed. Several board members and written public comment argued that the materials proposed — pressure‑treated decking and metal spindles — would not meet the porch guidelines unless they were reworked as a historically appropriate porch with painted materials and turned wood spindles.

Board members discussed whether the work could be considered a “porch” rather than a “deck”; several said that if the applicant revised materials and detailing (painted members, enclosed porch ceiling, covered band boards and no exposed fasteners), staff and the board could find a path to approval. Staff also offered to research historic evidence such as Sanborn maps to determine whether historic second‑floor openings previously existed at the address; that evidence could change the application’s classification.

The applicant declined to table the application and asked for a vote on the submitted plan. The board moved to deny the application based on the findings; after roll call the motion to deny did not carry. The board recorded that the application as submitted did not meet guidelines for decks and doors on primary elevations and recommended the applicant work with staff to resubmit with revised materials and documentation.