Webster Groves ARB tables 236 Oakwood, approves six residential projects with design clarifications

The Webster Groves Architectural Review Board met in a regular session and reviewed a slate of residential applications, tabling one public hearing and approving six projects with conditions or clarifications.

At the public hearing for 236 Oakwood Avenue, applicant David Hercules of Hercules Design Build described extensive interior damage to a carriage house that is part of the property’s National Register listing and said the homeowner wants to preserve the front appearance while making the structure usable. Hercules said the building is “teetering on the edge” and that much of the siding, trim and some windows are beyond repair and require replacement. He added that budget constraints and security concerns motivated the applicant’s proposal to infill several windows and doors on the rear elevation.

Board members pressed the applicant to retain character-defining features where feasible and to avoid wholesale elimination of historic openings. A board member cautioned, “I would caution you against that because it is an historic building,” and raised a separate practical concern that the proposed new interior stair might trigger a code requirement for a fire-rated enclosed stair. After discussion the board agreed to table the application to allow the applicant to consult with the client and to submit a garage-door option that better matches the historic vertical-panel rhythm suggested by the board.

The board approved several other items with conditions. For 115 Orchard Avenue the board approved the addition with a set of clarifications: any railing that remains on the north elevation must be revised to sit inboard of the gable so it does not project above the roofline; the roof structure above a second-floor room will slope to an internal drain; the second-floor north siding will be changed to a panel material; and column elements will be moved to the corners as discussed.

The resubmittal for 1274 South Rock Hill Road was approved with an option for the applicant to lower an eave line to align with the south elevation or to revise window grouping for improved symmetry.

For 433 Foot Avenue the board approved the project on the condition that the applicant add two small, vertically proportioned windows on the east elevation into the primary bath — one serving the toilet compartment and one for the vanity area — and that the windows be symmetrically placed and similar in proportion to existing windows.

The board approved the 645 Lockwood Court addition with conditions that stone sills shown in renderings be included beneath the new windows, that any existing brick header treatment be matched if present, that exposed concrete foundations receive a finish or the applicant introduce a brick ledge closer to grade, and that the underside of the porch be enclosed or screened as appropriate.

At 245 Oaktree Drive the applicant confirmed the existing front driveway will be removed and the new side driveway will be sized to align with the proposed garage doors; the board approved the project with the clarification that existing rear windows would remain. The board also approved 427 South Park Avenue after the applicant explained that a previously shown window over a shower had been removed for reasons of function and privacy.

All approvals recorded clarifying conditions in the motions so they become part of the public record. The meeting concluded with the board adjourning after completing the agenda.

The board noted that meeting recordings are available on the city’s YouTube channel and that applicants seeking quick reconsideration (for example, a single garage-door change) were invited to consult staff about deadlines for getting on the next agenda.