HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Minutes, Monday, January 24, 2011
Council Committee Conference Room / City Hall
220 SE Green Street
Chairperson Smith called the January 24, 2011 public meeting of the Historic Preservation
Commission to order at 6:00 p.m.
Roll Call
Chairperson Kathy Smith
Ms. Julie Cawby
Mr. Craig Luebbert
Mr. Brett Methner
Present
Present
Absent
Absent
Ms. Linda Tompkins
Mr. Art Jones
Mr. Matt Baird
Present
Present
Present-left at 7:15pm
Liaisons Present: Councilmember Dave Mosby
Staff Present: Heping Zhan, Long-Range Planning Manager; Chris Hughey, Staff Planner;
Carrie Craver, Planning Secretary
Chairperson Smith asked for a motion to approve the agenda. Mr. Baird motioned to approve
and was seconded by Ms. Cawby. The Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously
by voice vote to approve the agenda.
Public Comment
There were no public comments at the meeting.
1.
Approval of Consent Agenda:
Preservation Commission meeting
Minutes of the November 15, 2010 Historic
Mr. Baird motioned to approve the consent agenda and was seconded by Ms. Tompkins. The
Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously by voice vote to approve the consent
agenda.
2.
Discussion and Recommendation: Two of the six National Register of Historic Places
Nomination applications for #2010-002 Old Town East National Register Nominations
A. First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) – single property nomination
B. Southeast Grand Avenue and Fifth Street Residential Historic District
Mr. Hughey stated that two of the six National Register nominations up for discussion were
prepared by Ms. Sally Schwenk, from Sally Schwenk & Associates. The first was SE Grand
Avenue and 5th Street residential historic district and the second was First Christian Church,
also known as Disciples of Christ, which is a single property nomination.
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January 24, 2011
Ms. Sally Schwenk was present at the meeting to give a presentation in regards to these two
nominations. Ms. Schwenk pointed out that the map contained in the packets displayed the
completed districts as well as the two up for discussion. The other two districts that are part of
this grant are the ranch house districts. Ms. Schwenk pointed these out on the map which was
displayed for Commissioners to view.
These two districts were submitted to the state. Roger Massery, a National Register staff
reviewer, had to undergo a heart surgery; therefore, his wife, Tiffany Patterson, had done some
preliminary reviews. Roger was able to later conduct further reviews. It was agreed that the
nominations would be held until the May docket at the Missouri Advisory Council due to different
feedback from different reviewers. There was also a recent review done by an individual from
Washington who is a landscape architect, and she requested more information on landscapes
from the ranch house neighborhoods. Since these are the first nominations from the ranch
house districts for the state of Missouri, reviewers had a lot of questions.
Ms. Sally Schwenk reviewed the landscaping for the two nominations and found that there were
two types of buildings from two different developers. Also, each lot had two trees from original
landscaping which formed a pattern: Walnuts, Oaks, Maples… in sets of two. Other tree
plantings were found on back lines. Also noted were unchanged driveway widths and prefabricated windows from the same distributer. There were found some of the original owners
who passed along some valuable information regarding internal floor plans and have maintained
original design characteristics.
Ms. Cawby asked if these time periods are 40’s, 50’s, or 60’s, and Ms. Schwenk advised they
are 50’s. In Morningside Addition, at the ends of the blocks, there are some late 60’s - early
70’s split levels as well as some contemporary designs. The split levels come out of ranch
tradition. Additionally, Ms. Schwenk mentioned that Overland Park is the first city in Kansas to
be doing ranch districts.
Ms. Schwenk focused attention to the church nomination and mentioned that it was built by the
congregation of the Disciples of Christ Church after World War II due to a fire that burned the
original. It is the only post-WWII church in Old Town. After the war, the Methodist and Baptist
Churches had additions made in Revival style. This church is Colonial style, the most popular
of Revival styles. It does not have a steeple, but is typical of the Colonial style with the white
trim and red brick. One thing she noted was the use of arched windows and the lack of stained
glass. The Revival style did not include icons, and this matched the tradition of that church as
not allowing any icons in the sanctuary. Rather, geometrical designs were seen in stained
windows or they would have no design at all. The First Century Church in Independence, for
example, did not have a cross in the sanctuary until the 1960’s. Music incorporation into
services also impacted the design. Designs may have been chosen to be compatible with their
worship practices.
Chairperson Smith mentioned that there are photos inside the church of pews facing each other
in the New England style. Ms. Schwenk stated that the celebration of Mass in Catholic
churches involved partaking of bread and wine, and this was open to all denominations.
Therefore, the weekly communion was central to their religious services.
Looking at the church building nomination, it contains the original windows and exterior
materials, with exception of the back corner addition that is a garage. The side wings are part of
the traditional European plan. The existing keystone arches are a wonderful example of the
Colonial Revival. Ms. Schwenk noted some confusion regarding whether the 1940’s design was
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done by a Kansas City architect or the church’s minister. There were some excavation changes
for the purpose of adding a playground, but otherwise the design changes are minimal. The
floor plan is European, but in the Chancel area the seats face the altar which has a step and a
baptismal area behind a screen. The second floor consists of an extra room where babies
could be cared for and/or it was sometimes used for a movie room. This area overlooks the
sanctuary. Ms. Schwenk emphasized the design of having steps that enter into a vestibule
before actually entering the auditorium. Ms. Schwenk pointed out several other distinct
characteristics of this nomination for Commissioners to observe.
Chairperson Smith stated that the building was a church after it had been a funeral home. She
also stated that the stones on the outside of the building are from the original foundation. Ms.
Schwenk said that behind the brush there are two cornerstones: the founding of the
congregation and the founding of the date of the church. Ms. Schwenk is going to add
Chairperson Smith’s comments to the nomination. Chairperson Smith stated this was also the
site of Cole Younger’s conversion.
Ms. Schwenk shifted the topic to the Southeast Grand Avenue and 5th Street nomination. She
pointed out the size of the lots and that all houses were from the 20th century. The area is
southeast of downtown. Ms. Cawby inquired of the boundary, and Ms. Schwenk stated that the
boundary had been narrowed for the nomination. There are a lot of infill houses. Some old
houses were torn down and replaced by new ones, so there is a wide variety of style. Also, the
green space and foliage has been well-retained. Ms. Schwenk also discussed the removal of
two houses and the effect it had on spacing, and she plans to add these comments to the
nomination.
Ms. Schwenk displayed pictures of all the individual houses contained in the nomination area
and pointed out qualifying characteristics of each. Ms. Cawby asked if each property owner
would receive a notification when the nomination is submitted. Mr. Hughey stated there were
public notices published regarding the initial hearings of whether property owners wanted to be
included in the districts or not. But, Ms. Cawby stated that she felt it’s important for individual
property owners to be notified if they are included in a defined National Register district upon
approval. Ms. Schwenk stated that they should receive a letter when the nomination goes to
Jefferson City.
Ms. Schwenk commented that the state office really liked the variety of architecture throughout
this historic district.
Chairperson Smith asked for a motion to support the nominations. Mr. Baird made a motion for
the commission to support both nominations and was seconded by Ms. Tompkins. The Historic
Preservation Commission voted unanimously by voice vote to support the nominations.
3.
Discussion: 2011 May Preservation Month Subcommittees and Tasks Updates
Mr. Hughey stated that this was an opportunity to discuss the progress of subcommittees and
make any needed changes.
Chairperson Smith wanted to report the status of her
subcommittee, the Lone Jack Historical Society, Ben Martin, Ben Jewell, and Shannon
Lawrence. She provided a rough draft of “Forget Not These Days…” which was a working title
of Ben Martin’s script for the speak chorus. Shannon Lawrence, with Lee’s Summit Symphony,
is helping coordinate the musical part, writing a specific piece for the project, and helping with
sponsorship. A broadside, or old fashion advertising piece, is also being developed by Dan
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Hadley, the graphic coordinator. This advertising piece will look like one that would have been
used during the time period of the war.
Mr. Jones is coordinating re-enactors. This task falls under the ‘Volunteers’ subcommittee. He
asked Chairperson Smith for more specific direction on what she wants the re-enactors to
accomplish. He explained that they do first-person characters, set up camps, and create crafts.
Mr. Hughey stated that there needs to be a notice posted in the City Hall vestibule to announce
the subcommittee meetings and that two or three commissioners need to be present.
Chairperson Smith stated the next meeting for subcommittee would be at Martin Luther
Lutheran Church, on January 29th, at 2pm.
Chairperson Smith advised that Bank of Lee’s Summit has approved a donation of $500 for
sponsorship. She still intends to contact St. Luke’s East Hospital for sponsorship. The location
for the Speak Chorus is secured at the Lee’s Summit North Performing Arts Center for no
charge, on May 21, 2011.
Chairperson Smith mentioned setting up historic displays in the entry area to the auditorium.
Lone Jack and Lee’s Summit Historical Societies are funding and contributing costumes. The
students will be organizing the presentation and stage equipment, but volunteers are needed to
sell booklets in the entryway. Mr. Baird spoke with Hy-Vee who has agreed to help with
refreshments.
Chairperson Smith said that if anyone has any Civil War research or specific stories of this area
they want to research, they should do so and get that information to her or Linda.
Mr. Hughey asked if there was any determination of where the Strawberry Lawn Feté will be
held. Chairperson Smith said there is a catering kitchen in the back of ‘A Time for Everything’
and that it could be held there. She also discussed having plaques made to place on a building
owned by Brad Culbertson, a historic building linked to the Marquette family. Mr. Hughey has
discussed plaque costs with Mr. McKay, and there is potential to re-allocate funds to buy nice
plaques.
A tentative date for the Strawberry Lawn Feté was set for May 15, 2011.
4.
Discussion: Historic Preservation Program Planning for Upcoming Years
Mr. Zhan stated that staff has spoken with Mr. McKay regarding future planning and use of an
outside facilitator for the HPC. He asked the members what their goals would be if a facilitator
is brought in and what they would expect the facilitator to help them accomplish. The last
annual work program that was created was really designed to be a multiple-year program, and it
had been successful. The question for Commissioners is whether they want to continue with
the existing work program or bring someone in to create something entirely new. Ms. Cawby
felt that the point of a facilitator was to make such a decision and help the group actually decide
what their goals should be. Mr. Hughey commented that the Commission should at least be
able to give the facilitator some idea of what direction they are interested in going.
Councilmember Mosby agreed with Ms. Cawby that a facilitator would help the Commission to
brainstorm and organize their ideas to establish long-term goals. Ms. Cawby and Chairperson
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Smith felt that someone who is a planner, who also has a background in historic preservation,
would be ideal as a facilitator. The important thing is to bring in an outside influence with a fresh
approach to contribute new input and ideas. Councilmember Mosby shared some experiences
from the City Council retreat. Others suggested consulting other cities, maybe in a totally
different geographical area, to compare approaches.
Other Items
Mr. Hughey advised the Commission that the City received a Section 106 review request for a
telecommunications tower, but it is nowhere near a historic district. The tower location is behind
Sinclair on 3rd Street. The total height will be approximately 10 ft. shorter. Staff cannot see any
historic impact in the replacement of this tower. The new site will include a retaining wall and/or
vinyl fence. Mr. Hughey showed commissioners the aerial view of the existing tower using LS
Mapper. He also showed the Commission the NSO (Neighborhood Stabilization Overlay
District) zoning district and the National Register Historic districts on LS Mapper. The purpose
of NSO review is to prevent tear-downs, add-ons, and accessory structures that are inconsistent
with neighborhood characteristics.
Roundtable
None
Adjournment
As there were no further comments, Chairperson Smith adjourned the meeting at 7:56 p.m.
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