It’s been a while since we’ve had some all-around good preservation news, but here’s a bit from Butchertown. This little duplex shotgun house on the corner of Wenzel Street and Washington Street has been quietly deteriorating, but now there’s a plan for a major renovation that just passed the Butchertown Architecture Review Committee (ARC).
Bruce McCann of Coral Properties plans to invest $65,000 updating the two residential units. Planned work on the front facade includes replacing the four front windows with new wooden versions, replacing the building’s front doors and restoring the existing transom windows, tuckpointing the brick, and removing a portion of concrete sidewalk for a planting bed.
Among the biggest changes is a second floor in the back of the building, making these shotgun houses into camelbacks. According to papers filed with the city, McCann plans to raise the roof by about five feet to create a true second floor with one bedroom and bath per unit. Once complete, the whole project will receive a new standing-seam metal roof. The interior layout calls for two bedrooms and two baths per unit.
On the north facade facing Washington Street, a crumbling brick wall will be rebuilt and painted to match existing brick. Throughout the entire project, existing vinyl siding will be replaced with Hardie siding. Two existing chimneys will be removed and one rebuilt.
The ARC passed the proposal with recommendations to increase the size of the windows, stressing that they should include rounded tops as is common in the neighborhood.
McCann did not return an email requesting additional details, but his company, Coral Properties, owns several buildings in the vicinity as shown in the map below. Hopefully that means a number of renovation projects will be going online soon.
Hey, how do I find out whom the builders were? I’m interested in improving on our 100 year old shotgun. Thanks!
Nmboyle3@gmail.com