HPC Meeting — 2025-10-22
Present: Margaret Telford (Chairman), Theresa Meyer (Vice-Chairman), Jana Garcia, Taylor Bunn, David Ewbank, Janice Rhoda, Curtis Ratliff, Michael Reeder (Commissioner-Alternate) Liaisons: Paul Slechta (City Council Liaison (Mayor Pro Tem)), Larry Oliver (P&Z Liaison) Staff: Matthew Boyle (City Attorney), David Klempin (Historic Preservation Officer), Hugo Gardea (Assistant Historic Preservation Manager), Kayce Vanderpool (Historic Preservation Secretary)
Public hearing items
CA25-57 — 508 East Worth Street
Work: At the 1917 Farrington House (College Heights Addition; home of E. S. Farrington, namesake of Fort Worth's Farrington Field): renovate the existing 1,317 sq ft house, build a 1,683 sq ft two-story rear addition (3,000 sq ft living area), lift the original two-car garage onto a new concrete foundation in place, and add a covered connecting walkway (plans by architect Russell Moran; placement retains the large rear-yard pecan tree). Type: addition, garage_outbuilding Staff rec: approve with conditions Discussion: Heitz shared that the house was his grandfather Hal Heitz's and has now passed to him through the family. Meyer asked whether the garage is salvageable; Heitz said it 'will be lifted and placed higher on a new foundation' with rotted wood replaced. Outcome: approved with conditions (7-0) — moved David Ewbank, second Curtis Ratliff Conditions: Board of Zoning Adjustment to approve a special exception allowing the original detached two-car garage to remain in its existing location; All exterior materials, windows, doors and door hardware, and light fixtures to be approved under a separate Certificate of Appropriateness; Building permit to be obtained from the Building Department
CA25-64 — 510 Smith Street ⭐College St
Work: After-the-fact request for whole-house window replacement at a landmarked house in the College Street Residential Historic District: removal of 16 staff-approved (2009) aluminum single-hung double-pane windows and installation of 16 Pella metal-clad wood casement windows, done without a building permit or CA and spotted by staff driving by. Type: windows Staff rec: deny Discussion: Gentry said he 'didn't realize he needed a Certificate of Appropriateness because he wasn't changing anything structural or mechanical' and replaced the windows mainly for energy efficiency. Staff held that casement windows are 'an inappropriate replacement option' because they do not visually match the original single-hung windows with their 'meeting bar'; nine street-facing windows impact the street view. Outcome: denied (7-0) — moved Janice Rhoda, second Taylor Bunn
CA25-67 — 510 Smith Street ⭐College St
Work: Negotiated remedy for the denied CA25-64: affix a bronze anodized metal horizontal bar to the exterior center of each of the nine street-facing casement windows to simulate the 'meeting bar' of the original single-hung windows. Type: windows Staff rec: approve with conditions Discussion: Rhoda called it 'a great illustration of all of us coming together for an ultimate goal' and praised finding an affordable solution. Klempin said he would send a letter to Historic Township residents reminding them to contact preservation staff before starting projects, also highlighting the new Pattern Book; Ewbank noted installer Pella never obtained the building permit that would have triggered HPC review. Outcome: approved with conditions (7-0) — moved David Ewbank, second Jana Garcia Conditions: Building permit to be obtained from the Building Department
Staff-approved CAs (14)
CA25-46 526 East Worth Street; CA25-50 518 East Texas Street; CA25-51 413 South Main Street; CA25-52 336 South Main Street; CA25-53 840 East Texas Street; CA25-54 401 South Main Street; CA25-55 852 East Worth Street; CA25-56 523 East Texas Street; CA25-58 317 Jenkins Street; CA25-59 336 South Main Street; CA25-60 406 South Main Street; CA25-61 112-126 East Texas Street; CA25-62 221 Austin Street; CA25-63 406 South Main Street
Other business: Moment of silence for former Historic Preservation Commissioner Paula Wilbanks, who passed away the previous week. Approved minutes of the July 23, 2025 regular meeting (7-0). Hugo Gardea presented the work-session list of 14 staff-approved CAs.
The 510 Smith Street unpermitted window saga dominated: the casement replacement was denied 7-0, then the owner's simulated 'meeting bar' compromise was approved 7-0 in back-to-back hearings. First regular meeting after three straight months without a session. Meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m.
📄 Full verbatim minutes: Transcript HPC 2025-10-22
Source: Source Index §Minutes-corpus — WebLink HPC minutes 2025-10-22.