HomeMy WebLinkAboutFront hand rail appeal to CBO.125 W Main StWPA | #1904| July 26, 2023 | Willis Pember Architects | 412 N. Mill St, Ste B1 | v. 970 920 1727 | c. 970 379 6074
125 West Main Street
To Bonnie Muhigirwa, CBO | Community Development, City of Aspen
From Willis Pember, AIA
Subject 125 west main, permit #0045-2020- BRES historic renovation.
Re: Historic Front Porch – Request for Elimination of front porch handrail
From Willis Pember, AIA
Date 7.26.2023
Hello Bonnie,
We met with Amy Simon this week for a final Historic Preservation inspection on our project on Main Street
which is nearing completion. She suggested we appeal to you for an exemption of the street-facing front porch
handrail requirement accessing the historic porch of four risers. The handrail has not yet been installed.
Historically, the home likely never had a porch handrail. The earliest photographic evidence we have is from
1975 and supports this conclusion.
The 2015 IEBC acknowledges historic buildings and the necessity of making exceptions regarding handrails,
guardrails, guardrail height, etc. In this case, the fourth riser triggers the handrail requirement under 2015 IEBC
Section 1011.11 Handrails. The risers are each less than 7.5” with a front porch deck being less than 30” above
grade. The treads are 11” deep and over 6’ wide. The stairway itself is an entirely code compliant construction.
We’re not really proposing an equivalent level of safety in the manner of our egress appeal from March of this
year yet would appreciate your supporting historic precedent in granting an approval.
I have attached a current photo of the front of the house to this email for your reference. Let us know if you
have further questions, comments, or concerns.
Best regards,
Willis Pember, AIA
Willis Pember Architects, Inc
Enc: Photograph of street-facing façade
Cc: Amy Simon, City of Aspen, Planning Director, Scott Duryea and Paul Girardi, Rudd Construction