HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD GIVES PARTIAL APPROVAL TO GRAND LEADER BUILDING RENOVATIONS

  

The Brenham Historic Preservation Board partially approved a request to continue renovations at the historic Grand Leader building at 100 East Alamo Street at its meeting Thursday.

Work will be allowed to proceed for the front of the building, which is being restored to serve as the new home of Mescalito Coffee in the front and Ballad of the Bird Dog in the back.  The board voted 4-2 to let work on repositioning the storefront and adding covered seating in the department store display areas move forward, but took no action on the construction of windows and a canopy on the Park Street-side of the building.

Property owner Alix Fox said due to the deteriorated condition of the building, changes had to be made to the original renovation concept.  What has not changed, she said, is the vision to have the building be a welcoming destination in downtown.

 

Jared Anderson, who owns the Ballad of the Bird Dog along with Kathleen Matthews, said he believes the proposed concept still allows the building to expose and highlight multiple periods of its history.  He said a balance needs to be struck between the building showcasing elements of its past and still being able to function as a modern-day café.

Board member Brad Tegeler, one of the members who voted against approval, said the addition of a walk-up side window is a major alteration to the original structure, something he said the Historic Preservation Ordinance tries to limit.  He said he has “severe hesitation” about putting a hole in the side of the building, and the board either needs to follow what was written or disregard the ordinance entirely.

Stacy Marhofer, the other board member who voted against, said she had concerns with the materials being used during construction, which she felt make the front of the building look “very contemporary.”  She said she felt the appearance makes it look less like a part of Brenham and more belonging to a place like College Station or Austin.

Other board members also expressed concerns about the walk-up side window, but were otherwise in favor of allowing storefront renovations to continue.

Regarding the concept image which shows lighted letters atop the back of the building, board chair Hal Moorman noted that the board does not have jurisdiction over the city’s sign ordinance.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, the board unanimously approved a Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) for the former Marsh’s building at 219 East Main Street.  Tiffany Howard plans to renovate the building to serve as the location of her custom party supply business, Glamfetti.

Work will include restoring the façades on Main and Vulcan Streets, replacing the aluminum storefront with wood, adding an awning and lighting, replacing and removing loose plaster, and adding a landing and ramps at the sidewalk on Vulcan Street for accessible entry.  Work is projected to be completed in June.