The Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) on February 23 approved improvements to the James Michael Curley House, “including: roof repair and replacement; installation of snow guard system; repair and re-pointing of masonry; restoration and repainting of wood trim, siding, windows and doors; installation of storm windows; replacement of three aluminum windows with wood six-over-six windows; reconstruct East Mudroom; restore North Sunroom’s paneling and pilasters; replace metal roof canopies at East Wing with compatible roofs; restore masonry balustrade at East Wing; repair wood trim, replace door, and install new man door at garage; restore fence posts and replace fencing in-kind; and relocate existing walk from parking area to new central Mudroom entrance,” according to the BLC hearing notice.
Margaret Dyson, Director of Historic Parks for the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, and architect Scott Winkler explained the details of this “comprehensive restoration of the exterior of the building.”
Winkler explained that on the front elevation, the main change was to the sunroom on the north side of the building, which he said had some work done on it at some point. The original pilasters had been covered over with plywood, he said.
The team is “looking to restore those and a little bit of wood repair,” he said of the paneling and pilasters, adding that they are also proposing to add storm windows “to the majority of the building” that would consist of a “historic replica” painted wood, and provided some more details about those.
He then spoke about the mudroom addition, where they are proposing to rebuild the mudroom “in the same footprint with something that’s a little more compatible.”
Currently, there are no storm windows on the house, but the ones proposed are designed to be left on year-round, thought they do have the capability to be removed. The Commission raised several questions and concerns about the storm windows, and Commissioner David Berarducci said that he believes they will “have a big visual impact on the windows.”
In the end, the Commission voted to approve all proposed work except the storm windows, and asked that the applicant return with a different design for them, “setback within the window opening to preserve the depth of the window sash within the opening,” according to the BLC.