History of Island Home Park
Architectural Styles of Island Home Park
Review Process for Designated Properties
Guidelines for Rehabilitation and New Construction
     Roofs
     Windows
     Porches and Stoops
     Entrances
     Exterior Wall Coverings
          Masonry
          Wood
     Additional Elements - New Building Construction
     Additions
     Auxiliary or Out Buildings
     Landscaping Features
     Accessory Features
     The Boulevard and Gateposts
Suggestions for Maintenance
Properties Inventory

HISTORY OF ISLAND HOME PARK

ARCHITECTURAL STYLES OF ISLAND HOME PARK

Island Home Park architectural styles include Craftsman, Colonial revival, Dutch Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and Ranch. In addition to these architectural styles, Island Home Park also contains some of the best examples of Bungalows found in Knox County, and examples of American Four Square houses. Both of these terms refer to the floor plans, shape and massing of the buildings they are applied to.

Bungalows became popular in America in the early 20th century, and derive their name from India, where the term refers to a one family house as opposed to an apartment; the term "bungalow" is not an architectural style, but rather a descriptive term for a type of floor plan. In India, bungalows were usually small, one-story buildings with wide roof overhangs and large verandas or porches. In the United States, bungalows can be quite large, and can even contain extra half-stories or second stories, but the use of wide eave overhangs and large porches, with most living spaces on one floor, remains a constant. Bungalows are usually ornamented in Craftsman detailing.

An American Four Square plan, like the Bungalow, is descriptive terms for the massing and plans of the house. The American Four Square plan was common from the 1900's through the 1930's and is recognized by its square appearance and often hipped, pyramidal roof. Front dormers are often used. The house is almost always two or two and one-half stories in height, and interior spaces are arranged into four main, square or nearly square spaces, although one story Four Square houses do appear infrequently. A full front porch is most common in these buildings. Detailing on the house may be from any of the styles common in the early 20th century. Sidelights and transoms are often used on an American Four Square, and these may be of leaded, stained or beveled glass. Double hung windows are common; they may have a patterned upper sash or may be in a one over one configuration.

Craftsman styled homes can be identified by their low-pitched, gabled roofs (or less commonly, hipped roofs) with wide, unenclosed eave overhangs. Roof rafters are usually exposed and decorative beams or braces are commonly added under gables. Wide, deep front porches across the front façade, or wrapping across the front and down one side elevation are common, and supported by distinctive columns or posts on pedestals. Materials used for the Craftsman styles include natural or cut stone, stucco, brick and wood weatherboard or shingle.

Four principal roof styles are found in the Craftsman

• a front-gabled roof, sometimes with dormers, and often with a series of telescoping front gables
• a cross-gabled roof, usually with a front gabled porch roof forming the cross gable
• a side-gabled roof, usually with a centered shed or gable dormer and porches contained under the main roof, and
• hipped roof styles, which are fairly rare.

The Colonial Revival style has seen a periodic reinvention throughout America's building history. In the late 19th century there was a return of interest in the Georgian, Federal and Dutch houses that were first built along the Eastern seaboard; that interest continued until the mid 20th century. Colonial Revival Houses often have side gabled roofs, while Dutch Colonial Revival houses are distinguished by their gambrel roofs, often with continuous shed dormers, that provide head space for a full second story. Five bays are usually found on the front elevation, with the central bay containing the first floor entry, evenly balanced on each side by windows. Entry stoops, sometimes unroofed, highlight the central entry door. Although one story Colonial Revival homes were built, most are two stories. Windows are usually rectangular in shape with double hung sashes and multiple panes. Roof cornices are usually boxed, and may be decorated with dentils or modillions; the cornice usually does not have much overhang. Wall materials include wood weatherboard, but in the 20th century masonry became much more common.

Tudor Revival Houses became popular in the United States in the late 19th century and were common until the late 1930's. Identifying details include a steeply pitched roof, often side-gabled and with intersecting gables or dormers, tall, narrow multi-paned windows, massive chimneys, and applied half-timbering. The most common Tudor Revival wall surface was brick, but stucco and stone were also used. Primary entries often contain quoins, and round-arched doorways with heavy board and batten doors were common. Windows were often casements.

The Minimal Traditional style was dominant after the 1920's and has a conservative, simple form of detailing. Eaves are usually small or flush, roof shapes are low-pitched (6/12 to 8/12) and porch hoods or covered porticos are common. Windows are usually double hung, with multiple pane glazing in each sash. Facades may be either symmetrical or asymmetrical, and are marked by entry stoops.

There are a few Ranch houses in Island Home Park, typical of the one story Ranch houses built in the mid-20th century. These houses are marked by low pitched hip or gable end roofs, double hung windows that may have a variety of pane divisions, and are often doubled or tripled on the primary elevation. Many Ranch houses were built on a slab foundation, and so are lower in overall height than those of earlier eras. Wall coverings are usually either weatherboard or brick. These houses have a strong horizontal orientation. Entry porches are also small and do not break up the horizontal lines of the building. Ranch houses often have front facing garage doors.

REVIEW PROCESS FOR DESIGNATED PROPERTIES

Historic Overlay Districts (H-1) have design guidelines that residents and the Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission use to guide rehabilitation and new construction. These guidelines are drafted in consultation with a committee of neighborhood property owners and residents, and are adopted by the Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission, MPC and the Knoxville City Council. If a property owner is planning a construction project that affects the outside of a building, that owner must follow the guidelines and receive a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission; this requirement must be met before a building permit can be issued. Historic Zoning Commission staff and the building official are pleased to meet with an owner to discuss design guidelines and the proposed project prior to application for a Certificate of Appropriateness or a building permit.

The categories of Certificates are arranged in four levels. Level I Certificates appropriate for general repairs of a building's exterior, including siding, roof elements, porch elements and windows. The Level I Certificates can be issued by the Historic Zoning Commission staff and can be filed and responded to at any time. The additional levels of Certificates of Appropriateness are Level II, III and IV, which involve new construction, additions, moving and demolitions, all of which must be reviewed by the Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission to be sure that the proposed work does not harm the historic appearance or structural integrity of the structure or the neighborhood, or is justifiable. Owners should contact the staff of the Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission at the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 by mail or by phone at (865)215-2500.

The historic district regulations apply only to exterior changes that require a building permit. Interior changes, landscaping, paint colors, or other things not requiring a building permit will not require approval from the Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission.

The Island Home Park Neighborhood Association, as the organization representing the district, will be asked to appoint at least one representative to meet with the Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission at least annually and to receive monthly notices of the meeting. The responsibility of Island Home's representative will be twofold: 1) to provide information about the neighborhood to the Historic Zoning Commission; 2) to offer neighborhood opinions about applications for Certificates of Appropriateness. This representative will also provide information about HZC actions back to the neighborhood.

These design guidelines are derived from The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation (1990). The Secretary's Standards are used by the Historic Zoning Commission as the basis for determining the appropriateness of exterior rehabilitation projects and new construction. A summary of the standards appears below.

1. A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site environment.
2. The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
3. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.
4. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
5. Distinctive features, finishes and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved.
6. Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical or pictorial evidence.
7. Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials, should not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible.
8. Significant archaeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures should be undertaken.
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.

The special appearance of Island Home Park is made up of each building's individual architectural details. Roof materials, chimney, windows, porches, exterior wall coverings and wood or stone trim all determine the building's style and help to form the architectural richness and character of the neighborhood. The buildings combine with distinctive streets and boulevards, stone retaining walls and curbs to make Island Home a distinctive neighborhood reflecting this area's history and development.

Each building in Island Home Park has an impact on the entire neighborhood. For that reason, the changes that may be made to individual properties will either enhance the historic architecture of the building and the neighborhood or destroy it. The buildings have survived and the neighborhood remains attractive because earlier owners have preserved both. These guidelines inform today's owners about techniques for restoration, rehabilitation and maintenance. An important purpose of the design guidelines is to introduce a consistent standard for rehabilitation and restoration projects and new construction. That consistency will allow the fabric of the neighborhood to be maintained.

Historic Characteristics
Roof pitches on Island Home's historic houses vary depending on the architectural style represented by the house. Many houses have multiple gables or a combination of hip and gable roofs; many houses have dormers. Some houses have flat, or nearly flat roofs, while others, particularly some revival styles, have steep (9/12 to 12/12 pitch) roofs. Mansard roofs are also common. One bay porticos with gabled roofs are common on the revival styles; some have arched ceilings. Unroofed shallow porches or recessed porches are also found. Side porches, often with flat roofs, are also common. Except for the newer Minimal Traditional and Ranch styles, there is usually an eave overhang on the historic houses in Island Home.

Many of the roof coverings on houses in Island Home are now modern asphalt shingles, but some original roofs still remain and help form the historic integrity of the area. Roofing materials used historically included shaped roof tiles of terra cotta or concrete, concrete shingles, and even some metal roofs. The historic roof colors would have been darker shades of brown, gray, red, green or black.

The best materials to use when roofing are replicas of the original, if they are available. Repairing original roofs is also desirable. If that cannot be done, however, asphalt or fiberglass shingles can be used, but their colors should be carefully selected to reflect the original, historical roofing colors. When building new structures, roof materials should be carefully chosen to suggest the colors, patterns and materials that would have been found in the neighborhood historically.

Details associated with the roofs of the houses, such as dentil or other patterned molding, roof cresting or finials, attic vent windows, chimneys and other features should be saved, repaired or replaced in kind. All of these features add richness to the architecture of the neighborhood.

A. Design Guidelines - Roofs

1. The shape of replacement roofs or roofs on new construction must imitate the shapes of roofs on other houses of the same architectural style. Roof pitch must duplicate the pitch of neighboring buildings or of similar architectural styles. Roof shapes must be complex, using a combination of hips with gables, secondary gables, dormers where appropriate to the style, or other features that emphasize the importance of period architectural styling.
2. The eaves on additions or new buildings must have an overhang that mimics existing buildings near the property or is appropriate to the style of the new building.
3. Repair or replace roof details (chimneys, roof cresting, finials, attic vent windows, molding, gable vents and other unique roof features). Use some of these details in designing new buildings.
4. If possible, materials used in roofing existing buildings or new construction should duplicate the roofing covering materials originally found in the neighborhood. Asphalt or fiberglass shingles can be appropriate, as are slate, standing metal, metal shingles or concrete or terra cotta tile roof coverings. Shingles should be dimensional. The color of roofing materials should be dark green, gray, black or dark reddish brown to simulate the original roof colors. It may be possible to salvage original roofing materials and locate them on the roof planes visible from public streets, while using fiberglass shingles on non-public elevations.
5. Do not place solar collectors or modern skylights on roof areas that are visible from the street; and do not install them where they interfere with decorative roof elements.
6. Roofs that are visible from streets should retain their original shapes. If additional roof elements such as dormers are being considered for Island Home's existing houses, they should only be placed on styles where those dormers are appropriate, and their shape should mimic the shapes traditionally found on that style of architecture. Elements such as ocular or clerestory windows should not be used if they alter the roof shapes seen from the street.

Historic Characteristics
Windows are a very important architectural element of historic buildings. They help to define each building's character. They are usually wood and are hung so that both the bottom and top sash can open (double-hung). Two-over-two or one-over-one sashes are common, but there are also windows with multiple panes and there are attic windows and some upper sashes with irregular shapes. Casement windows are often found, with panes that mimic the remainder of the windows on the house. Sidelights are often found at the entries. They were a way of admitting extra light into the entry halls.

Renovation projects often target windows. In order to judge the necessity of replacing windows, a careful survey should be made of the windows and their condition including their value in the overall architectural design of the building.

B. Design Guidelines - Windows

1. Original windows should be reused if possible. It will be much less expensive and much better historically to retain the original windows. Whenever possible, reuse existing, serviceable window hardware.
2. If replacement windows are necessary, they should be the same overall size as the originals, with the same pane division, width and profile. They should be the same materials as the original windows, which were generally wood. Vinyl clad replacement windows should not be used, although aluminum clad windows are acceptable if they are painted to match the trim color. Replacement window sashes should mimic the frame, style, and muntin pattern of the original. Pane divisions must be created by separate panes with true separation or by applied muntins that give the appearance of true divided lights. Pane grids between glass are not acceptable.
3. If replacement windows are planned for a house which no longer has original windows, the replacement windows must be typical of the design era of the house.
4. Windows on front elevations should not be blocked in. They must retain the full height and width of the original opening.
5. Tinted or reflective glass may not be used on primary or other important elevations.
6. Windows may be added on secondary elevations not visible from public streets. They should be compatible with the overall design of the original windows in the building.
7. Storm windows can be allowed as a way to increase the energy savings of a historic house. Interior storms should be considered. Exterior storms can be appropriate, if they are designed so their meeting rail duplicates that of the original window, and if they are wood or color clad metal, matching the building's trim. Exterior storm windows should not be used unless they do not damage or obscure the original window and frames.

Historic Characteristics
Island Home Park was constructed as a suburban, commuting neighborhood, serviced by streetcars and a growing number of personal automobiles. Its earliest houses, in keeping with Bungalow styling, have expansive, welcoming front porches, while the newer Revival, Minimal Traditional and Ranch houses present a less public face to the street. Side porches are often found on these later styles. Original porches should be preserved, and should remain open. New construction or porch reconstruction should reflect the style of the house.

The individual design elements of the neighborhood's porches and front stoops - wood, brick and stone columns, wrought iron railing and balusters, decorative brick and iron designs - all are important to the style of the houses. These individual details should be repaired and preserved, or replicated if good documentation of the original porch exists.

C. Design Guidelines - Porches

1. Historic porches on houses in Island Home should be repaired, or may replicate the original porch if documentation of its size and design can be discovered.
2. New buildings constructed in Island Home should be built with a front or side porch or stoop. In new construction, the proportion of the porches to the front facades must be consistent with the porches of other houses of the same architectural style in the neighborhood.
3. Decks (large wooden platforms using deck flooring and balustrades) shall not be constructed on the front elevations. Roofed side porches or sun porches may be an acceptable alternative. Side decks may be acceptable, provided landscaping softens their visibility and they are not elevated more than the ground floor elevation of the building they serve. Decks in rear yards, not visible from the street, can be a good alternative.
4. Design elements to be incorporated in any new porch design should include a from and materials typical of the style of the house. Stairs should present a formal entrance to the house.
5. Porches and balconies visible from a street may only be enclosed when the enclosure provides as much transparency as existed prior to the enclosure and is designed to be easily removable.

Historic Characteristics
The doors originally used in Island Home's houses were wooden, and may be planked or have other design characteristics that reflect the style of the house. Screen doors were commonly used. Storm doors were sometimes used.

D. Design Guidelines - Entrances

1. Entry features, which must be preserved, include sidelights and transoms, fan lights, entablatures and the original doors.
2. Contemporary interpretations of stained glass or etched glass entry doors are usually not appropriate.
3. It may be appropriate to design or construct a new entrance if the historic one is completely missing. Any restoration must be based on historical, pictorial or physical documentation and must be compatible with the historic character of the building or with adjacent buildings.
4. A replacement entrance must not create a false historic appearance. A new entrance or porch must be compatible in size, scale, or material.
5. Entrances must not be removed when rehabilitating a building; adaptation to new uses must include the original entrance.
6. Service (rear) entrances may not be altered to make them appear to be front or formal entrances. Secondary entrances must be compatible with the original in size, scale and materials, but clearly secondary in importance.
7. Determine if a storm door will be instrumental to saving energy. If a storm door is used, it would be appropriate to have a color-clad frame and a full view glass, or be designed to respect the original entry door.
8. Retain and repair original storm doors, or replace them with new screen doors of comparable design.

Island Home Park houses show brick, wood weatherboard, and wood shingled wall coverings, and one example that is unique in Knoxville - the use of cobblestones. Masonry (either brick or cobblestone walls) should never be painted. Painting obscures the effect of the unique cobblestones and carefully constructed brick walls

Vinyl, aluminum or other synthetic sidings are not appropriate for existing homes in Island Home Park unless those homes were constructed with synthetic siding. With the exception of hardiplank, they are also not acceptable for new construction. Vinyl or aluminum siding is particularly dangerous for existing houses, because it can mask drainage problems or insect infestation and prevent good ventilation. Even on new construction, when vinyl siding is used in place of wood siding, it is not as easily repairable as wood siding, nor can it be painted easily. Contrary to the claims of many vinyl siding salesmen, the projected life of vinyl siding is approximately twenty years. Wood siding has a much longer projected life, and over a long period of time, synthetic siding is usually much more expensive than installing or repairing wood siding and maintaining it properly. Wood siding has been used in this country for over three hundred years; if it has been properly maintained, that old siding is still serviceable.

Masonry was used in some way on nearly all of Island Home Park's buildings. Brick, stone or stucco may form walls, foundations, chimneys, piers for porch columns, or other features of the historic houses. Concrete block, if it is used, is usually ashlar faced.

Mortar Mix - In order to understand how to maintain and repair historic masonry, it is important to understand the characteristics of the mortar that unifies the masonry units. There is a very low percentage of Portland cement in old mortar, which is made up of much higher percentages of sand and stone than new mortar. This allows the mortar to expand and contract at the same rate as soft brick, stone, or older ashlar-faced concrete. If repointing is necessary, any new mortar should match the old both in color and in composition. Old deteriorating mortar that must be removed from mortar joints should be removed using hand tools.

Masons and homeowners planning on pointing masonry should use the following mortar mix:
      9 parts sand (Use river sand rather than builder's sand
         to obtain the proper color.)
      2 parts hydrogenated lime
      1 part Portland cement

This mix will produce a mortar that blends in color and hardness with the older mortar. A more extensive discussion of the use of appropriate mortar mix and the methods of repointing can be seen at http://www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/briefs, a National Park Service website where Preservation Brief No. 2, dealing with masonry and other Preservation Briefs can be accessed.

It is important to understand that if a harder, more heavily concentrated Portland cement mixture is used, the resulting mortar will be more rigid than the masonry unit. As the wall absorbs moisture and then is subjected the freeze and thaw cycles that are so prevalent in Knoxville's climate, the mortar will not move with the stone or brick, causing spalling and deterioration of the masonry units, and causing the architectural feature to fail.

E. Design Guidelines - Masonry

1. Never waterblast masonry surfaces. Never sandblast brick or stone surfaces using dry or wet grit or other abrasives, including walnut casing, seashells, glass pellets, or any other material that cleans through abrasion.
2. Do not paint stone, cobblestone or brick surfaces that have never been painted. Painting obscures the colors and textures of these unique masonry features.
3. Evaluate the overall condition of the masonry to determine whether more than protection and maintenance are required.
4. Identify and preserve masonry features that define the historic character of the building, including walls, railings, foundations, chimneys, columns and piers, cornice and door and window pediments.
5. Replace an entire masonry feature that is too deteriorated to repair. Use the remaining physical evidence to guide the new work, and match new to old. Examples can include large sections of a wall, a cornice, balustrade, columns, stairways or chimneys.
6. If historical, pictorial or physical documentation cannot be found about a masonry feature, a modern design sympathetic to the building would be more appropriate than a hypothetical historical one. A new masonry feature shall be compatible in size, scale, material and color.
7. Match replacement mortar to the original mortar in color, composition, profile and depth. If necessary, analyze the original mortar to determine the proportions of lime, sand and cement. A "scrub" technique shall not be used to repoint. The width or joint profile shall not be changed unless the change will return the joint to its original appearance. Sound mortar should not be removed.
8. Never repoint with mortar of high Portland cement content, unless that is the content of the original mortar.
9. Historic masonry shall not be coated with stucco, vapor permeable water-repellent coatings or other non-historic coatings. (NOTE: Coatings are frequently unnecessary, expensive, and may change the appearance of the historic masonry as well as accelerate its deterioration.)
10. Split-faced block shall not be used in new construction or as a replacement for deteriorated masonry units.
11. Stucco surfaced masonry can be an appropriate for foundations in new construction. Brick and stone can also be appropriate.

Wood

F. Design Guidelines - Wood

1. Synthetic siding is not allowed as replacement siding for wood on existing buildings. Hardiplank or other manufactured solid siding can be appropriate as replacement siding for earlier synthetic siding on a historic building. Hardiplank or other manufactured solid siding can also be used in new construction.
2. Replacement siding must duplicate the original. Trim and patterned shingles that must be replaced must also duplicate the original material.
3. If synthetic siding is present on any elevation of a building and must be removed in order to repair the building structurally, it can be replaced on the building if no more than 49% is removed of any elevation's synthetic siding is removed. If 50% of the synthetic siding on any elevation is removed for repair, it cannot be replaced.
4. Synthetic siding may be used for an addition to an existing building with synthetic siding only if the addition is no more than 10 percent of the total square footage of the original structure.
5. New construction must incorporate corner and trim designs and appropriate door and window trim to be compatible with adjacent historic buildings.
6. Wooden features shall be repaired by patching, piecing-in, or otherwise reinforcing the wood. Repair may also include limited replacement with matching or compatible substitute materials, when elements remain and can be copied.
7. Wood features that are important in defining the overall historic character of the building shall not be removed.
8. Replace only deteriorated wood. Reconstructing in order to achieve a uniform or "improved," "new" appearance is inappropriate because of the loss of good historic materials.
9. An entire wooden feature that is too deteriorated to repair or is completely missing shall be replaced in kind. If features are replaced, the materials they are made from shall be compatible with the original in size, scale and material. Replacement parts should be based on historical, pictorial and physical documentation.
10. Remove damaged or deteriorated paint only to the next sound layer using the gentlest method possible (e.g., hand sanding or hand scraping).
11. Retain paint and other coats that help protect wood from moisture and sunlight. Paint removal must be considered only where there is paint surface deterioration and as part of an overall maintenance program which involves repainting or applying other appropriate protective coatings.

Historic Characteristics of Existing Lots
There are vacant lots in the Island Home Park Historic District. They can introduce a gap in the streetscape. Redevelopment with new buildings that are sympathetic to the historic neighborhood buildings can reinforce the historic character of the neighborhood. If vacant lots are to be retained as side lots for existing buildings, fencing and landscaping can also reinforce the historic character of the neighborhood.

A Description of Properties Inventory describing existing architectural designs and their features found in the Neighborhood is included in these Guidelines. An eclectic mix of styles is apparent. New designs are encouraged to interpret one of the design types identified as a "contributing" (C) structure, with size and features generally drawn from the design and appropriate to that style, although the same design cannot be repeated on another lot.

New buildings should be contemporary in spirit. Slavish copies of historic buildings confuse the historic value of the existing buildings. New buildings should respond to the present time, the environment, and the use for which they are intended. New buildings constructed in historic areas should be compatible with the existing historic buildings and sensitive to the patterns of the environment where they will be placed. The use of similar materials can help in developing continuity. These principles apply to new homes as well as garages, sheds and other outbuildings.

A new building's form and its placement on its lot help determine the compatibility of the building. Island Home Park first developed along streetcar tracks, which followed a straight line, with later streets with curvilinear patterns. This street pattern set the pattern for lot sizes. As a result, the lots of Island Home's streetcar era are usually rectangular, with their narrowest side parallel to the street. The form of the houses is also rectangular or irregular with the narrow sides facing the street. This development pattern should be respected if new buildings are built in the portions of the neighborhood first developed. Later, post World War II areas have a wider lot size and Ranch style homes, which are wider, but not as deep. Also, the consistent setbacks of the buildings in all sections of the neighborhood create a visual order, help to define public and private space, provide privacy for the residents and permit landscaping in front of a building.

Houses in Island Home Park have a shape, or bulk, consistent with their time of construction. The earliest homes appear larger and taller than new buildings, often with projecting bays or porches not found in newer designs. The window sizes and proportion of the voids or openings of the windows to the solid portions of walls are often different than new construction. The newer sections of the neighborhood have lower houses with horizontal massing.

Roof forms are complex in many of Island Home Park's oldest buildings. Hip roofs with lower gables, multiple or telescoping gables, conical or round turrets, dormers and balconies are often found. The pitch of historic roofs in these homes is also fairly steep. Island Home Park's oldest historic houses are not built on slab foundations. Basements and raised foundations are common, and the texture of the masonry foundations adds richness to the neighborhood's architecture, while the height and the multi-story designs are also important in preserving the appearance of the neighborhood. Conversely, in the newer, c. 1950's era sections, homes are often built on slab foundations, and while hip roofs and end gable roofs are common, the roof slopes are not as steep and not as complex as those of the older homes.

When new construction is undertaken in the Island Home Park Historic District, landscaping and other design features are also reviewed by the Historic Zoning Commission. The Commission will pay special attention to the landscaping, permeable surfaces, and emphasis on the formal front entry mentioned in earlier section of these design guidelines.

G. Design Guidelines - New Buildings - Setbacks and Widths of Buildings and Lots

1. Maintain the historic façade lines of streetscapes by locating the front walls of new buildings in the same plane as those of adjacent buildings. If existing setbacks vary, a new building's setback shall respect those of adjacent buildings.
2. Do not violate the existing setback pattern by placing new buildings in front of or behind historic buildings on the street.
3. Do not place new buildings at odd angles to the street.
4. Side and rear setbacks for new buildings shall be consistent with those of existing historic buildings, so gaps are not left in the streetscape.
5. The older sections of Island Home Park are characterized by a linear street pattern, with curvilinear streets to the north edge of the neighborhood. Future development in the neighborhood that joins on the existing streets should follow the rectangular, linear pattern. Any construction of new streets or easements that connect to the neighborhoods existing streets should be accomplished using narrow streets that mimic existing side street (such as Willis or Watson) widths, in order to minimize their visual impact on the existing historic development pattern.

H. Design Guidelines - New Buildings - Scale and Massing

1. New additions and constructions shall conform to the prevailing widths and heights of typical facades of adjacent houses. The footprint of new additions and constructions should be in character and proportion with contributing neighboring houses, even if originally platted lots have been combined into larger lots. Detached accessory buildings shall be proportional to the house in height and size.
2. Break up uninteresting boxlike forms into smaller varied masses like those found on existing buildings by the use of bays, extended front porches, and roof shapes.
3. The size and proportion of new buildings must relate to those of existing adjacent buildings.
4. New buildings must reinforce the scale of the neighborhood by their height, width and massing.
5. New buildings must be designed with a mix of wall areas with door and window elements in the façade like those found on existing buildings.
6. Roof shapes must relate to the existing buildings, as must roof coverings.

I. Design Guidelines - New Buildings - Height of Foundations and Stories

1. Avoid new construction that varies in height relative to the structures on the surrounding street block, so that new buildings are equal to the average height of existing buildings.
2. The foundation height of new buildings shall duplicate that of adjacent buildings, or be an average of adjacent building foundation heights.
3. For new buildings with more than one story, beltcourses or other suggestions of divisions between stories that suggest the beginnings of additional stories shall be used.
4. The eave lines of new buildings shall conform to those of adjacent properties.

Design Guidelines - New Buildings - Materials

1. The materials used for new building exteriors shall be consistent with materials already found on buildings on the street.
2. Synthetic siding (other than hardiplank or other manufactured solid siding) and split face block are not acceptable materials for use on new buildings.

K. Design Guidelines - New Buildings - Features

1. Design new buildings with a strong sense of a front entry.
2. For new houses being built in the older areas of the neighborhood, use front porches or stoops in new designs, and make the size of any porches useable for sitting. New porches shall be at least eight feet deep, shall contain design features such as columns and balustrades that introduce architectural diversity, and shall extend across more than half of the front façade. For new homes being built in areas of the neighborhood featuring houses with small stoops or unroofed entries, the front entry should still be prominent, but may be accessed through a roof portico or unroofed stoop.

L. Design Guidelines - Landscaping

1. The maximum lot coverage for the footprint of a house and accessory buildings shall not exceed 30% of the lot. Pavement in front and/or side yards visible from public streets shall be minimized, so that the landscaping and plantings convey the impression of a residential setting. The desirable maximum lot coverage for all impermeable surfaces including the primary structure, accessory buildings, driveway, pool, patio, tennis court and other features on the lot is 50% of the lot. Impermeable surfaces on lots should not exceed 65%.
2. If driveways are constructed, they should be as narrow as possible, and applicant may want to consider using parallel driving tracks rather than one large slab.
3. Mature trees in the designated area should be protected, with residents and agencies encouraged to begin planning the next generation of trees as soon as possible.
4. The front and rear yards of new houses shall provide large native trees that will reach at least 50' in height at maturity, with at least one tree in each of the front and rear yards, if those trees do not already exist on the property. Examples of these trees include oaks, maples, sweet gums, sycamores, and other native trees suited to the climate, soils and environment in the neighborhood.
5. At least one native ornamental tree, such as dogwoods or redbuds, should also be planted in the front and rear yards of each newly constructed home in the neighborhood.
6. On streets where mailboxes are attached to existing houses, there shall be no mailboxes on the street; all mailboxes on new construction should be attached to the houses.
7. Fences or freestanding walls over 32" shall not be constructed in front of the front yard.

M. Design Guidelines - New Additions

1. Locate exterior additions at the rear of or on an inconspicuous side of a historic building, limiting the size and scale in relationship to the historic building, and using appropriate proportions. New additions should be inconspicuous from streets.
2. Consider the attached exterior addition both in terms of the new use and the appearance of other buildings in the historic district. Additions shall be distinguishable from the historic building, but shall be compatible in terms of mass, materials, size, texture, and scale. Additions shall be designed so they can be removed without destroying the form of the historic building.
3. Do not cause a loss of historic character through a new addition.

Historic Characteristics:
Auxiliary or outbuildngs were often used in Island Home Park, although some of them have deteriorated or been destroyed over the years. Typical outbuildings would have included carriage houses, outhouses or servants' quarters, often more than one story tall and built with steeply pitched gable roofs or combined gable and shed roofs, with weatherboard or board and batten wall covering. Smaller work sheds were also located in the neighborhood. New houses in the district might have had garages, with the same roof shapes and wall coverings, or with wall coverings that matched the primary building on the lot.

N. Design Guidelines - Outbuildings and auxiliary or accessory uses.

1. The design of outbuildings such as garages shall acknowledge and suggest the function of original outbuildings that would have been located in the neighborhood.
2. The design of features like garage doors that face the street shall reflect the style of the primary building on the lot.
3. Accessory buildings such as garages shall be located to the rear of the primary building on the lot, unless site conditions dictate otherwise.
4. Materials used in constructing outbuildings or accessory buildings should use materials and design characteristics compatible with the primary building on the lot.

Swimming pools were not part of the original fabric of the neighborhood, and should be designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. Satellite dishes, while they may be installed on homes in the neighborhood, should not be visible from public rights of way. HVAC units should not be installed on elevations of buildings that face a public street. In addition, paving materials and their design should respect the historic antecedents found in the historic overlay district.

O. Design Guidelines - Accessory Features

1. Contemporary accessory uses, such as swimming pools, must be carefully designed to be compatible with the historic appearance of the neighborhood. They should be in-ground pools, with accompanying mechanical sheds appropriately designed and carefully screened. Fencing may not be chain link if visible from the street.
2. Contemporary accessories such as television antennas must be carefully located and chosen to avoid detracting from the historic architecture. Television antennas and satellite dishes should be installed so that they are not visible from adjacent streets.
3. Masonry retaining walls located at the street edge must be retained and repaired, or reinstalled.

Island Home Park is graced with two distinctive historic features - Island Home Boulevard itself, with its landscaped median, and the gateposts and street pattern leading into the neighborhood. Those features should be preserved, and are not subject to future alteration of their size and overall appearance.

SUGGESTIONS FOR MAINTENANCE

• Check regularly for leaks, repairing problems as they occur, and keeping gutters and downspouts free of litter and debris.
• Provide adequate ventilation in the form of soffit vents and ridge vents, which add life to the roof and keep the airspace in the attic dry.
• Old roofing should be removed before installing a new roof, so that the structure does not support extra weight and built-up layers do not mask problems.
• Gutters and downspouts should be installed, as they are important in maintaining the foundations of buildings. Consider repairing built-in gutters rather than roofing over them or hanging an additional gutter system at the edge of the roof.

• Make windows weather tight by reglazing, replacing broken panes, and installing weather-stripping, increasing the window's thermal efficiency.
• Protect and maintain the wood or architectural metal that makes up the window frames, sash, muntins and surrounds. Use appropriate surface treatments like cleaning, rust removal, limited paint removal and caulking, priming and painting.

• Perform careful seasonal maintenance to preserve porches and entrances, including installing an adequate gutter and downspouts on covered porches.
• Many Island Home porches are floored with concrete, tile or stone. If a wood porch floor must be replaced with a poured concrete floor, however, care should be taken to protect the original structure from moisture that can be absorbed by the original porch.

• Evaluate and treat the various causes of mortar joint deterioration such as leaking roofs or gutters, uneven settlement of buildings, capillary action or extreme weather exposure.
• Protect and maintain masonry by providing proper drainage so that water does not accumulate on flat, horizontal surfaces or in curved decorative features.
• Patinas, which developed over time and are a part of the building's historic character, should not be removed.
• Repair masonry by repointing mortar joints where there is evidence of disintegrating mortar, cracks in joints, loose bricks, damp walls or damaged plasterwork or stucco.
• Remove deteriorated mortar by carefully hand-raking the joints to avoid damaging the masonry joints. Electric tools may damage historic mortar and brick and should not be used. Only repoint the areas that actually have failing mortar.
• Repair stucco by removing the damaged material and patching with new stucco that duplicates the old in strength, color, composition and texture.
• Repair masonry by patching or piecing-in. Repair may also include the limited replacement with matching material or with a compatible substitute material that gives the same appearance as the original in size, scale, composition and color. This replacement should only be done where the masonry elements are extensively deteriorated or missing and when there are surviving examples or good photographic evidence of original materials.

• Removing the hardest protective layer created through firing in the case of brick or through aging and weathering in the case of stone, creating problems with the freeze-thaw cycle and exposing the masonry units to environmental pollution;
• Removing large amounts of mortar, either through abrasion or through a thorough soaking in the case of water blasting, making an entire repointing of the masonry feature necessary;
• Can even cause interior walls to collapse if they are load bearing.

• Do not introduce unnecessary moisture or chemicals into the building.
• Never use a cleaning method that involves water or liquid chemical solutions if there is any possibility of freezing temperatures.
• Prior to major surface cleaning, use test patches and observe them over a period of time so the unintended consequences of the cleaning method can be observed.
• Follow manufacturers' product and application instructions if using cleaning or painting products.

• If paint must be removed from a building, chemical strippers may supplement other methods such as hand scraping, hand sanding, or the use of electric heating devices. If detachable wood elements such as shutters, doors and columns are chemically stripped, do not allow them to soak in a caustic solution, which raises the grain and roughens the wood.
• Other methods of paint removal that can cause deterioration of wooden elements include using propane or butane torches or blasting with any type of abrasive material such as water, sand, glass beads, or walnut or pecan hulls.
• Use extreme caution when stripping wood with electric heat guns. Historic houses have large amounts of coal soot and debris inside wall coverings; this material can be heated to the point of ignition quickly if agitated by the output of a heat gun. It is best not to use the heat gun where it might blow into wall spaces. Using a heat gun can also cause lead additives in old paint to vaporize and be inhaled, leading to lead poisoning.
• Repaint with colors that are historically appropriate to the building and district; however, the final color decision is left up to the property owner. Before repainting, the surface should be gently cleaned. Appropriate primers, caulking and a good outdoor paint should be used.
• Protect and maintain a wood feature by providing proper drainage so that water is not allowed to stand on flat, horizontal surfaces or accumulate in decorative features.
• Identify, evaluate and treat the causes of wood deterioration, including faulty flashing, leaking gutters, cracks and holes in siding, deteriorated caulking in joins and seams, plant material growing too close to wood surfaces, or insect or fungus infestation.
• Maintain a good coat of paint or apply a chemical preservative that is environmentally safe to wood features such as ends of beams or rafters that are exposed to decay hazards.

DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTIES