As plugged-in people know, the Landmark Nightingale House at 201 Buchanan sold for $1,536,000 last year, down from $1,605,000 in 2007.
In front of San Francisco’s Historic Preservation Commission this afternoon, the six-figure plan to restore of the exterior of the Nightingale House. And while no changes to the use or configuration of the building are currently proposed, and the interior still has a long way to go, the restoration work would include:
? Replacement of the non-historic asphalt shingle roofing
? In-kind replacement of two chimneys and removal of a deteriorated one
? Repair and replacement of deteriorated window sashes with African mahogany sashes
? In-kind replacement of all redwood gutters and copper downspouts, and perhaps install a gutter shield from somewhere such as mastershield Alpharetta, so the future gutters last longer than expected.
? Selective repair and in-kind replacement of exterior millwork
? Off-site restoration of the period steel and iron fencing and reinstallation
? Recreation of missing balconies, matching the forms shown in historic photographs
? Recreation of the jib doors that opened from the parlors to the missing balconies
? Recreation of the missing gable tip finials and ridge crest
In summary, as proposed the project “would retain and repair or replace in-kind most historic elements of the façade, including the wood cladding, brick chimneys, wood gutters, soffits, moldings and ornaments, windows, and fencing” while “no distinctive materials, architectural elements, or spaces that characterize the property would be removed.”
For any properties with windows and glass in need of repair and restoration, owners should consider enlisting help from the likes of Town and Country Glass in Portland, Oregon, or wherever they are in order to replace broken or foggy glass and much more. This way, properties will have a much longer lifespan if they are not allowed to fall into dilapidation and disrepair. It is, of course, a procedure requiring skill and expertise so bringing in professionals for glass repair is probably the way to go.
And yes, this is the place SFGate was advertising reporting as “fully restored.”
? Inside The Nightingale’s Landmark Nest At 201 Buchanan [SocketSite]
? The Nightingale House (201 Buchanan) Looks For Another Landing [SocketSite]
? The Landmarked Nightingale House (201 Buchanan) Hits The Market [SocketSite]
? Historic Preservation Commission Agenda: 4/20/11 [sf-planning.org]
? Request to Restore 201 Buchanan Street [sfplanning.org]
That’s some quite genuine restoration there. I’m surprised that they’re replacing the redwood gutters with the same. Wood is a pretty bad material for gutters though if you had to pick one species then Sequoia sempervirens would be it. I’m pretty sure you could find someone who could fab metal gutters that looked like redwood. Metal would last longer and carry higher volumes.
Redwood gutters. I have them too and they are kind of a nightmare if you let them go. Its not the gutters themselves — the redwood lasts forever and anyways is outside the building envelope. The problem is the nails. They go through the siding and eventually rust out, leaving holes that go right through the cladding into the stud bays. If (when) the gutters get clotted and full of standing water, the water drips through the holes. Don’t ask me how I know all this, or what the studs look like after ten or fifty years of this….
I love this house, can hardly wait to see what gets done with it and how some of the challenges of the chopped up upstairs get handled. I’m sure it will be artful, and I’m sure I’ll be envious of the owners when it’s done.
Replacing the gutters in-kind is a great idea since there is nothing overhanging them on the entire property. Especially if lined in fabricated gutter liners. Also, everyone keeps talking about the attic space and how it has been chopped up but when I was last in there during it’s brief time on the market, the attic was fine except for a few small walls that had been erected to create a new room. The exposed beams and such are all original and were never anything but how it is now. Amazing property that has clearly been purchased by the right people.
“Especially if lined in fabricated gutter liners.”
Hmmmm… that sounds like a potential disaster unless there’s a way to guarantee that no water gets between the liner and the redwood. Once water gets into that interface it will take a long time to dry, creating a great environment for fungus.
The point about nothing overhanging is good because it means that the gutters probably won’t require annual cleaning. Still you’ve got roof shingle material shedding off and into the gutter as well as when big windy storms blow debris in from blocks away.
SF Local Color in partnership with Artistic License is presently handling the historic restoration of this beautiful landmark. Stay tuned for updates and progress reports!
Photos can be seen here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/RestorationWorkshop/TheNightingaleHouse#
Or hop over to the Facebook page and hit that “like” button to get updates in your news feed:
https://www.facebook.com/sflocalcolor
More soon…