Town of Georgetown
Design Guidelines
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The Historic Residential Character Area contains the greatest number of single family structures in Georgetown that have survived from the mining era. They represent a distinctive historic area within the town and contribute greatly to the town's historic significance.
A variety of building styles occurs in this area. However, a similarity of building forms, materials and size is evident. Buildings range from small, wood frame, single-family cottages to larger, single-family homes as well as to some duplexes and a few institutional structures. Most buildings are simple in design, although some ornamentation was used historically. The smaller houses tend to exhibit very few details, reserving most ornamentation for porches. Larger houses show more ornamental detail. However, even these are modest overall. A limited range of detail is an important characteristic of the area.
Exterior wall materials traditionally were horizontal wood siding, with the exception of a few brick homes. Stone was used generally for foundations. Board and batten was found on out buildings and occasionally on primary residences. Decorative shingles were sometimes applied to eaves and dormers.
Buildings were often expanded over time, resulting in additions usually to the rear of the structure. Generally, these were smaller in size than the main structure. Attic spaces were sometimes expanded by adding dormers. Other functions were accommodated in secondary structures, such as barns and sheds, that were detached and located at the rear of the property.
The limited combination of roof forms found on many buildings creates another striking feature. Most all are simple gabled or hip roofs. Steep pitches are common. Wood shingles and standing seam metal were used on many early buildings, while today composition shingles are frequently used. Historically, a typical parcel had one large structure located at the front, with smaller supporting buildings located in the rear. Informal plant massings were located along fence lines and building foundations.
Summary of Key Characteristics
Key design characteristics of this Character Area include the following:
- Single family residences are the dominate type of structure.
- Institutional uses (churches and parks) are also found here.
- Historically major north-south streets had sidewalks-flagstone or boardwalks-but only a few remain today.
- Front yards are defined by a fence.
- Horizontal wood siding dominates.
- Variety of architectural styles exists.
- Gabled or hipped roofs dominate.
- Simple detailing on simple cottages.
- Elaborate detailing exists on larger, high-style residences.
- Houses and their elements have a predominantly vertical emphasis.
Design Goals
The Historic Residential Character Area should continue to develop in
a coordinated manner so that an overall sense of visual continuity is
achieved. Preservation of the integrity of this area is a primary goal
of the Design Review Committee. The dominant character of this area should
be that of a single-family, residential neighborhood. Projects that include
a primary building with a subordinate secondary structure will aid in
maintaining the historic character of this area.
The design goals for the Historic Residential Character Area are:
- To emphasize the preservation and restoration of historic structures and building detailing (e.g., Where an existing historic building exists, a property owner's first priority should be its continued use, not replacement.)
- To continue the use of traditional building materials (e.g., When the majority of buildings along a street are constructed with wood lap siding, a new development should relate in visual appearance.)
- When needed, to design an addition such that the early character of the original building is maintained (e.g., An addition should be placed to the rear of the primary structure and not visually dominate it.)
- To reinforce the basic characteristics established early in the town's development in new construction
- To develop new buildings which respect their historic neighbors (e.g., Where properties abut an historic building, special care should be taken in relating to these precious resources.)
- To maintain the small-size character of the area (e.g., When a new building is planned adjacent to small historic buildings, it should not visually dominate them.)
- To provide landscaping that defines public and private spaces on a site, similar to that seen historically
- To keep the automobile, and its associated storage, as an ancillary use on a site (e.g., Parking for an automobile should not be the primary or dominant feature on a building's site.)
- To promote friendly, walkable streets (e.g., Projects that support pedestrian activity and contribute to the quality of life are encouraged.)
- To minimize the amount of light spill from a structure
Organization of This Chapter
This chapter presents the design policies and guidelines that are applicable
to both new construction and alterations of non-historic buildings located
in Georgetown's Historic Residential Character Area. They are organized
into two sections dealing with the following issues:
- Building mass, size and form
- Setting
1. Mass and Size
The mass and size of buildings in Georgetown are among the elements that have greatest influence on compatible construction in the community. The height, width and depth of a new building should be compatible with historic buildings in the community at large, within the Historic Residential Character Area and especially with those structures that are immediately adjacent to the new building. The size of a building also should relate to its lot size and placement on the lot. A limited mix of "small" and "large" building sizes exist in the Historic Residential Character Area. Even on larger lots where larger buildings occur, the traditional building size is preserved. This established size should be maintained.
A. New construction should appear similar in mass and size to historic structures found in the Character Area.
- Residences in the Character Area from one- to two-stories, but are typically one and one-half story.
- The tradition of one- to two-story street facades should be continued.
- Break up the massing of larger buildings into components that reflect this traditional size.
B. New construction should be within five feet of the average height of historic structures within the immediate neighborhood.
- Historic residences within a 300 foot radius of the new structure should be used in calculating the height of the surrounding context.
C. A facade should appear similar in dimension to those seen historically in the town.
- Typically, a residential building front ranges from 15 to 30 feet in width. Additional widths were accomplished with a setback or change in building plane.
2. Building and Roof Form
The traditional residential building form consists of a simple rectangular mass capped with a gabled or hipped roof. Additions are usually located to the rear of the main building. In a basic sense, it is the combinations of these shapes that establish a sense of scale for the neighborhood. These characteristic forms should be preserved, in their height, width and depth, throughout the Historic Residential Character Area. New construction that does not respect these existing form characteristics may diminish the integrity of the historic district and the quality of life for surrounding residents.
A. Use building forms similar to those found traditionally.
- Vertically-oriented rectangular shapes are typical and are encouraged.
- One simple form should be the dominant element in a building design.
- Building forms that step down in size to the rear of the lot are encouraged.
- Smaller, secondary buildings should be simple rectangular shapes, as well.
B. Use traditional roof forms.
- Sloping roof forms, such as gabled, hip and shed, should be the dominant roof shapes. Avoid flat roofs.
- Traditional roofs are simple and steeply pitched and most have hip or gabled ends facing the street. Most primary roofs have pitches of 9:12, although some are as low as 7:12. Shed roofs, on additions, have a wider range of pitches from 4:12 to 12:12.
- Non-traditional roof forms are inappropriate.
- Orient ridge lines parallel with the floor planes and perpendicular to the street.
C. The number and size of dormers should be limited on a roof, such that the primary roof form remains prominent.
- Dormers should be used with restraint, in keeping with the simple character of buildings in Georgetown.
- The top of a dormer roof should be located below the ridge line of the primary roof and set back from the eave.
D. Roofs should be similar in size to those used historically on comparable buildings.
- The length of a roof ridge should not exceed those seen historically on comparable buildings. Historically, in residential contexts, the maximum ridge length was 35 to 40 feet.
3. Building Setbacks
Most front facades align at a relatively uniform setback from the street in each block. The rhythm created by the placement of buildings and side yards is an especially important characteristic of the area. This historic development pattern contributes to the visual continuity of the neighborhood and should be preserved.
A. Maintain the alignment of building fronts along the street.
- Setbacks should fall within the established range of setbacks in the block.
- For additions to existing buildings, set them back from the front of the structure such that they do not alter the perceived character of the front. Typically a setback from the building front should be, at a minimum, equal to the width of the facade.
B. Side yards should match the dimensions of historic yards along the street.
Book 1 Appendices | Book 2 Chapter 2