A small 70 year one-story house at 621 E Ridgewood St (MAP) has been approved for demolition by the Historic Preservation Board to make way for a three story 3,260 SQ FT craftsman style home.
The existing house was built in 1950 and is considered a non-contributing structure in the Lake Eola Heights Historic district because it was not yet 50 years of age in 1989 and is considered to have been built outside the period of significance for the district. The house is a simple concrete block house with minimal detail and has minimal architectural significance.
Mid century homes are becoming more popular with younger home buyers. The popular sentiment regarding this style of architecture is shifting.
The style of the home differs greatly from that of the neighborhood, which consists mainly of Craftsman style, frame vernacular, Mediterranean Revival, and Colonial Revival style architecture. The house is built of 4 inch high concrete block.
Staff said that the house blends in with the historic architecture of the street and district and is typical of this type and age structure which are found throughout the district. The house has limited significance and there is no historic significance or person associated with the house.
The style of the proposed house is Frame Vernacular with a front facing gable and lower slope roof and in general the overall shape is in keeping with this style as found in Florida. There are some details which are out of character which include the returned eaves and the predominance of half height windows on the sides of the building.
The height of the proposed home is 30 feet, the maximum allowed in the district. The home is considered a two story house with "the possibility" of an 822 square feet attic. The possibility attic contains a bedroom, bathroom, closet, and storage room according to the proposed floor plans.
City Staff said the scale of the proposed house is larger than most of the historic houses nearby.
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