ARB Approves New Front For Grands

Washington Street Design Change Asked

Lexington’s Architectural Review Board looked at John Adamson’s proposals for exterior changes to the Grand’s building at 1 S. Main St. during its regular meeting last Thursday and voted to approve many of the changes Adamson requested.

Adamson brought requests for the Main Street, Washington Street and rear-facing portions of the building.

Along Main Street, Adamson is proposing adding two storefronts with a combined total of three entrances on the southern side of the building for a second storefront and adding new windows around them.

One of the entrances was approved by the ARB at a meeting last August, and the other new entrance was approved last week. The other entrance will be in the same location as the existing doors, though new doors and windows will be installed there.

Adamson also requested that entablature be added to the southern-most section of the wall, which he proposed could potentially be used for an “Instagram Wall” with some sort of artwork related to the c ity. No artwork was included in the proposal and any that would go there in the future would need to be approved by the ARB.

“Anyway you cut it, this section reads as sort of a more modern structure on this corner, and it seems like if you were to take a lot of wood or a lot of other things, you would be mixing components and almost sort of confusing some of the materials,” Adamson told the board. “So it just made sense to me, and what I was sort of bringing forth was a modern store front that was set sensitively in a setting that would be maintainable, attractive, consistent, safe, securable, energy-efficient, etc.”

On the Washington Street side of the building Adamson is proposing the same window design for the front corner of the building and adding three windows to the next portion of the wall, which will be repainted from white to Spanish Red.

“I was trying to pick a color that was consistent in Lexington – there used to be a lot of buildings painted that color – to allow that section to read sort of independently,” he said.

The rear half of Washington Street side of the building is being proposed for a new storefront which, in Adamson’s proposal, would have the same brick as the Main Street side of the building and include the same color and type of frames for the windows and doors. He also requested an awning to hang over the new storefront and windows be added to the upper half of the building.

Board member Caroline Alexander expressed an overall appreciation for the proposed design of the storefront, but requested that some elements be changed to differentiate it from the Main Street frontage, such as the windows and door.

“I think you’ve done so much to make this look like its own independent space. Then I see the same doors and glass details that are on the front of the building,” she said. “I like all of the upper windows - that reads a little bit differently [and] the canopy is great - but then I see this and it’s like, ‘Oh, maybe it is part of the same.’ We know it is, everyone knows it is, but I think there was an opportunity there to differentiate this even a little bit more.

“I’m not saying it doesn’t look good,” she added. “It would probably be fine if it was connected to the front. I think if you spend all that time and brickwork to pull it apart, don’t replicate what you have on the front. You’re doing such a disservice to match it exactly.”

Adamson said he would look at other examples to see if he could come up with something that would match the ARB’s request, and also asked the members to share any suggestions they might have.

“I really am trying to bring forward [a proposal of] what’s going to help take some of the things that are here, how do we improve upon them [and] do we make sure we do it in a way that’s gonna look good in 25 years as well as tomorrow?” Adamson said. “That’s the spirit of what’s coming forward. If we’re moving in the right direction and if you just want a little more meat on the bone, then I can keep fleshing it out, but I do want you to hear, sincerely, that I am trying to bring thoughtful proposals forward.”

Ian Small made motions to approve requested changes to the Main Street front “as presented” and to approve the Washington Street changes with the exception of the windows and door for the lowerlevel store front. Julie Taylor seconded both motions, which passed in 4-0 votes. Alexander left the meeting early was not present for the vote.

Adamson also presented a proposal for the rear of the building, many elements of which were tabled pending potential changes that would require ARB review, including windows on the upper floor of that portion of the building.

He proposed painting the rear the same Spanish Red as the side of the building, which ARB chair Arthur Bartenstein raised some objection to. Adamson said he was “not married to the color” and picked it simply for consistency and limiting the variations in color of the building.

The only requests that were granted last Thursday were for a new door at the rear entrance and to paint the cover over the door. Taylor made the motion to approve those requests, with Barbara Crawford providing the second. It passed unanimously.